A collection of sensory memories from the factory, told by the partners and inspiration for this playful, immersive space Designed by creative duo; Stephanie and Sarah 25% Sarah Marsh 25% Stephanie Jefferies 25% National Festival of Making 25% Herbert Parkinson ARTIST RESIDENCY ONLY DO NOT TUMBLE DRY Feather Down ____________________ I find the suction noise relaxing The down is so fine Like fluffy clouds Like snow! Reminds me of home It’s a smooth sound I love it Feathered nests ____________________ On the factory forecourt the feathers swirl in circles whipping up in the breeze Birds from all around come to line their nests The finest nests in Lancashire! Buffalo Sound Design gathered sound recordings of the factory, from the birdsong in the morning to the shutters coming down at night: "We were all taken with the idea of the birds coming and collecting feathers from the car park so the piece starts and finishes out there with birdsong.A gentle synth bed takes you in to the factory where you hear Sergei gently pushing the feathers into the vacuum. Next you hear the hi tones of the banana cutter looped to created a subtle buzz to the soundscape. As this develops, ambient sounds of the factory and the voices of people working there start to build as we move toward a crescendo of activity. You can hear the hangers on tracks, cutting and etching, label printing, and sewing machines. The activity is joined by gentle layers of cello.As the activity begins to decrease you hear the patting of pillows which is followed by the sound of silos shutting down as the journey draws to a close and we return outside to the car park and birdsong". Jess Wild @jessicajumpers edited our footage of down floating in the factory.

The weaving looms at Herbert Parkinson closed down in 2017, but their memory remains... Staff told us of the soothing rhythm, like a heart beating in the centre of the mill, the smell of yarn fibres, oil and mist in the air, the vibrations through your feet... and the heartbreak that they are now gone. An octagonal cloister at the heart of Blackburn Cathedral Crypt, allowed us to reimagine the missing heartbeat of the factory. The soothing, hypnotic rhythm of the looms. Jess Wild @jessicajumpers edited our footage of @_.hannah_robson ‘s jaquard loom @universityofbradford and the dobby looms of Weisters Mill. Buffalo Sound used sound recordings of the looms, to craft a beautiful, calming and rhythmic soundscape: “We layered sounds of the loom with the aim of creating the sense of a mechanical body as heard from the womb, a heartbeart and lots of background processes going on, but soothing and reassuring. The same gentle synth is used to create a bed over which there are loops of the loom at various speeds and frequencies. The loom stop is used to created the ‘heart beat’ of the piece. The metal dollies and thread from the spools create high frequency textures over the pulse.”

North Light
The National Festival of Making

North Light

An huge, immersive playscape inspired by the 'sensory memories' of the partners at Herbet Parkinson Factory, Darwen, UK was situated in the crypt of Blackburn Cathedral for National Festival of Making (2023)

Stephanie Jefferies and Sarah Marsh are artists and play specialists working together as a collective. ⁠⁠In residence at Herbert Parkinson, the artists have spent time on the factory floor, enjoyed connecting with partners at lunchtimes in the canteen and explored the archives held at Odney Hall, gathering sensory memories of sound, touch and smell connected with the manufacturer.⁠⁠

Children and families are invited to enter the sensory playscape and explore memories gathered from the factory floor, now woven through the immersive space. The sculptural objects and sensory experiences that form North Light have been beautifully crafted with an early years audience, accessibility and inclusion in mind. The environment encases its audiences in the wonder of play - featuring a soothing, rhythmic soundscape, relaxing projections, and interactive visuals.⁠⁠

The Partners of Herbert Parkinson, the name by which all staff are known, have inspired the playful and reciprocal nature of the space with practical insight, suggestions and an immense creative energy; merging material, machine and the human touch.⁠

North Light was commissioned by the National Festival of Making as part of their headline commissioning programme, Art in Manufacturing.

The heartbeat (the memory of the looms)

An octagonal cloister at the heart of Blackburn Cathedral Crypt, allowed us to reimagine the missing heartbeat of the factory. The soothing, hypnotic rhythm of the looms.

100 feather filled pillows, sewn into sculptural forms created a squishy, dreamy central piece for families to sink, jump and recline into. Long tactile threads (made with fabric ends from the factory) could be wrapped around the body, a nod to the warp and weft threads of the looms.

Jacquard and Dobby looms were projected onto the expansive walls of the space, overlayed with a rhythmic soundscape by Buffalo Sound Design, echoing the heartbeat and heartbreak of the factory looms and the memories they enveloped.

Down

A responsive projection, to emulate the feather down floating through the factory

The Slide

Families to the playscape entered our world by sliding down our accessible, double width slide. Steps and detail inspired by the 'dots and dashes' on a loom card.

A huge fluffy pillowy mat made landings super soft and fun.

Inspired by the past and present of textile manufacture in the North of England. ‘North Light’ was developed through the collection of ‘sensory memories’ of factory partners, past and present, at Herbert Parkinson - a John Lewis textile manufacturer in Darwen.

Sensory Memories

An example of the sensory memories printed onto soft furnishings labels.

Jacquard Loom

A still from the loom film that was projected onto the inside walls of the heartbeat of the crypt.

Us

Stephanie and Sarah examining the qualities and possibilities of the feather filled quilts and pillows.