The Lacemakers Project (Work in Progress)
Visit The Lacemakers R&D Website: lacemakersproject.com
The Lacemakers is an Arts Council funded puppetry Research and Development project, inspired by lacemaking lore and history. The R&D phase took place in 2021, and entailed research about the history of lacemaking (particularly when it was handmade, as a cottage industry), the folklore surrounding it and engagement with modern day lacemakers and lace historians. The gallery below shows various experiments that took place during our R&D - paper prototype puppets, and some explorations of character, scene ideas and thoughts about how the show may eventually be staged. I am planning to develop these ideas into an original puppet play with the working title, The Secret of the Lost Stitch later in 2024.
Photos from R&D, 2021:
The Night Tangler - A Piece of Fictional Folklore
The Night Tangler is a fictional folkloric entity invented by Daisy Jordan and Ulysses Black, as a result of this research into lacemaking history and mythology as part of The Lacemakers R&D.
Who is The Night Tangler? Old Bob; Old Smudge; Old Jack; The Lace Man, Hombre Nudo, The Lace Devil, The stitch-stealer; the ‘one who passes through’. These are the (by no means extensive) variations of names for this slippery entity - this Lace Devil of sorts. He is an ever present - though just out of sight - antagonist, awaiting the dropping-of-the-guard of lace making women. If they are untidy in their workspace, leave pins lying around, untidy with their threads, etc, the Night Tangler will steal into the workspace at night and variously unravel the lace, tangle the threads, steal, bend - even eat - the pins.
We have created an extensive mythology around this character, and I am currently creating a little booklet based on this “folklore”, which will be available to buy at some point in 2024. Below are some excerpts which will be included in the finished booklet.
“Children’s Drawings” of The Night Tangler
“During our research we uncovered these drawings of The Night Tangler, which appear to have been drawn by young lace makers, probably around 1850-1880.”
“The Night Tangler’s Appearance
Although actual descriptions of the Night Tangler vary widely, he is generally considered to be thin, pale - often white like bone - and can emerge from shadows. He climbs silently in the rafters and over roofs and is rarely described to walk on the floor. He moves like a spider, and sometimes even has eight limbs. Other descriptions say he flies on wings like a moth or a fly. The size of the Night Tangler also varies - he can be as small as a mouse so he can slip in through cracks under doors, or larger than a man.”
“Lace Lure” - charm to ward off The Night Tangler
The “Lace Lure” or the “Lace Trap”- Lacemakers have been known to make a “lace lure” - a charm to distract Old Bob to keep him away from their lace work. This is a small, complex piece of lace, often shaped like a funnel or cone, that is hung up in the corner of the room, like a spider’s web. The lacemaker is to use tiny stitches, and every stitch in her repertoire with no repeating pattern, thereby confounding (and capturing the attention of) the Night Tangler. Pictured: 4 different lace lures found at the same site, probably made by young lacemakers at the same lace school. Although often hung up in the corner of a room, these ones appear to have been displayed on pine cones. Curiously, the scent of a pine cone is believed to keep spiders away.
The Aims of the Project
The long term aim is to produce a puppetry-led piece inspired by the research I collected during the R&D phase of the project. I am aiming to begin making the show in 2024, with a tour starting in 2025.
Please check this page for updates as the project evolves!
