Woven Cosmos - solo exhibition at Gropius Bau, Berlin
- Year: 2021
- Commission: Gropius Bau
- Production: Jongeriuslab
- Category: Exhibition
- Category: One-offs / experiments
“Through Woven Cosmos I try to understand the cultural meaning of weaving beyond materials and technique. This is also deeply linked to the challenges of our time: questions of sustainability, social responsibility and spirituality. For instance: what can be the healing function of objects?” – Hella Jongerius
Over three decades, the artist and industrial designer Hella Jongerius (*1963 in the Netherlands) has engaged with urgent topics such as sustainable innovation, responsible production and societal regeneration. Jongerius does not view objects and their materials separate from one another; rather, according to her understanding, social and political contexts are concentrated within them.
In the exhibition Woven Cosmos, Jongerius explores weaving, among other things, as a forward-looking multifaceted technique. Weaving provides an opportunity to reflect on both the present and the future as well as sustainability and society. The archetype of spinning a cosmic web of existence is deeply rooted in cultures worldwide; it has long been considered as a spiritual model for human understanding of the cosmos.
Apart from showing Jongerius’ research into innovation and progressive experimental practices, the exhibition highlights her ongoing enquiry into how we relate to objects – and how they can heal us. She believes that dismantling the prevailing hierarchy between humans, plants, animals and objects, would have a healing effect. In her work animals frequently appear as narrators, reflecting on our human relationship to the environment and objects.
In the exhibition Woven Cosmos, Jongerius presents different results of her enquiry from the past two years. Extensive research underpins the works’ creation, with greater emphasis on open-ended production processes than fixed results. In the months leading up to the exhibition, the artists’ studio, Jongeriuslab, moved into the rooms on the second floor of the Gropius Bau to research intensively and develop new objects, while simultaneously experimenting on site. Jongeriuslab’s production will continue every day throughout the exhibition, allowing a number of works to evolve during the show. This transformation from exhibition space to studio space mirrors the history of the Gropius Bau, which was once a Museum of Decorative Arts with an affiliated school.
Curators: Stephanie Rosenthal with Clara Meister
For more information on the exhibition, visit www.berlinerfestspiele.de.