Textile Heritage—Artistic Research on Textile in relation to Heritage, Culture, Community

What is hidden in the textile collections of museums? What artists, stories, and artistic expressions can we find there? In what time and context were these textile works made, and how can we, through artistic research, explore, understand, represent, and update these collections?

Textile Heritage – Artistic Research on Textiles in Relation to Heritage, Culture, and Society consists of researchers and artists who, by exploring museum collections, aim to understand, challenge, and comment on our textile cultural heritage. We focus on craftsmanship, textile artistic design, and textiles/clothing as identity and expression. In Sweden, there is currently a lack of artistic research and collaboration on textile collections, with many museums not knowing what is in their collections. We aim to create an environment where questions about the meanings of textiles for heritage, culture, and society can be explored together.

The research is conducted within and between the participating parties in close dialogue with the collections. Participants include Konstfack, HDK-Valand/University of Gothenburg, Stockholm University, Sami University of Applied Sciences, Handarbetets Vänner, Swedish Arts Council, Nationalmuseum, Nordic Museum, Dalarnas Museum, Museum of World Culture, Textile Museum, Röhsska Museum, National Gallery (Oslo), SouthNord, and Aerpie – Center for Contemporary Sami Art.

Project leader: Maja Gunn
Project period: 2025-2030
Funded by Vetenskapsrådet