Prism Textiles are an international exhibiting group of textile artists, working together to dispel the common preconceptions surrounding textiles, and embracing both the contemporary approach and the rich traditions of cloth and stitch. The annual exhibition showcases the textile artwork of its members through selected curation to achieve this goal. 

HISTORY

The Prism Group of Textile Artists was established in 1998 by the late Julia Caprara, as an important focus for the work of the students and tutors of Opus School of Textile Arts. Opus was initially founded in 1983 as Stitch Design, by Barbara Marriott and Julia and Alex Caprara. Later, under the direction of Alex and Julia, the school grew in reputation as one of the UK’s leading Textile Art Schools, specialising in teaching stitched textiles and art and design by distance learning to a world wide student group.

The international status of Opus and the rigour of creative academic and expressive learning established through the advanced level of courses offered by the school, ensured a high standard of professional practice by the members of Prism. A regular programme of exhibitions was established on an annual basis, providing a diverse and dynamic forum for the exchange of ideas and concepts within the spectrum of the expressive arts.

In 2010 Prism established itself as an independent exhibiting group, run by its members, while retaining a focus on showcasing high quality fine art textile practice and craftsmanship. Exhibitions of work selected from the international membership continued annually at the Mall Galleries in London, transferring to Hoxton Arches in 2015 and to our new venue at the Art Pavilion in Mile End in 2020. Additional exhibitions were held at Whitstable Museum in 2012 and in Birmingham at the Royal Society of Birmingham Artists Gallery in 2017 and 2019. Prism also toured all three Knitting and Stitch Shows in 2014, visiting Alexandra Palace, Dublin and Harrogate.

Although Julia did not start her professional career as a textile artist and explored other media, she was soon attracted by the diverse qualities of fabrics and thread. She always said that she only knew two stitches which was not quite true but she did start with the most basic of techniques. Her students and admirers know that techniques were a means to an end as Julia was primarily concerned with the tremendous expressive power of textiles. Julia saw symbols of the inner life both in the myriad colours she collected in her many baskets of fabrics and in the texture of cloth and stitch which could be manipulated to express the entire gamut of emotion and experience.

Above all, it was the process of hand stitching that was so important to her. To work on a piece of fabric held in the hand with simple stitches overlaid to create a particular symbolic colour field was something Julia found meditative and profoundly satisfying. For Julia life and work were the same thing. There was no studio, she took her work everywhere – at home, on the beach, in the car, in the garden and, finally, in the hospice. Julia enjoyed an audience, whether her cats, family (especially grandson), friends, students, nurses, fellow passengers or passers by, all were fascinated by the shimmering work growing before their eyes.

With thanks to Alex Caprara