Seven seasons of Art in Manufacturing have seen artists paired with leading manufacturers and spaces of making across the North.

The collaborations explore materials, processes and innovation, producing world‑class artworks while opening up new conversations between industry, artists and the public.

A selection of these works are featured here for you to explore, including all residencies from the two most recent seasons.

A complete archive of residences can be found on the Art in Manufacturing website.

Art in Manufacturing Website

Lastest Residencies

Liaqat Rasul + Herbert Parkinson

In Umeed (Oh-meed) امید – Gobaith – Hope, Rasul expanded on his exploration of the mobile face as a motif to express culture, community and societal connection.

Matter at hand + Darwen Terracotta

At a time of climate emergency, Matter at hand, the design studio of Lewis Jones, explored the creative possibilities of building with liquid clay in Poured Earth, year one of a multi-year residency.

Morag Myerscough + Crown Paints

A natural meeting point between the artist and manufacturer, Floral Timekeepers celebrated colour as well as the importance of nature in a project that remains as a legacy in Blackburn town centre.

Horace Lindezey + The Making Rooms

We are Gathered Here Together, which presented brand new work alongside some of the artist’s most popular pieces, took visitors on a journey through “special occasional days”.

Margo Selby + Standfast & Barracks

A co-commission with British Textile Biennial, Breathing Colour saw a site-responsive textile sculpture that evoked the movement of cloth throughout the factory, travelling in waves and folds through machinery.

Nehal Aamir + Darwen Terracotta

Infinite Hands told a story that interweaves the history of terracotta and spirit of collaboration, whilst also responding to the collection at Blackburn Museum & Art Gallery.

Sam Williams Studio + Cardboard Box Company

A playful installation that emulated industrial architecture, Fabula un Facto invited audiences to experience the wonder of the factory floor as seen through the eyes of the artist.

Featured Residencies

Ibukun Baldwin + Cookson & Clegg

A co-commission between National Festival of Making and British Textile Biennial, Funufactury was an immersive work that engaged the skills of community members through weekly sewing workshops.

Jacqueline Donachie + Lancashire Saw Company

Combining fast beats, slow canals and the repetition of industry, IMPERIAL led audiences along a towpath, soundtracked by house music playing from a canal barge.

Martyn Ware + The Manufacturers of Lancashire

In Church of Rare Souls, voices from the factory floor reminded us of the ‘work hard, play hard’ cultures of Northern towns, where work ruled the week and dancing ruled the weekend.

Art in Manufacturing Artists

Season 7, 2025

  • Morag Myerscough + Crown Paints
  • Matter at Hand + Darwen Terracotta
  • Liaqat Rasul + Herbert Parkinson
  • Radical Pairings

Season 6, 2024

  • Nehal Aamir + Darwen Terracotta
  • Margo Selby + Standfast & Barracks
  • Horace Lindezey + The Making Rooms
  • Sam Williams + Cardboard Box Company

Season 5, 2023

  • Ibukun Baldwin + Cookson & Clegg
  • Sam Belinfante + Panaz
  • Sarah Marsh & Stephanie Jefferies + Herbert Parkinson
  • Illuminos + Cardboard Box Company
  • Sapien + SWS UK

Season 4, 2022

  • Raisa Kabir + John Spencer Textiles
  • Liz Wilson + CNC Robotics
  • Jacqueline Donachie + Lancashire Saw Company
  • Tim Denton + OEP UK
  • Hannah Leighton-Boyce + Darwen Terracotta

Season 3, 2019

  • Ames Pennington + Heritage Envelopes
  • Anna Ray + Forbo Flooring
  • Daksha Patel + Blackburn Yarn Dyers
  • Dan Edwards + The Senator Group
  • Liz Wilson + Spiroflow

Season 2, 2018

  • Liz West + Graham & Brown
  • David Murphy + WEC Group
  • Sarah Hardacre + Surface Print
  • Martyn Ware + Lancashire Manufacturers
  • Hannah Fox + Cardboard Box Company
  • Nicola Ellis + Ritherdon
  • Dawinder Bansal + Domestic Makers

Season 1, 2017

  • Bella May Leonard + Silentnight
  • James Bloomfield + Darwen Terracotta
  • Jamie Holman + Roach Bridge Tissues
  • Grennan & Sperandio + Panaz
  • Jeni McConnell + Cookson & Clegg
  • Lazerian + Cardboard Box Company
  • Michelle Wren + Graham & Brown
  • Robyn Woolston + MGS Plastics
  • Ruth Jones + Cherry Tree Bakery

Read about each residency and explore the artwork on the dedicated Art in Manufacturing website.

Art in Manufacturing Website

By the very nature of what manufacturing is and does, is art. The output is often a beautiful object of desire; the journey can just often be forgotten.

Gemma Vaughn, The Senator Group

What happens when globally renowned artists trade studios for the clatter of machines, industrial dyes, and production lines? At the National Festival of Making in Blackburn, the result is a bold, joyful, and often surprising collision of creativity and craft.

Creative Boom