Weaving Histories
Exhibition and program of events
September 7 – November 24, 2024
Opening: Friday, September 6, 7–10pm
How is it that weaving is still perceived as something traditionally associated with women and in contrast technology as something associated with men? The mathematician Ada Lovelace (1815–1852) is considered a pioneer of coding: she recognized the potential of the punched cards used in Jacquard looms and translated their system into a code of zeros and ones that we still use today. And yet, the historically significant role that women and their work played in the development of computer technology is often forgotten.
The group exhibition and discourse project, Weaving Histories, focuses on the rarely addressed link between feminized labor and technological advancements, and the language(s) involved in both. The binary system inscribed in weaving and coding serves as a point of departure for devising alternative ways of looking at gender and work. The exhibition gathers international and cross-generational artistic positions that engage with the concept of weaving and its significance for technological development on an actual as well as metaphorical and linguistic level. The exhibition will be preceded by a program of events with theorists and artists who will explore the extensive subject via discussion rounds, workshops, and screenings to reflect on contemporary forms of representation and gendered labor.
The project is funded by the German Federal Cultural Foundation and the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media.