Salts Mill: Textile Shows for 2025
Salts Mill, in the historic heart of Saltaire, is set to host two textile exhibitions in 2025, marking Bradford’s tenure as the UK City of Culture. The mill, originally opened in 1853 as the most modern textile factory in Europe, was later transformed into a vibrant cultural space that has become a renowned destination for exhibitions and events. Salts Mill boasts an extensive collection of David Hockney’s works and has collaborated with notable figures across various disciplines, including poets Simon Armitage and Tony Harrison, the Yorkshire Fashion Archive, and Cloth & Memory.
Textile art on show this year includes:
Pauline Caulfield
Pauline Caulfield at work in her studio. Credit: Luke Caulfield
Until the end of 2025, Salts Mill is showcasing three textile panels by Pauline Caulfield in The Home, a vast former factory space now dedicated to design and interiors. Cascade, Garden, and Odeon are characterised by bold colours and geometric shapes, creating a striking contrast with the industrial architecture of the mill.
'Cascade’ curtains / panels, Pauline Caulfield. Photo credit: Yeshen Venema
Caulfield studied painting at Chelsea School of Art before moving into textile print at the Royal College of Art. Over the years, she has designed and printed bespoke window and wall hangings, treading a fine line between art and design. Alongside this, she has created a portfolio of ecclesiastical textiles, including vestments and altar frontals.
Pauline Caulfield at work in her studio. Credit: Luke Caulfield
A graduate of the Royal College of Art, Caulfield initially put her artistic ambitions on hold to raise a family but later revived her practice, producing textiles that continue to captivate collectors and textile enthusiasts alike. She lives and works in Primrose Hill, North London.
Ann Hamilton
Ann Hamilton. Photo Credit: Ali Hobbs
In May, internationally acclaimed artist Ann Hamilton will unveil We Will Sing, a major site-responsive installation in Salts Mill’s vast top-floor galleries. This marks her first UK project in over 30 years and her first ever in Yorkshire. Drawing from the region’s rich textile heritage, Hamilton’s work uses raw and woven wool from local textile companies H Dawson and William Halstead Hamilton to create an immersive environment that brings together voice, song, and printed word. The installation will be accompanied by a film by Bradford-based filmmaker Ali Hobbs, documenting the making of the work.
Ann Hamilton inside Salts Mill. Photo Credit: Ali Hobbs
We Will Sing began the moment Hamilton first stepped inside Salts Mill. She said, “Crossing the threshold, I felt instantly held and welcomed by an atmosphere of beauty thick with ‘what was’ and ‘what might be.’ I immediately sensed this as a place of transformation committed not just to its architecture but to the future of a community and to imagination’s transformative power.”
Ann Hamilton sourcing wool. Photo Credit: Ali Hobbs
Hamilton’s project extends beyond the physical space, inviting visitors to participate in a collective reflection on the future. A key element of We Will Sing is an open call for letters addressed to future generations, posing the question: What does the future need to know?
With these two exhibitions, Salts Mill continues to be a beacon of textile heritage and contemporary artistic expression, ensuring that the voices of fabric and industry keep on singing for generations to come.
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Further Information:
The work of Pauline Caulfield is on show now, until the end of 2025.
Ann Hamilton's We Will Sing will be on show from May 2025.
Salts Mill,
Victoria Road,
Saltaire,
West Yorkshire
BD18 3LA
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Image Credits:
Lead Image: Detail - 'Odeon' curtains / panels, Pauline Caulfield. Photo credit: Yeshen Venema