All of Hella Jongerius’s work is research: incessant, constant and, above all, never over. Be it rugs for Maharam or textiles for Kvadrat, making business (or economy) classes on Boeing KLM more comfortable, creating a repertoireof materials and colours by drawing upon the archives of a prestigious company like Vitra or reinterpreting an icon of the past like Alvar Aalto’s stool for Artek, this Dutch designer, who has been living in Berlin since 2009, keeps on exploring, analysing and investigating techniques and materials.

The latest design by Jongeriuslab for Lafayette Anticipations is no exception, and ends up transforming display into a lab. At the centre of the scene is the textile production process: a theme dear to the Dutch designer, dating to her university years, poised between craftsmanship and industrial production. “Interlace” challenges the cultural, social and economic implications of textile production and consumption at a time when there are fewer artisans and more disposable products.

Two areas, respectively dedicated to three-dimensional and digital weaving, with three looms developed for the occasion. The first, Space Loom, is the biggest one and takes up the central space of the entire gallery with yarn more than 16 metres long. On the first floor, the Seamless Loom – made up of four looms that are cut and joined together – allows for the creation of true three-dimensional textile “tiles”: interlocking spheres, objects, volumes and models. On the second floor, finally, Digital Jacquard Loom is the high-tech loom that uses software like Photoshop to generate patterns the weaver may, if he so chooses, create himself, with the chance of changing yarn and adapting the design during the weaving process. 

A programme of round tables organised by the museum together with Jongeriuslab will deal with weaving techniques and technologies, as well as the social implications of modern textile production.