A textile chronicle of contemporary shepherds

The new folk cloak

By Maria Eva Russo MA Sustainable Design April 2012

The conservation-grazing program is a strategy that Brighton and Hove council is using to protect chalk grassland in and around the city. The project relies on the collaboration of volunteer shepherds or Lookerers who are trained to help care for the sheep. Usually in the mornings and afternoons, the Lookerers spend some time making sure that the sheep have got all that they need to graze happily. They are the protagonists of the following cloak-tale about traditions and identity.

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The Idea The idea of the Cloak was born from wondering about: How a garment could be created to tell the story and heritage of a group of people? How this textile artifact could hold and transmit information about these people? These ideas grew and other aspects like locality, interests and shared activities were incorporated into the project to define this group of people. Following time and space as guidelines, the cloak was designed and created.

The Lookerer

The Lookerers were an interesting group to investigate because they were already part of a local textile chain; and lookering, as an activity, would provide the criteria for the

design; reflecting and informing about the details of this activity.

The Cloak The Cloak, as a shape and a garment, celebrates one of the most antique structures found in the history of dress. It is also associated with shelter; ancient shepherds had tent-cloaks made of felt to protect them from the elements. The cloak was a perfect item to symbolize the idea of legacy that was sought.

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The interior image where we can see the map of Brighton and Hove council and the sites where the conservation grazing points are located has also been handmade using techniques of couching (stitching a thick thread on a fabric using a thin thread) and needle felting (interlocking and compacting wool fibers by using pointed barbed felting needles)

The lining of the cloak is handmade felt; a mix of Romney Marsh and Wensleydale fleece from a local sheep farm. The felt has been traditionally produced and the construction has been totality done in needlework by hand. !

The shell is made from a reclaimed tent and is industrially mounted. The tent provided the right character as a material for an outdoors garment being both waterproof and windproof as well as meaningful in the idea of keeping safe, meeting the criteria of heritage that was being pursued.

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!Time and Space The space, as a guideline, determined the local materials among the craft skills to be used. Wool, as one of the ancient textile resources of Sussex, was the perfect material for the cape and felting was the textile skill that best represented the shepherds gear. The idea of space is also found on the map designed on the interior of the cape. Time has been represented by the practical and aesthetical fusion of past and present; melting the contemporary lookering activity with the inspiration of past shepherding. The time spent in learning how to create the Lookerers Cloak, was highly respected and enjoyed and seen as one of the outcomes of the project. Also the strategy used to build the cape was related to: exploring the experience of real time. How long does it really take to hand-make a garment? The understanding of real time became the journey from gathering the wool to making the felt and sewing the cloak. !

!The Cloak is a three-piece garment. These parts are detachable and exchangeable between themselves; it depends on the

weather or circumstances how the Lookerer decides to use it.

The base or waistcoat is the central part of the garment and the main function is to facilitate the mobility of the Lookerer. The waistcoat has two main pockets, plus a third and smaller one to carry a pair of gloves. It also has a peg and key holder, as part of the Lookerers routine is to check a locked box where the power for the electric fence is located and to make sure that any missing pegs are replaced. The main function of the cape is to protect and shelter from the rain and the wind; it can also be used as a blanket and a guide map. The cowl, made by the hood and the yoke, also has the main property of protecting the head and neck area from the outdoor weather.

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! Slow Design: As an alternative to a nowadays-fast culture, the slow design movement suggests to bring down the speed of our consuming behaviour to reach a more harmonic way of living.

The Cloak has been inspired by three of the six principles of slow design: 3-Reflect: Slowly designed objects induce to reflective consumption. 4-Engage: Slow design processes are open source and collaborative. 6-Evolve: Richer experiences can emerge from dynamic maturation of artefacts over time. !

Everyone must leave something behind when he dies, my grandfather said. A child or a book or a painting or a

house or a wall built or a pair of shoes made. Or a garden planted. Something your hand touched some way so your soul has somewhere to go when you die, and when people look at that tree or that flower you planted, you're there

Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451. 1953

Legacy There is knowledge, almost like rituals, that people used to put into practice. Increasingly, many of these rituals are getting lost over time, without the opportunity to be transmitted and kept alive. This project talks of the small stories that we can keep alive, the knowledge we inherited from our ancestors, which we can transmit to our descendants. When we talk of an end of tradition, we are talking about neglecting identity, the kind of identity, which we are responsible for, the one we should proudly sustain and create. In this time, when the identity of our society is ruled by an economic growth paradigm, the urgency of remembering who we are should remain on the horizon.

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The Lookerers Feedback

Hi Eva, I love your cloak: The way its made, from a clever blend of recycled and natural materials, all perfectly suited to the purpose its practicality. The Downs are very beautiful but the weather can be dreadful, and your cloak is so wonderfully practical, with the lovely map and different layers. The care youve taken to weave the shepherds story into the garment, and the six standards of slow design. Its a place I hope we all get to eventually, before its too late and we completely lose touch with the natural world were so busy spoiling. From an emotional perspective, Ive been surprised how fond Ive become of the sheep. Your cloak would enable me to look after them in much greater comfort. Ive tried jackets and cagoules, jumpers and ex-army clothing, but nothing Ive tried is quite right for the job! Thank you Id like to wish you great luck with your future projects. All the very best Kate Naylor

The cloak looks fantastic a very practical piece of artwork! I think we should all be issued with a lookerers cape!! Brigitta

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