shiftWorks

The shiftWorks project was a celebration of 50 years since the mainstream adoption of the shift dress in 1965. Nine shift dresses were created by nine emerging textile artists/designers/makers creatively exploring their craft, to showcase contemporary textile design. The shift dress became a canvas for their ideas. The project received funding from Arts Council England, South Somerset District Council and Somerset Art Works and was exhibited in 11 venues during 2015-2017. A programme of workshops and drop in sessions ran alongside the exhibitions. The public were also asked to make their mark on the 'graffiti shift' at each venue, and share their favourite shift dress images via social media in the lead up. The favourite shift dress images were shared at the exhibitions and became part of the collective memory of the iconic dress.