Weavers Staircase - Lyon, France

Earlier this year I explored Lyon, France, an historic center of silk weaving, with my husband and two friends. I first became interested in Lyon through an episode of the podcast Haptic and Hue – a favorite podcast of mine hosted by Jo Andrews, which introduced me to the history of the city. In Jo’s words “It’s a place completely tied up with textiles from its very beginnings as a Roman transport hub at the meeting of two big rivers through the 18th and 19th centuries where this was the beating heart of Europe’s luxury textile production.” Initially weaving was centered in the old medieval city, and then moved up the hill to an area called Le Croix Rousse. Below is a mural in the Le Croix Rousse neighborhood that pays tribute to the weavers of Lyon.

 We stayed in a former live/work weavers building in Le Croix Rousse that had been converted to modern apartments.  The staircase is original to the building and inspired several ideas for my Threads of Time series.  When I look at this staircase, I think of the many feet of weavers and their families that went up and down these stairs, wearing down the stone with their repeated passings. I hear the noise of the looms, feel the vibrations of the weaving process, and smell the sweat of the weavers working in the summer heat. I think about wives and children using this this stairway multiple times a day, and the echoes of their conversations and footfalls in the stairwell. 

I’m currently building out my ideas with yarns, weave structures and fabrics, only landing on the final arrangements after extensive experimentation. I’ve selected satin weaves as a tribute to the silk weavers and am integrating 8 shaft satins with plain weave structures.  Once I’ve completed this series of experiments, I’ll set up my loom for the full-scale works.