Talking Textiles

“Talking Textiles” at the TextielMuseum in Tilburg is a large selection of design that uses innovative textile techniques, heralding the revival of textiles in our interiors.

Lidewij Edelkoort, trend forecaster and design curator, explains that “Talking Textiles” expands our perception of where textiles can take us: “After a reaction to the increasingly digital landscape of our lives, a craving for tactility and dimension has led designers to reconsider the role of fabrics once more. The near future will see the overwhelming return of textiles in our interiors, covering floors, walls and furniture in an expansive and personal manner. These textiles will speak loud and clear to become the fabrics of life, narrating stories, designing pattern, promoting well-being and reviving the act of weaving.”

Top and above: overview of the exhibition “Talking Textiles”, TextielMuseum, Tilburg, The Netherlands. Photo Tommy de Lange commissioned by TM

The exhibition is part of an initiative to discuss textiles, highlighting the importance of creativity and education at a time when the global market has put many textile mills in danger of disappearing. The exhibition will include textiles, rugs, curtains, lighting, accessories and upholstered furniture, but also  multi-media installations, films, animations and digital printing techniques, as designers seek to extend textile’s boundaries and incorporate new technologies.

Overview of the exhibition “Talking Textiles”, TextielMuseum, Tilburg, The Netherlands. Photo Tommy de Lange commissioned by TM

The 2013 “Talking Textiles” exhibition has been especially expanded for the TextielMuseum to include new or rarely seen items, some of them exhibited in the Netherlands for the first time: “Circus”, Fernando & Humberto Campana’s iconic doll rug made for Nodus; Maarten Baas using Rubelli textiles to reinvent his famous “Smoke” chair for Moooi; Josef Frank’s avant garde modernist “Beast” rug; upholstered furniture from the Parisian club Silencio, designed by David Lynch in collaboration with Raphael Navot; Brazilian design star Rodrigo Almeida’s chair homage to Rei Kawakubo; Ulf Moritz’s innovative interior textiles for Sahco; the 1929 graduation project of Anni Albers, an insulation textile recently released by Maharam.

Overview of the exhibition “Talking Textiles”, TextielMuseum, Tilburg, The Netherlands. Photo Tommy de Lange commissioned by TM

Design Academy Eindhoven graduates will also be showcased as part of Edelkoort’s ongoing effort to promote fresh design talent, including a sensorial carpet by Italian designer Daniel Costa, intricately printed textiles by Dienke Dekker and fabric woven from wood by Lenneke Langenhuijsen.

Katrin Greiling, Bidoun, photo Katrin Greiling
Fernando & Humberto Campana, Circus Rug, photo Fernando & Humberto Campana
David Lynch & Raphael Navot, Single Wire, photo David Lynch & Raphael Navot
Kiki van Eijk, Herbs from My Garden, photo Erwan Fichou
Bart Hess Exhibition, Hunt for High Tech, photo Bart Hess Exhibition (detail)
On the left: Forma Fantasma, Migration - Gazza Top, photo Forma Fantasma. On the right: Rodrigo Almeida, Kawakubo, photo Rodrigo Almeida
On the left: Kiki van Eijk, Wallhanging Family House, photo Studio Kiki van Eijk. On the right: Borre Akkersdijk, Ready Made, photo Margrethe Odgaard
Maarten Baas, Animal Skin, photo Joep Vogels commissioned by TM
Bokja, Migration (Love Boat), Bokja
On the left: Lenneke Langenhuijsen, Tutu, photo Lenneke Langenhuijsen. On the right: Margrethe Odgaard, Fold Unfold, Margrethe Odgaard
Portraits of Lidewij Edelkoort wearing masks by Bertjan Pot, photos Camiel Donders commissioned by TM


until January 26, 2014
Talking Textiles
curated by: Lidewij Edelkoort and Philip Fimmano
TextielMuseum
Goirkestraat 96, Tilburg