A one-day exhibition of work by textile students and staff from Manchester School of Art inspired by Michael Kidner. Kidner was at the forefront of Optical Art in the 1960s, with works using repeated systematic structures and distinctive colour palettes. His interest in mathematics, science and chaos theories has determined an art which can be described as both formal and playful. With works in many international collections and a seminal show at the Serpentine in 1984, Kidner is a distinguished British artist, elected to the Royal Academy in 2004. Seven students have been selected to develop work for this launch from a field of fifty students who responded to the project. Painting Into Textile acts as a showcase for Manchester School of Art, which has a rich contemporary breadth of inventive textile practice which is founded on the history of the Arts and Craft design principles of Walter Crane.