Origins of 'Your Arms!'

"Your Arms!" was formed by artists Andy Abbott and Yvonne Carmichael whilst residents at Cittadellarte Fondazione Pistoletto in Biella, Italy. This was the thinking behind it....

"In a culture where we allow ourselves to be characterized by what we do for a living it is of little surprise to find that the social development of textile towns in Yorkshire and Italy bear many similarities and parallels."


a model of worker's villages combined by Yvonne Carmichael (Crespi' D'adda and Saltaire)

"As we enter a new paradigm in global economics however, these parallels surpass mere novelty and can become something of practical use to communities affected by the increasing mechanization of processes, and the resulting centralization of manufacture to areas with cheaper labour costs. Your Arms! project intends to gather and share information from people affected by these industrial and post-industrial issues with the hope that the collective knowledge and experience will both aid our understanding of our past and present situations and prepare for the impending change in how we work."


In this first phase of Your Arms! project Andy Abbott and Yvonne Carmichael spent the 4 months of the Unidee residency gathering information about the social history of Yorkshire with emphasis on the textiles industry, finding parallels in Biella and the surrounding area. This led to interesting discoveries about shared machinery and architecture, paternalism in the textiles industry, model workers villages and overseas competition.


The Funicolare in Biella by Yvonne Carmichael


Shipley Glen Funicular railway in Saltaire by Yvonne Carmichael

Abbott and Carmichael also focused on researching features that distinguish the Yorkshire and Biellese people, including unique local produce, artisan workers and local customs and games that help to present a truer picture of day to day life in these areas.

The most important method of research however relied on the input and interaction of the Yorkshire and Biellese community through interviews and questionnaires.

To this end Abbott and Carmichael staged
"Bring us Your Arms! Biella" an informal exhibition of research and contextualizing writings shown in an environment designed to encourage the Biellese and Italian people to contribute to the project through anecdotes and discussion.

This encouragement was achieved through the employment of a specially designed interactive survey machine and bribery with a Yorkshire/Biellese fusion aperitivo menu of cheese and beer.