Shannon Swinburn

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shannon.swinburn@gmail.com

@shanswinburn



Shannon Swinburn (b. 1993, Portsmouth, UK) is a London-based textile artist whose practice explores the intersection between craft and computation. 

Utilising speculation, counterfactual histories, and material storytelling, Swinburn’s work foregrounds the historically overlooked contributions of women in emergent technology. Her practice uses archival research in order to draw connections between textile processes and early forms of computing – revealing how the skilled labour of women has often been foundational to technological progress, yet has frequently been overlooked. 

Working across weaving, metalwork, and physical computing, Swinburn creates speculative artefacts that reinterpret historical narratives embedded within the histories of computation, astronomy, and scientific labour. 

Translating archival data in material form, and reconstructing hidden histories, in order to reframe how technological knowledge is remembered. 


Awards and Residencies include:

The Weavers’ Award - Cockpit 
(2025-2026)
The Sarabande Foundation Studio Residency 
(2024-2025)
The Blackhorse Workshop Residency 
(2024) 
The Robin and Lucienne Day Foundation Prize
(2024)
The Textile Society Student Bursary Award
(2024) 
The Haberdashers’ Scholarship RCA 
(2023)

Selected Group Exhibitions:

Clutch City Craft
Houston Center for Contemporary Craft
(2026)
Sincerely 
Sarabande Foundation
(2025)
Pinpoint
Sarabande Foundation
(2025)

Education:

MA Textiles, Royal College of Art
BA Graphic Design, Central Saint Martins

Core Rope Memory Modules
2023
Silk, Cotton, Cardboard A series of Handwoven modules inspired by Core Rope Memory modules.The modules were woven using distorted warp and weft techniques to reflect the intricate lace of the wires of the modules themselves. The colours within these pieces were drawn from vinatge computer manuals and control rooms as shown through early iterations of yarn windings that they were inspired by.