European Textile Association’s 15th biannual Conference: “Revival of Old Textile Centres: a new future for training”  Wednesday, July 22 until Friday July 24, 2009

 

 

The 15th European Textile Association’s biannual Conference took place in Austria with pre-conference events in Vienna that included a tour of the MAK (Museum of Applied Arts) and the Textile Storage depot for the Vienna Museum, studio visits. Fashion designer Susanne Bisovsky, who expose us to her extensive of traditional garments which are the inspiration for her contemporary designs and knit designer Veronika Persche who had organized the Vienna tour, took us to her studio. It was a day and a half of running around with little time for shopping except at the vintage fabric store which was included in the tour.

The group moved on to Linz for a one day symposium organized by Arts University Linz "twist-Profiles and Perspectives in European Textile Studies". then on ward again to Haslach in Upper Austria for the Conference itself. Textile Kultur Haslach hosted the Conference at their new facility "Textile Centre Haslach" as part of its annual textile festival held each year in July. the festival presents an exhibition this year it was two "Thinking Different/ thinking jacquART" and "jacquART Weaves; Franz J.Ippodlt" (you can read more about TKH and the Textile Centre Haslach in the last article in this issue) The "official" conference following the standard format established by the ETN was a day of presentations from Textile eduction departments and non academic centres who provide workshop and research study beyond school followed by a day of presentations from institutions, artist, cultural entrepreneurs. museums, historians and critics.

The conference was followed by a week of workshops that where the second week of workshops offered as part of the annual festival, these where provided in English for the international conference participants.

Two of the conference participants were solicited to contribute their thoughts on the conference. Louise Majorey a fashion merchandising teacher from the US and Hilde Arts a weaver teacher from Belgium like many others found this gathering of textile people from around the world a unique opportunity to meet, mingle and invigorate. 

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Post Conference Reflections- Louise Majorey Columbia College, Chigaco Illionios, US 

Two months have passed since I attended the European Textile Network Conference in Austria and the glow remains.  This was the first textile conference I have participated in that took place on foreign soil and it couldn’t have been a better introduction.  There was evidence throughout the pre-conference activities, the conference and post-conference of  detailed and thoughtful preparation. 

Susanne Bisovsky and her husband welcomed us to their atelier in Vienna.  Their shared their incredible collection of traditional Austrian folkwear, which inspires their designs.	A sumptuous creation by Susanne.
V. Persche, a Viennese knitwear designer was our guide to fabric and design studios in Vienna

Although comparisons are not always a fair evaluation, having attended and participated in many conferences throughout my career as a college professor, this event will stand out as life changing for me.   One factor that conference planners can never predict or plan for is who the participants will be.  Any barriers that may exist culturally or due to language did not exist due to the respect and love of textiles that this group whole heartedly shares.  When mirroring like this occurs in life, it is truly a rare and precious gift.  

 So having reflected upon the two weeks that I spent in Austria, the strongest and most affirming response is due to the people that I shared many enriching conversations, meals and laughs with. In these difficult economic times that we are all experiencing, the world seems a smaller more hospitable place to me.  I continue to correspond with colleagues, sharing information, questions and keeping that textile connection in my life.

Catherine Amidei & Beth Anne Knudson-  In front of Kunst University, Linz	Cafe life-  Don't you just love it when your hat matches the table linens?  Especially in Vienna. Joe Lewis and Emily Halvorson

I have included some photographs that remind me of the incredible places and people that we visited in Vienna, Linz and Haslch.  Yes, the work of fellow artisans, researchers and enthusiasts will keep us visually stimulated for years to come but without the individual connection of who made the art , I’m afraid it would have been just another conference that fades with time.  I like to think of the  Euopean Textile Network, in my mind and heart I would prefer The European Textile Connector.

 

“We cannot live for ourselves alone.  Our lives are connected by a thousand invisible threads, and along these sympathetic fibers, our actions run as causes and return to us as results.”

Herman Melville

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close up of woolen textile woven at Manufaktur Haslach [photo: Heldi Arts]

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 ETN in Haslach,central topic: JacquArt: Hilde Maria Arts Royal Academy of Antwerp

 

I didn't attend the the tour in Vienna nor the preconference in Linz. For me it started in Haslach. An introduction tour took us to the places of textile interessed in Haslach; The former mill Vonmiller, today the new Haslach Textile Center, the -now clossed- Technical textile school and the weavers museum. Which both are to be integreted in the new center. So that you will find old and new under one roof. The aim of the center is to become a working museum and an international education and production place for textile designers and craftsmen.

 

One of the machinal looms in the collection of the Weavers Museum which is being relocated into the Textile Centre [photo: Joe Lewis]

ETN Conference particapants, Weh-Ying Huang from Tainan National College of the Arts, Tainan, Taiwan, Dianna Springall, emboriodery historian/ artist from the UK and Bethanne Kudson weaver designer and director of the Jacquard Centre/ Oriole Mill in North Carolina in the US, looking at one of the power looms from the weaving school which has been relocated to the Textile Centre [photo:TKH]

 

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 The evening was reserved for the official opening of the exhibition 'Thinking diffrent, thinking jacquArt'. I was most stiken by the collourfull work of Gerthe Sorensen and the famous black-white of Lia Cook. One other evening there was a tour in the exhibition 'JacquArt: weaves by Franz J. Ippoldt' guided by the artist himself. This exhibition was extremly nice, the weavings were presented on transparent flooting panels so that one could also have a look at the revers of the fabric if one wanted.

 

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The conference itself was intens with ten or twenty minutes lectures on divers subjects and
interactive breakes meeting the speakers. Interesting to see what's up in fiberarts all over the world. Bethanne Knudson from the Oriole Mill, North Carolina,USA brought beautifull samples of the fabrics woven in her mill, Eva Basila spoke about the history of Fondazione Arte della Seta Lisio, Florance Italy, Vibeke Vestby spoke about recent developments in jacquard weaving,...

 

 

The conference was very well organized and besides the exhibitions accopanied by the annual Haslach weaversmarket, trips to neighbouring places of special textile interrest such as a linnen weaving mill and deying museum and last but not least the post conference workshops. What I observe is that jacquard weaving as an art is becoming a hot topic. In Belgium very few people are dealing with it. Weaving is considered to be craft, something old and dusty. But this input can give it a very new an fresh start.

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Bio: Hilde Arts is a Belgium textile artist. Her medium is weaving. She works both on handlooms and handjacquard. Next to her own artistic work she teaches weaving at the Royal Academy of Antwerp.