Hannah Robson and the Shape of Transformation
Within the soaring interior of The Harris, a new commission rises and unfurls: Transformation, a monumental textile sculpture by Hannah Robson. Suspended through the building’s central void, the work stretches an astonishing 20 metres, threading its way across three levels in a display that is at once delicate and commanding. Commissioned by the British Textile Biennial in partnership with The Harris, the piece is on view until June 2026.
Hannah Robson, Transformation, viewed from above, looking down the Harris rotunda. Photo: Lucy Forrester.
Handwoven and knotted from paper yarns and rayon, Transformation explores invention through material. Robson’s practice has long been concerned with how textiles occupy and shape space, and here she pushes that inquiry into architectural scale. Precise, three-dimensional woven forms emerge from layers that were constructed flat on the loom, only to open and expand once released. These sculptural elements are bound together by tensioned, continuous threads that twist and shift, reorganising in rhythm with light and movement. As daylight shifts across the galleries, the work subtly changes, revealing new tonal relationships and depths.
Hannah Robson, Transformation detail, circular form. Photo: Lucy Forrester
The work is rooted in research into the history of rayon production, particularly the legacy of the Courtaulds Factory. Robson translates industrial processes into poetic material gestures. The palette—off-white, coal black, and a vivid, almost alchemical orange—references wood pulp, fuel, and liquid rayon. In a striking parallel to the chemical transformations involved in rayon manufacture, she bleaches sections of yarn, allowing colour to evolve across the surface of the work.
Hannah Robson, Transformation detail. Photo: Lucy Forrester
“It’s the biggest sculpture I have made to date,” Robson reflects, noting the contrast between the intimate scale of her studio and the expansive presence of the finished piece. “The making process involved weaving in layers which open up… It was exciting to finally reveal the form in the museum.” That sense of revelation is palpable; the sculpture seems to breathe within the space, filtering light and subtly altering the atmosphere as viewers move around it.
Hannah Robson, Depending (Detail) 2021. Image courtesy of the artist.
Installed alongside Depending (2021), a kinetic work incorporating copper wire, Transformation highlights Robson’s ongoing dialogue between material, motion and environment. Her background spans studies at the Royal College of Art and teaching at Bradford School of Art, which informs a practice that bridges technical precision with conceptual depth.
Since its establishment in 1893, The Harris has been a cultural anchor in Preston, and this commission signals its renewed commitment to ambitious contemporary work. Through Transformation, Robson not only honours the region’s textile heritage but reimagines it, thread by thread, into something expansive, immersive and wholly transformative.
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Further Information:
Hannah Robson, Transformation is on view now at The Harris, Preston, until June 2026. Entry to view is free of charge.
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Image Credits:
Lead: Transformation detail. Photo: Lucy Forrester
All further images as credited in captions.