Weaving Workshop

The HYPERTEXTILE Project is a cycle of training, creation and research residencies in textile art aimed at visual artists and designers. Developed by the Cortéx Frontal Association, it is the result of the natural evolution of the Wireless project, carried out in 2022 and 2023, with the support of the General Directorate of Arts, the University of Évora, the Arraiolos City Council and the Magdalena Abanakowich University of Poznan, Poland. . It received support from the Portuguese Contemporary Art Network (RPAC) and intends to continue the work already started and extend it to Portuguese territory, at this stage to Mértola and Guimarães, creating strong links for the creation of a Contemporary Textile Art Network that promote mobility, creation and research. 40 artists and designers will participate in the project, who will hold artistic residencies during 2024 and 2025 and, in 2026, the selected works will be exhibited in a traveling exhibition.

In this context, the Mértola Weaving Workshop welcomed designer Margarida Lopes Pereira between October 17th and 31st. His work focuses on the domestic context – scale, everyday objects and materials, as well as the exploration of artisanal techniques, applied to new contexts. He completed his residency at the Mértola Weaving Workshop, where he contacted weavers and carried out experimental work on traditional looms, using techniques, raw materials and decorative patterns in a personal and creative approach.

During the month of July, designer Mónica Correia was in residence at Oficina de Tecelagem. Of Brazilian nationality, she is an Associate Professor and responsible for the 3D Design Program at the School of Art and Art History at the University of Iowa, in the United States of America. She was awarded the prestigious “ICFF Editor’s Award for Best School”, in New York, in 2015 and received, with her students, the “SOFA CONNECT” Award, which distinguishes the best design environment, in Chicago, in the years 2014 and 2015.

Before moving to the USA, she was a Professor at the School of Architecture and Interior Design at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, in Brazil. Participated in several design exhibitions and events, including: “100% Design: Emerging Brands” and “DesignJunction” in London (United Kingdom); “EDIT DesignJunction”, in Milan (Italy); “International Contemporary Furniture Fair”, in New York (USA); and “BIO.23: Biennal of Design Show”, in Ljubljana (Slovenia).

His interest in traditional wool weaving, especially the process developed in Mértola, is related to his professional trajectory and personal interest in the traditional know-how of South America and Portugal. His stay at the Weaving Workshop aimed to understand the historical context and evolution of this traditional wool transformation technique, the typology of products and the decorative patterns. He took an active part in the work of the Workshop and experienced all phases of the execution process, from carding, spinning to execution on the loom.

For more information about Mónica Correia’s work, visit www.monicacorreia.com

The traditional weaving of the woollen blankets of Mértola currently represents the survival of what was once a necessity, a way of earning a living and helping the family to survive. Some 50 years ago, the weaver’s activity was characterised by an accumulation of works to be sold in the fairs of the region and to meet the many orders. Today, production is mainly aimed at a public that wants to have a piece that represents the memory of this know-how in their homes.

The complex work of preparing the wool, carried out in several stages, is essential to the quality of the fabric. In the past, this work was carried out or closely monitored by the weaver, who thus guaranteed the quality of her work and maintained her reputation in the community. The production of woollen fabric also depends on the loom, a complex mechanism regarding which it is essential to know and understand the functioning of all its components.

In the Weaving Workshop, visitors can learn about this work and understand the functionality of the objects on display and in use, representative of an ancient activity that has survived to the present day. However, the evolution of society, the difficulties inherent to maintaining traditional production methods and the problems of depopulation and desertification of the inland regions of Portugal, have led to a point where the continuity of this work is at stake.

This is the great challenge we are currently facing and which already existed 4 decades ago, when the first survey on weaving was carried out and a Cooperative was created with the main objective of providing training. After 40 years, the question of continuity becomes even more critical: the woollen blankets of Mértola are manufactured by 2 weavers, both over 60 years old.

This situation led to a debate involving the community and local institutions, which, led by the City Council, have developed efforts to outline a common strategy that allows the preservation and continuity of this know-how. With the Museum Units of the Weaving Workshop as its central location, a training process has begun that aims to give continuity to the whole process of wool treatment, from shearing to execution on the loom.
Here we will show you the different stages of future weavers’ – Nazaré Fabião and Rosa Ruivo – learning.