Kate Farley: Print Rotate Repeat

Kate Farley is a British designer, printmaker, and academic. She is Associate Professor and Course Leader for BA Textile Design at Norwich University of the Arts. Specialising in textile and surface pattern design, she combines professional creative practice with design education.

In her first UK solo exhibition, ‘Print Rotate Repeat’, Farley presents a new body of work that explores the evolving role of pattern design in an era increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence and digital technologies.

With the ever-increasing digital impact of Artificial Intelligence and software capabilities being developed, the work of a designer is being challenged, and at times, replaced. This body of practical research explores the foundations of pattern design and how the building blocks of printed textiles can be revisited, to enable new ways of repositioning the design and production processes back in the hands of the designer.

The research utilises the fundamentals of the printing block to build larger areas of pattern, exploring ways to generate designs that have the capacity to shape new aesthetics, while providing economic solutions and social ownership shaped by the design thinking. 

When traditionally printed, a textile design will require a separate block or screen for every colour of the pattern to be printed, layering colour to build the complete design. With only one block or screen for each design, Kate has developed an alternative approach to both designing and printing, rotating the screen to build the design.

Farley’s work has been commissioned by major organisations including Transport for London and the Barbican Centre and is held in collections such as the British Library and Tate. In 2023, Farley published Repeat Printed Pattern for Interiors, a book examining the principles and applications of printed pattern design within interior spaces.

Opening Times

Tuesday – Friday, 12pm – 5pm
Saturday, 12pm – 4pm

Exhibition Events

Thursday 24 September, 5-7pm
Public launch event

Join us to celebrate the launch of ‘Print Rotate Repeat’. All are welcome, and refreshments will be provided.