Graduating at the TextielLab?

Would you like to graduate with a unique textile project? Those who submit an application by October 1st have the chance to start working in the lab this winter, under the guidance of one of our product developers in knitting or weaving

Now that the academic year has started, there is space in the lab for a new group of graduates. A total of twelve spots are available for students who want to work on their graduation project in knitting or weaving with us. Soon, we will be selecting the first six projects for development in November, December, and January. The deadline for this is October 1st, so quick decision-makers can still submit an application. Students graduating in the summer can also apply by March 1st to start in April, May, or June. You can find all the details on this page. To give an idea of what a work period at the TextielLab can offer, below are four highlighted graduation projects from the past year.

Madelon Verbeek with Å bli varm i trøya in the TextielLab. Photos: Josefina Eikenaar.

Warm Fresco

Madelon Verbeek completed her master’s degree at the Academy of Fine Arts in Oslo with the project Å bli varm i trøya. This translates to ‘getting warm in the sweater,’ a Norwegian saying about feeling at home somewhere. Verbeek, who moved from Tilburg to Oslo, returned to her former hometown for the development of her graduation project. In the TextielLab, she collaborated with product developer Matilde Vandenbussche to create a gigantic textile ‘fresco’ on the circular knitting machine, preserving the painterly quality of the original image. The rug, over eight meters long, addresses having two places to call home, the dilemma of staying or leaving, and the art of settling down somewhere. It was exhibited at Kunsternes Hus in Oslo, where Verbeek won two grants.

Symbiosis of Things by Valentin Avon. Photos: Michelle Baggerman.

Insertion of Metal

French designer Valentin Avon graduated from the Design Academy Eindhoven with Symbiosis of Things. This project demonstrates that symbiosis can encompass much more than just living organisms. A chain of polyester combined with an insertion of copper and stainless steel forms an intriguing relationship, giving rise to a new language of shapes. What comes from the weaving machine can be folded like fabric, but also shaped like metal. In collaboration with product developer Marjan van Oeffelt, Avon developed a strong textile that can be applied to furniture, objects, and clothing. The metal yarn is aesthetically and functionally interesting: it provides a unique sheen, interacts with the light, and allows the textile to stand independently. Symbiosis of Things is one of twenty nominees for the Dorothy Waxman Prize.

Batu dan Banjir by Miranda Devita Kistler. Photos: Miranda Devita Kistler
Knitted Water Stains

The Swiss-Indonesian Miranda Devita Kistler graduated from KABK in The Hague with the project Batu dan Banjir (or Stone and Flood), in which photography plays a significant role. To achieve her vision of a crossover between photography and textiles, she collaborated with product developer Yani Chuang on the circular knitting machine. Together, they translated an old, flood-damaged photo of her grandmother in Indonesia into a knitted wall tapestry. The photo has run, the image is faded, and it is filled with water stains. These stains have been carefully incorporated into the tapestry using transparent monofilament and long floats. Batu dan Banjir addresses erosion in both literal and figurative senses: by damaging the photo, the water also causes the memory to fade. The work was recently displayed at Galerie Ron Mandos in the exhibition ‘Best of Graduates 2024’ in Amsterdam. It is now being showcased at the Melkweg in Amsterdam as part of ‘Arty Party: Photography Graduates 2024′ until mid-October.

Thea Brandauer with her work REWOVEN – Athena’s Peplos at the Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe Hamburg. Photo: Henning Rogg
Always a Celebration

In the Museum für Kunst & Gewerbe (MK&G) in Hamburg, the woven graduation work of Thea Brandauer REWOVEN – Athena’s Peplosis on view. She created this piece on commission for the exhibition ‘Feste Feiern!’, which explores the importance and significance of celebrations throughout the ages. The design is a contemporary interpretation of the mythological motifs found on a Greek vase from 350 BC. Brandauer filled in the missing parts of the narrative based on a thorough analysis of the ancient drawings, which turned out to be created according to a specific system. She abstracted the figures and developed her own visual system based on geometric cutouts. The desire to translate this into a woven fabric is not coincidental; the motifs are believed to originate from a mantle (peplos) which used to be draped around the statue of Athena on the Acropolis during the annual city festivals in antiquity. Brandauer completed her studies at the Hamburg University of Applied Sciences.

 

Will you be the next TextielLab graduate?

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