The exhibition ‘Instant Whip: The Textiles and Papers of Fraser Taylor 1977–87 Revisited’ centred on a unique collection of textiles and papers held by The Glasgow School of Art (GSA) Archives and Collections, donated by interdisciplinary artist Fraser Taylor in 2014.

The collection comprises sketchbooks, slides, drawings, designs, printed textile samples, fabric lengths, garments, photographs and ephemera from his undergraduate and postgraduate studies in Printed Textiles at GSA and the Royal College of Art (RCA), respectively. It also includes work produced by the pioneering creative studio The Cloth, which Taylor formed with David Band (d.2011), Brian Bolger and Helen Manning for their RCA Degree Show in 1983.

The exhibition, curated by Dr Helena Britt and Panel, brought together this unique archive with new commissions by Taylor for the first time.

Presented in partnership with Reid Gallery and GSA Archives and Collections, the exhibition centred upon Taylor’s developing practice, highlighting, through selected material from the archive, how previous work has informed new ideas and collaborations. It also gave insight into personal networks, perspectives, and influences on his evolving career – with a distinct focus on Glasgow.

Against the disruptive socio-political context and economic gloom of the time, homosexuality was legalised, access to art schools opened up, and there was a youthful aspiration to be different from previous generations. Friendships, dressing up and going out defined Taylor’s art school experiences and his regular haunts, the Vic Café, Nico’s and the Rock Garden in Glasgow, were important spaces for artists, designers, musicians, and hairdressers working in the city.

Instant Whip borrowed its title from an independent Scottish magazine published in 1981, featuring GSA’s annual fashion show and ‘the latest in art, fashion and music’.* Drawing on such energy and newly flourishing sub-cultures, artefacts from the archive were arranged by theme and presented collectively alongside private loans and newly commissioned works. Revisiting ideas, images and methods of making, Instant Whip revealed more than an artist’s practice; it told a story about the explosion of style and subcultural expression in the 1980s, honouring and celebrating the crossover between textiles, fashion, art, design and music in popular culture that defined this decade.

The exhibition was contextualised and disseminated through a public programme of tours, talks and off-site screen-printing workshops. Delivered in partnership with Print Clan, the workshops were public-facing and targeted at specific community groups, aimed at growing new audiences and widening access and participation for the exhibition at Reid Gallery and Window on Heritage at The Glasgow School of Art.

The accompanying Instant Whip publication, edited by Panel and Helena Britt, allowed further expansion of the themes explored in the exhibition, featuring texts by Theresa Coburn, Laura Guy, Graham Lister, Mairi MacKenzie and Iain R Webb, with contributions from Gillion Carrara, Robert Hodgens, Gerry Kelly and Morag Ross.

*McKeich, B. (1981) Instant Whip - The essence of all communications is intention. Edinburgh: Radar Promotions.