TALES of our time are about to come together in a unique textile celebrating Bute’s heritage.
The fabric of the island’s past and present is to be woven into a large-scale, community-driven artwork that will welcome visitors arriving in the iconic Rothesay Pavilion, scheduled to reopen next year.
This major new artwork, Threads of the Pavilion, is the first in a series of creative commissions to be announced in the coming months, creating opportunities for artists across Scotland and specifically on Bute, to develop work and generate income.
Threads will bring together stories, materials and memories from across the island, weaving them into a single, permanent artwork for the Pavilion’s entrance. Applications are now open for a lead artist to guide the ambitious, community-led process.
The CEO of Rothesay Pavilion, Julie Tait, told this newspaper: “This is about more than a single artwork. Threads of the Pavilion represents what the Pavilion will stand for as it reopens, a space for creativity, for community and for opportunity.
“At a time when artists across Scotland are facing real challenges, it’s vital we create meaningful opportunities to make work, collaborate and connect. This project will celebrate Bute’s extraordinary textile heritage, while ensuring it continues to evolve, shaped by the people and artists of today.”
Drawing on Bute’s deep-rooted traditions of making, from domestic craft and knitting to industrial-era textile production, the project celebrates an island where textiles are not only heritage, but a living, evolving cultural language.
Rothesay Pavilion is racing towards its official reopening in 2027, following more than a decade of closure and a £45million investment from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Historic Environment Scotland and Argyll and Bute Council. Once complete, the venue will operate as an inter-disciplinary cultural hub bringing together live music, visual arts, performance, learning and community-led activity under one roof.
The Threads of the Pavilion commission offers a rare opportunity for an artist working in textiles, fabric or weaving to create a significant new work for Scotland that is contemporary in ambition and rooted in place.
Applications are now open via the Pavilion website, with a deadline of April 30.
