Sounds of the times at Quarry Bank Mill

Image above: Manchester-based artists Elizabeth Atherton and Laura Blake

Noise was a big part of apprentice life at Quarry Bank Mill.

For at least 12 hours a day the workers toiled in stifling hot and humid conditions, but often it was the clattering sound of machinery that most impacted on their health during the 1800s.

Now those sounds have inspired Aural Looms, an exhibition at Quarry Bank that explores the rhythm and pattern found amongst the deafening roar and constant whirring noises.

“Conditions were incredibly tough for the apprentices during the height of the Industrial Revolution, but this exhibition will be taking a unique view of the sounds they experienced,” said Visitor Experience Officer Kate Picker.

“If people want to hear what the actual machinery sounds like they can explore the mill itself as they are still in operation. However, this will be a more fun and playful look at the noises that are created.”

When the mill was still producing cotton in the 1800s the noise of the machines was deafening, often leaving workers to communicate via sign language.

It also meant they became good lip readers, which made gossiping difficult because other workers could ‘overhear’ conversations from a distance.

Quarry Bank’s latest exhibition recreates sounds from the mill in a series of interactive artworks.

Curators MidConversation – Manchester-based artists Elizabeth Atherton and Laura Blake – have also included contemporary textile artworks.

Elizabeth and Laura met while studying embroidery at the School of Art, MMU and wanted to work together after graduating.

Their collaborations draw on tactile use of materials to create large scale works that allow the viewer, in turn, to become the maker.

Their first collective work used 18 miles of cotton thread and opened Elizabeth and Laura’s eyes to the North West’s rich textile heritage.

Further projects left them enamoured with the aesthetics of textile machinery and this has resulted in Aural Looms, which focusses on the sounds of Quarry Bank’s waterwheel, the mill’s mule and the looms.

“We’re very excited to be working with Elizabeth and Laura and think everyone will enjoy this sensory experience,” said Kate Picker.

Aural Looms opens on September 12 (11am to 4pm) and runs until November 22.