The Event of a Thread. Global Narratives in Textiles

In textiles, tradition meets the present, arts meet crafts, local forms of knowledge meet global relationships. Personal and aesthetic stories connect with those about social and economic conditions. There is hardly a region in which the textiles have not inscribed themselves into cultural and industrial history. Thus textiles also narrate the migration and evolution of materials and techniques.In 1965 the Bauhaus artist Anni Albers described “the event of a thread” as something that is multilinear, without a beginning or an end. It is an opportunity to reassess and restructure relations and connections in ever new ways. The objects, installations, and video essays featured in the exhibition invite us to untie the threads of fabric and rearrange them. They discuss the context of textiles, their specific quality and history, as well as their connections with current issues.The exhibition also explores the relationship between handicrafts and art medium in the historic example of weaving at the Bauhaus, which is why a “Bauhaus Space” has been designed for the exhibition. This mobile space demonstrates how a connection can be traced from the approaches and achievements of the Bauhaus artists to contemporary art production, which suggests that a debate should be opened on their significance for the present-day.The co-creative approach of the touring exhibition is achieved by collaboration with local curators at the various tour venues. In each location the exhibition is expanded to include other artistic approaches and/or formats.