John Byrne: Father of the Man

Scottish artist and playwright John Byrne worked directly with Dovecot to produce Father of the Man for the Carpets of Distinction rug collection, exploring connections between the spheres of art and craft and the mass-produced culture of industrial design. Curated by Panel Curates in 2012, the project brought Dovecot together with two of the most significant Scottish industrial textile companies of the time: Stoddard International plc and James Templeton & Co Ltd.

This particular rug, made by Jonathan Cleaver in collaboration with Byrne, takes inspiration from the history of industrial carpet design through reference to traditional motif and pattern whilst acknowledging the central role of the artist. Byrne’s acclaimed trilogy The Slab Boys, written in 1978, drew upon his own pre-art school experiences in the colour-mixing room of the Stoddard carpet factory in Paisley.

Carpets of Distinction also created a unique partnership between other contemporary artists including Ruth Ewan, Nick Evans, Alasdair Gray, Nicolas Party, Joanne Tatham and Tom O’Sullivan and Dovecot weaver and rug maker Jonathan Cleaver in the creation of a series of limited edition hand–tufted rugs.

Edition 1/8 is sold. Please contact info@dovecotstudios.com to enquire about lead time on commissioning the next edition.