Weaving Walls

About This Project

Weaving Walls is a site-specific and participatory artwork commissioned by the Folkowe Inspiracje Festival in Lodz, Poland, celebrating the local textile tradition and translating it into a contemporary visual language in conversation with the urban landscape.

The intention is to tell a new urban story by drawing parallels between architectural skin and textiles through interweaving a new delicate skin. The decline of Lodz’ textile industry over the last decades has brought about the decline of certain economies, leaving wounds in society as well as on the urban fabric. We can still trace the glorious past through the wounds on neoclassical buildings, that now form a mixed landscape of abandoned buildings, housing estates, worksites, lying between disuse and renovation.

The installation explores the building facade in relation to traditional textiles and patterns. The woven ropes create patterns inspired by folk embroidery, transferring traditional patterns and abstract strokes matching the geometry of the facade. After two months of work, two weeks in production, two days on site and on the crane, 2km of rope, twenty-two door-size frames, twelve volunteers and a team of producers whom we cannot thank enough, we delivered the artwork and dedicated two days involving the public the making. During this time we invited passersby to get inspired by traditional embroidery patterns and create their own, which gave a spontaneous new look to the artwork.

Project leads: Artemis Papageorgiou & Gabriella Mastrangelo
Project assistants: Beata Tyczewska, Justyna Dopierała, Ewelina Chmielewska, Natalia Olszowiec, Ula Sobczak, Kacper Kulikowski
Project Development: CONVIVO, Syzan
Commission by CONVIVO

Category
Installation, Learning
Tags
ephemeral architecture, participatory art, public art, textile art