Sixties style swings into Hull

One of the textile designs by artist Shirley Craven

With the sixties came the emergence of liberation, social upheaval and psychedelic culture. This revolution resonated across music, film, fashion and the arts.

Now the iconic style and design of this era is being relived through a new exhibition of eye-catching textiles and furniture.

The exhibition at Feren's Art Gallery features bold fabric prints by Shirley Craven and disposable cardboard furniture, before going on a national tour.

Shirley was born in the city and studied at Hull College of Art. After finishing her studies at the Royal College of Arts in 1959, she was talent-spotted by design company Hull Traders.

The organisation formed in 1957 and was named after its co-founder - Tristram Hull. The company was home to a wealth of talent including Craven's husband Bernard Holdaway, Eduardo Polizzi and Althea McNish, Britain's first black textile designer.

Craven's career with Hull Traders flourished. She produced over 40 prints for the firm and won three design awards, making her one of the leading textile designers of the period.

When Hull Traders closed in 1980, the artist fell into obscurity. Now she has become the subject of a new book by design historian Lesley Jackson, who was also responsible for organising the exhibition.

"Hull Traders produced a lot of abstract designs and they were very cutting edge and avant-garde." said Lesley Jackson.

"What I'm trying to do with this exhibition is to get Shirley recognised and her status accepted again. Because she had a high profile in the design world in the 60's and then after Hull Traders closed, she was forgotten about.

"So this is her renaissance and rediscovering her extremely exciting body of work." added Ms Jackson.

With the exhibition launched on the artists 75th birthday, Shirley Craven said she was honoured to see her work being exhibited in Hull for the first time.

"When I see the work altogether like this after such a long time, it's very very interesting because one can see things that one might have done differently." said Craven.

"I feel I'd like to have done more. I'd like to have probably changed some of the things in some of the designs, but some of them work and I'm quite satisfied."

Over 70 textiles by 30 artists are showcased in the exhibition. More than 30 of the fabrics are by Shirley Craven including her award-winning designs 'Heptad' and 'Le Bosquet', which won a Design Centre Award in 1960.

The tomotom furniture designed by Craven's husband Bernard Holdaway

Highly graphical and visually arresting, the textile designs are gigantic in size with the patterns repeating across two or three metres.

They were originally produced for the commercial market, with fabrics being sold to furnish public buildings including hotels and working men's clubs.

Aside from textiles, Hull Traders also produced the tomotom furniture, which was made from cardboard tubes and designed by Bernard Holdaway.

The epitome of 60's iconic vibrant style, the furniture launched at the Ideal Home exhibition in 1966 and became a big success for Hull Traders. Even the late footballer, George Best, bought a set.

Shirley Craven and Hull Traders: Revolutionary Post-War Fabrics and Furniture is open at the Hull Feren's Art Gallery until 3 January 2010.