Thread: Material Narratives at Sarah Myerscough Gallery

Thread is among the most modest of materials: a twisted fibre, easily overlooked, yet fundamental to human life. Long before the written word, threads were woven into structures that clothed, protected and signified identity. The very language we use to communicate reflects this history. As critic and author Emma Crichton-Miller observes, the word “thread” derives from a Germanic root meaning “to twist” – the simple act of twisting fibres into yarn. From there comes the grid of weaving, the knot, the stitch, and ultimately the textile. Even the word “text” itself traces back to the Latin texere, meaning “to weave”, a reminder that storytelling and making have long been intertwined. From the swaddling blankets of infancy to the burial shroud, thread has long held an intimate relationship with the human body.

Patrick Bongoy, Way of Ancestors, 2026. Found inner rubber tubing, lay flat on board. 

This relationship between material, language and human experience forms the conceptual foundation of Thread, a new group exhibition at Sarah Myerscough Gallery, presented across the Upper and Lower galleries of The Schoolhouse from 27 March to 14 May 2026. Bringing together nineteen international artists working with fibre and fibre-adjacent materials, the exhibition explores weaving as both process and idea – a practice capable of carrying cultural memory while evolving through contemporary experimentation...

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Image Credits:

Lead: Ann Coddington Constellation Set I, 2025 Mixed Fibres. Largest Size: 30 cm.

All images as credited in captions and courtesy of the artists and Sarah Myerscough Gallery.