Participating artists:Verdiana Albano, Kim Cordes, Deborah Jeromin, Alem Kolbus, Anette Rose, Vivian Xu , Katharina Zimmerhackl
Curator: Hanna Krüger
Exhibition design: Gebert&Krüger
Venue:Japanisches Palais
Palaisplatz 11
01097 Dresden
Partner:Seidenmanufaktur Eschke, Crimmitschau
State Silk Museum, Tiflis, Georgien
Kunstgewerbemuseum / Design Campus, SKD
A DESIGN CAMPUS Lab as part of the exhibition Craft as Myth. Between Ideal and Everyday Life
Silk production is one of the world’s oldest cultural techniques, with many myths surrounding its history and origins in China. Long, fine and extremely durable threads are obtained from the cocoons of silkworms by carefully unwinding them. The resulting textiles are the result of thousands of years of craftsmanship and design. At the same time, silk is an example of complex global exchange processes: Textiles and their patterns are material carriers of a cultural transfers. Their production and distribution is closely linked to global trade routes, as a result of which both silkworms and mulberry trees were distributed across the continents by humans. The exploitation of the natural raw material illustrates the subjugation and utilization of nature for human needs. The so-called “silk road” is a symbol for early global trade, often accompanied by colonization and exploitation.
The audio-visual installation examines silk as a global cultural phenomenon and as a product of a close relationship between humans and animals. In an interplay of artistic, creative and documentary perspectives, it questions human-centred perspectives and colonial narratives. The act of listening opens up space for holistic perspectives and polyphonic narratives that reveal the multi-layered relationships and dependencies between animals, humans, the environment, politics and production.
