Glithero: Made-to-Measure

Invited by the Zuiderzee Museum to reflect on the theme of immaterial heritage, the designer duo Glithero, from the multitude of old crafts, chose that of the organ maker and of the weaver.

Every year the Zuiderzee Museum commissions prominent artists or designers to develop a project based on the annual theme. In 2013 the theme is “immaterial heritage”.

This term refers to everything from the past that is not tangible, but is passed on in the form of stories, old pieces of wisdom and sayings, skills and crafts-related workmanship.

Glithero comprises of Sarah van Gameren (the Netherlands) and Tim Simpson (England). They first trained as designers in their respective countries and afterwards attended the Royal College of Art in London. Since that time they have been collaborating in various European countries on projects that invariably emphasise “the magic moment of transformation”.

What Glithero sought to visualize for this project was not a nostalgic picture of old crafts, but rather a modern, philosophical translation. They use the parallel stories of the two craftsmen to draw attention to common themes, traits, challenges and ideas about wisdom and heritage. By means of collaboration they encourage the craftsman to look upon themselves and their working life from a new vantage point, and by leading them both away from the conventions of their crafts they hope to create new outcomes that are challenging and miraculous. The exhibition not only comprises the final products of this quest, but also the very elements of the quest itself.

From the multitude of old crafts Glithero chose that of the organ maker and of the weaver. This choice ensued from the striking similarity between the two craft: in each case the craftsman punches holes in cards and those cards inform the behaviour of a machine. Each hole is responsible for one command that in sequence causes one machine to make music (the organ) and the other fabric (the loom). This similarity was a source of inspiration for the designers and they were curious if the pattern of an organ punch card could be used as input for a loom. In other words, if the know-how of one discipline could be translated to the other in order to “weave music”.

In the film accompanying this exhibition, Glithero shows two craftsmen who realise that they are the last to practice their craft. Their expertise and stories are fading away. With this exhibition Glithero aims to give us a glimpse of the different vanishing aspects of their craft and that of craftsmen in general. In addition, the interaction and the connection between the two is dealt with through the designers' invention: the translation of organ music into weaving patterns. All of the objects in this exhibition are for the benefit of this glimpse. By means of the film and the products Glithero saves part of the know-how, memories, routines and traditions of these craftsmen.