Speculative Weaving is an inquisitive approach to weaving that bridges the divide between craft-based traditions and conceptual work. Weaving serves as the nucleus of community engagement and the catalyst for broad interdisciplinary explorations.
Production
COLLECTIVE PRODUCTION
What happens when we produce cloth together not in the name of speed but of accumulation, process, and skill building?
Weaving line by line, each participant is asked to contribute to yardage of community produced cloth.
2019
2017
LOCAL production: How many yards of wool cloth can be woven on a floor loom?
In 2017 we sourced wool yarn from Blackberry Ridge Woolen Mill in Mount Horeb to weave as many yards as we can get on a loom to make a handwoven, locally sourced and locally produced cloth.
2016
How many yards of cotton cloth can be woven on a floor loom?
In 2016 we warped a loom with 40 yards of 10/2 natural cotton. The yardage was then transformed into Weaving Lab Coats by local seamstress Ayumi King.
Time
How long does it take to weave?
2016
Rhythm
How does the sound and rhythm parallel or influence the process of weaving?
2019
2017
How does rhythm relate to the process of weaving?
For this inquiry, we asked our weavers to select a full-length vinyl album to listen to on our record player while they weave a tea towel in a directional twill. We considered both the duration of the album and the rhythm within the songs in relationship to the weaving process. Community members signed up for hour-long sessions to learn to weave on this floor loom.
Meditation
What meditational value does the act of weaving provide?
Often weavers describe a meditative feeling when weaving so we will dedicate our attention to the process in relationship to the mind and body more that the outcome of the woven cloth.
2019
Add sources of material
2017
In 2017 we used scrap materials from the Jump Suit project by Rational Dress Society. We processed the black and white material into strips that were woven by individual participants into meditation mats.
2016
2016 rugs were made of reclaimed muslin and denim from the Madison community.
Math & Pattern
SEQUENCE & STRUCTURE
Within the limits of a 4 harness loom there are 1000’s of loom controlled patterns that can be achieved.
Can we invent new weave patterns based in math structures, sequences and color relationships?
In weaving a structure is the physical intersection of yarn that holds the cloth together but it also forms the visual patterns that we see.
2019
2017
2016