Research Catalogue

A practicing weaver, educator, writer, curator and consultant. Initially trained in woven textiles in the UK, and later in Japan, has worked on an extensive portfolio of projects with leading artists, designers and makers, industrial partners, traditional craft weavers and museums, contributing to commercial and developmental projects, and collections, and publishing through exhibitions, conferences, and peer-reviewed journals world-wide.

Exercising a broad, systematic approach of rigorous applied research, practice broadly combines hand weaving and (where possible) industrial scale production. Chief interests are in materials and yarn properties, and work isn't immediately concerned with pattern or even colour, but explores the regularly unseen aspects of design through the deeper values and potentials of material, structural and spatial conditions, and finish applications, to exploit or subvert inherent characteristics of yarns employed. 

Research interests are interconnected and include: Craft:Industry interface – investigating cross-situational practice in (woven) textiles research and development; inherited knowledge systems in textile crafts; and material culture and design in historical (woven) textiles.

Two key publications have reflected on findings from extended research: ‘Craft industry interface: a dialogue between hand, heart and machine.' (Parry-Williams, 2007) looked at the transferable values of ‘craft knowledge’ in the context of industrial production; whilst 'Made-by-hand: [re]valuing traditional (Japanese) textile practices for contemporary design.' (Parry-Williams, 2014), examined and proposed creative application of inherited knowledge systems and traditional materials in the designing and making of contemporary textiles.

Research has also resulted in an extensive portfolio of exhibitions of textile work. Through the project, ‘Plain, Stripe, Check’, exploration of historical textiles in museums (in Britain and Japan) and reflective making, has delivered shows in Japan, UK and Austria (2007-2013); while outcomes from collaborative practice with industry partners has resulted in conference expositions in both the UK and USA (‘Inspired Design: Jacquard & Entrepreneurial Textiles.’ 2008), and fashion collection launches in London (2007~).