Living on the Edge an exhibition where land, sea and textile art collide, inspired by the visionary legacy of Bernat Klein by artist Karen Charlton

Step into a world where fashion, art and landscape intertwine in Living on the Edge, a striking new exhibition by textile artist Karen Charlton. Inspired by the visionary Borders designer Bernat Klein, Karen explores the relationship between colour, texture and nature through an extraordinary collection of wearable art, paintings and photography.
Visitors will also have the rare opportunity to view pieces from the museum’s own Bernat Klein collections displayed alongside Karen’s work, revealing the powerful influence Klein’s pioneering textiles and bold use of colour continue to have on contemporary makers today.
Karen’s creative practice responds intuitively to the natural environment. Through painting, hand weaving and fabric manipulation, she captures the raw beauty of coastal landscapes using natural British fibres including wool and alpaca. By hand-dyeing and spinning her own yarns, she creates richly textured and deeply atmospheric woven surfaces.
In Living on the Edge, Karen draws inspiration from dramatic rock formations, seaweed and the untamed energy of the shoreline particularly the tidal zone where land and sea collide. Her woven textiles echo rolling waves, hidden rocky outcrops and the layered sandstone cliffs shaped by centuries of erosion. Subtle shifts in colour and texture evoke the movement, depth and striations of the coast itself.
The exhibition’s centrepiece is a beautifully crafted coat and accompanying scarves, inspired by the shawls and wraps worn by 19th-century fisherwomen, reminiscent of figures depicted in the paintings of Winslow Homer and the Victorian imagery surrounding Grace Darling. Thoughtfully designed with a cocooning shawl collar, the garment combines warmth, softness and sculptural beauty.
Karen Charlton’s work blurs the boundaries between art and fashion. Each piece is slowly and mindfully handcrafted, making it both a compelling exhibition object and a wearable artwork to be treasured.
Discover a captivating dialogue between heritage and contemporary textile art and experience how the legacy of Bernat Klein continues to inspire new creative voices.