The conversation about female needlework, cottage industries and local weaving and needlework traditions in Croatia and Ireland.

CIMO, a nonprofit organisation based in Zagreb (Croatia), is researching the theoretical and creative aspects of fashion and clothing as part of contemporary visual culture. For the GFA24, we focused on the concept of soft arts and softness in relation to designer/artistic practice based on soft materials. Relationships between text(ile) and body, text(ile) and politics, text(ile) and performance are activated by the concept of softness as a radical alternative to dominant institutional structures and often rigid art/fashion systems. As part of our project BoSA – Briefing on Soft Arts – we invited artist Marielle MacLeman to produce new work that explores the cultural and industrial heritage of textiles and clothing in Croatia and Ireland. The discussion reflects on the role of (in)visible and often anonymous female needlework, history and contemporary relevance of cottage industries and local weaving and needlework traditions in both contexts.

Watch the full recordings on the GFA Youtube channel.