Helen de Main is exhibiting a new commission she made with Print Clan at Gallery of Modern Art, Glasgow. We Want the Moon features in the two-person exhibition Repeat Patterns with Mandy McIntosh, which is on until 15 October 2023.

Helen is a contemporary visual artist who works in screenprinting. Most of her prints are on paper, but for this commission, she wanted to produce a large-scale textile work and was looking for help to make it happen. She approached Print Clan looking for a textile studio large enough to print in and calling on our technical expertise in planning and producing the work.

The work is a series of 13 fabric banners with the slogan 'EQUAL PAY IS NOT ENOUGH, WE WANT THE MOON' across them. Above this slogan are images of the moon's phases, and the background is a repeat pattern that looks like stars. The slogan comes from an original placard made in 1971 by feminist historian and activist Sheila Rowbotham when women were campaigning for the equal pay act.

We asked Helen if she would write a blog post for us about the process of working with Print Clan.

Repeat Patterns exhibition view at GoMA. *Photo copyright of Ruth Clark*

I arrived at Print Clan with a few small samples that I had screen printed onto fabric, looking for advice on my project. The image that I was experimenting with was an abstract photograph of the ground taken at George Square, just around the corner from the studio. The photograph was a close-up of the surface of the ground at George Square, and it looked textural when you couldn't see the rest of the surroundings. I had printed it in dark ink on dark fabric, combining it with an image of a moon shape. The photograph looked like distant stars in the night sky, but it was rough and in the early stages of development.

Ironing the print to activate the discharge paste. *Photo by Helen de Main*

Upon seeing the sample, Arianna from Print Clan asked me if I had ever used discharge printing. She thought it could be a good technique for the project because it removes the dye from the fabric rather than adding ink on top. The chemicals used in the process are held in a binder, allowing them to be screen printed. After the printing, they are washed out, restoring the original look and feel of the material. As I wanted to produce large banners hanging on the gallery walls, she thought this process would keep the fabric soft and allow it to drape instead of becoming stiff and rigid with the addition of ink. We looked at some samples she had in the studio, and I liked the effect on the dark blue fabrics I was using. Arianna suggested we make a sample when I came in for my induction at the studio the following week, so I could get more of an idea of the process and decide if I wanted to use it.

“Watching the reaction whilst ironing the fabric was captivating; it felt like alchemy, that you were transforming the material from one thing to another. ”

When using a discharge process, the paste is screen printed on, you then wait for it to dry, and it is not until you activate it using heat that the print becomes visible. Watching the reaction whilst ironing the fabric was captivating; it felt like alchemy, that you were transforming the material from one thing to another. However, the technique is temperamental, and it isn't easy to get consistent results. The process is affected by the type of dye in the fabric, the concentration of the paste and the temperature under which it is activated. Consequently, we had to test many samples before we felt confident to print on the large banners. Arianna was really supportive throughout this, with her knowledge and expertise driving it forward and problem-solving as we went. She was convinced that we would get the results we were looking for if we persisted with the sampling. She was right: finally, we were ready to print the 20 metres of fabric for the artwork.

Helen and Arianna passing the squeegee during one of the prints

I hired out the studio for exclusive use for five days, and Print Clan adjusted their usual opening times to work around my childcare needs. Working on a large scale is always challenging, and it's easy to underestimate how much more work is involved when the size and quantity of what you produce increases. There was a lot of work to complete in the week, but Print Clan's experience working with artists on this scale was invaluable. Arianna and Suzie were a great team to work with, doing a massive amount of the preparation for printing that allowed me to concentrate on the details of the overall piece.

It was fantastic to have use of the whole studio for the week. We could print large quantities of fabric down the entire length of the table, which was crucial when printing a repeat pattern. It also allowed me to lay out and see the work as a whole, which would not have been possible in my small workspace at home. It was a long and intensive week, but as the days progressed, we could see that we were getting closer to completing the piece, which kept us motivated. I was thrilled with the final fabric we printed. I learnt so much technically, and Print Clan were so supportive and generous with their time and expertise that it would not have been possible to realise the work without them – thank you Print Clan!

Repeat Patterns by Helen de Main & Mandy McIntosh is on at the Gallery of Modern Art, Glasgow until 15 October 2023. Please visit GoMA’s website for more information.

More of Helen’s work can be found on her website and Instagram.

Helen de Main / We Want the Moon