University for the Creative Arts - BOTTLE Neil

Neil Bottle is an academic, an active researcher and textiles designer with over 25 years' international experience in the fashion textiles industry. His work is held in collections throughout the world.

In 2009 Neil wrote, validated and set up the BA (Hons) Fashion Textiles degree at UCA Rochester, for which he is now the Programme Director. Neil also wrote and leads the our MA Printed Textiles for Fashion & Interiors course at UCA.

Neil’s academic and creative involvement with development of new degree-level fashion textiles courses at the University of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates (from 2007 to 2008) enabled him to take his research from a national to an international level.

From 2011-14 Neil was lead research academic for the Crysalis Textiles Regeneration project at Rochester. The Crysalis project was a three year project part funded by the EU through the European Regional Development Fund and the Interreg 2 seas programme, which supports cross border, cross regional collaborative projects.

The Crysalis Project was a collaboration between the University for the Creative Arts in Rochester, leading the way in digital textile development and engaging young entrepreneurs; Plymouth College of Art which has a many years of experience in education and crafts; International Center of Lace and Fashion in Calais, and TIO3 Textiles Open Innovation Centre in Ronse, Belgium, both of whom have a rich heritage of textile tradition and a strong focus on public engagement and entrepreneurialism.

In her review of his MA show Sue Prichard, Curator of Fashion & Textiles at the Victoria and Albert Museum, comments: “This relentless pursuit of the creative possibilities still to be discovered by a combination of the artisan with high tech applications is risk taking at its most exciting. Bottle delights in pushing the boundaries – this is a cause for both celebration and breathless anticipation for the future”.

Neil has completed a PGCE course and a part-time MA in Digital Design (with distinction).

Contact
+ 44 (0) 1634 888 702
nbottle@uca.ac.uk

Neil’s research explores the relationship between craft and technology and how these seemingly opposite methodologies can work together to create innovation in textile design and production. New innovations in both digital design and print methods have revolutionised the way in which printed textiles can be created. Neil’s focus has been to apply his previous knowledge of traditional screen printing in textiles to new digital textile media.

This research into computer aided design programmes has yielded surprising similarities to the hand crafted screen-printing techniques that he has developed for over 25 years. In this respect, he explores the application of computer-aided design from a craft perspective but with the added flexibility that digital printing offers, such as the ability to alter scale, colour, layer order, intensity and layout more efficiently.

The result is a unique object, which can be flat or designed around 3D forms, encompassing both traditional crafted techniques as well as developing a new level of expertise in the digital textiles design process. The concept of the “Digital one off” is an important part of the work and this echoes the way in which Neil used commercial screen print techniques to produce labour intensive one off crafted pieces of collectable textiles.

Research Interests:

Textiles
Design
Digital
Innovation
Craft.

Professional Membership, Affiliation and Consultancy:

Crafts Council Selected Index of Makers
Contemporary Applied Arts
Design-Nation Organisation
South East Arts Specialist Advisor
Edge Consultant UCA Rochester
UCA Research Institute
FTC Course Leader Association.

Awards, Grants and Commissions:

2008 Wesley-Barrell Craft Makers Award shortlist
1992 Crafts Council ‘Setting Up’ Award
1990 Painter-Stainers’ Livery Company Award
1990 New Designers Printed Textile Prize

Commissions:

Victoria and Albert Museum - commission for accessory collection, London
Turner Contemporary - commission for accessory collection, Margate
Shakespeare Globe Theatre - commission for accessories and wall hangings, London
Philadelphia Museum of Art - commission for designs and silks, Philadelphia
The Guggenheim Museum - commission for exclusive designs and silks New York
The Royal Academy of Art - commission for scarf and tie designs, London
The Royal Opera House - commission for scarf and tie designs, London
Zenkoru Choson Kia Kan - commission for wall hanging, Tokyo
M.A.F.C.O. HQ - series of 12 x large hangings, Abu Dhabi
The Millennium Dome - exclusive accessories, London
Langham Hilton Hotel - wall hangings, London
The Aurora P&O Cruise Ship - silk panels, London
Nortel Telecom - hanging installations, Essex
Middle Temple Hall - commission for accessories
1989 to present day - Neil has been commissioned by The British Museum in London to create a collection of designs, involving consultancy with a manufacturer in Italy.
A major design contract with the Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, 1996 to 2003, continued the development of relations with leading museums and galleries.
Neil’s work has been included in The Permanent Collection of Textiles at the V&A, the Cooper Hewitt Museum in New York and the Crafts Council Permanent Collection.
He has designed ranges for Fortnum & Mason, Harrods, John Lewis, Brown’s, Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman, Joyce Stores, Stuart Weitzman and Liberty, as well as bespoke collections for the Shakespeare’s Globe, The Royal Academy of Arts, the Royal Opera House and the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Neil’s work is currently represented by a range of selected galleries in London UK and USA.

Neil Bottle

Programme Director Fashion Textiles, UCA Rochester

Academic, School of Fashion

Research Statement

Research Supervision

Professional Membership, Affiliation and Consultancy

Research Outputs

Key outputs on UCARO: