Human in the Loop: weaving workshop + body-machine meditation

Stitching to Resist presents Human in the Loop: a backstrap weaving tutorial + body-machine meditation, facilitated by Afra Willems and Yari Rabadán.

This session invites participants to explore technology from a broad perspective and discuss its political implications, with the body as an original machine. Inspired in the context of Enschede’s 700th anniversary, we’ll delve into the city’s textile past, presenting textile arts as a high-tech medium, from ancient to contemporary technologies seamlessly.

We’ll explore weaving as the origins of coding and pattern generation. During the workshop, participants will create their own backstrap weaving loom—a simple yet ingenious device where the human weaver is an integral part of the loom. While a fixed loom can stand alone in a room, the backstrap loom only exists when the weaver wears it. By attaching their body to the loose collection of sticks and yarn, the weaver transforms the backstrap loom into an intimate tool. By the end of the session, participants will know how to use the loom to produce fabric.

The workshop consists of several phases: 1) arranging the sticks, 2) warping the loom, 3) attaching the heddle yarn, 4) weaving the backstrap and 5) finishing up/weaving in ends. In each phase, a different question will guide the discussion.

The workshop is free for participants under registration.

Thanks for your interest, this workshop is full, but you can save your place for our May session here.

WHEN: Wednesday, April 23
WHERE: B93, Hoge Bothofstraat 166, 7511 ZE Enschede
TIME: 18:30-21:00