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31 March - 14 April 2025
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Weaving Past into Future

For spring 2025, Constance from SOPRA SOTTO and Alessia from CreativeLab invite an interdisciplinary group of creatives to La Tegolaia in Tuscany to explore the theme Weaving Past into Future. This residency focuses on textiles through circular and sustainable approaches, drawing inspiration from Tuscan traditional craftsmanship and artisanal practices.

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Participants will work with locally sourced waste and scrap materials from partners and textile factories in Prato and Florence. Using traditional techniques such as embroidery, tapestry, and macramé, the residency emphasizes reusing and repurposing materials in ways that close the waste loop and align with circular principles.

 

Residents will experiment with applying these methods in contemporary art practices and reimagining how they could inform the textile and fashion industries on a larger scale, countering waste and hyperproduction by adopting a resourceful, heritage-inspired mindset.

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Alessia will also present her research on biomaterials, offering a tangible introduction to innovative practices and their potential applications. The program will highlight the role of women in craftsmanship, interweaving themes of community, ritual, and storytelling with sustainable practices.

 

Through hands-on workshops, excursions, collaborations with local artisans, and experimental processes, participants will engage deeply with Tuscany’s artistic heritage and its intersection with modern practices. The residency fosters cultural exchange, connecting the region’s traditions with forward-thinking perspectives. The two-week program will culminate in a public event showcasing the residents’ processes and discoveries, emphasizing exploration over final outcomes.​​​​​​​

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DETAILS

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  • Dates: 31 March - 14 April 2025

  • Location: La Tegolaia in Pelago, Tuscany (IT)

  • Organization: SOPRA SOTTO x CreativeLab

  • Facilitators: Constance Van Berckel, Alessia Pasquini

  • 6-8 interdisciplinary creatives/residents

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  • Costs: 550 - 650 EUR per person

    • Differing prices for single or shared room

    • The costs include: stay; meals; program; transport during residency.

    • The costs do not include travel costs; meals outside of the residency (eg. lunch in Florence after an excursion)

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CONTENT

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  • Theme: Weaving Past into Future - Exploring Tuscan traditional craftmanship and artisan techniques as methods for sustainability and circularity in textiles

  • What: co-created workshops; excursions; learning and experimenting with new techniques; discussions

  • How:

    • Immersive communal living practice

    • Openness, connection and transparency

    • Critical inquiry, curiosity and conversation

    • Process-based, experimental and DYI

    • Cross-pollination and creative exchange

    • Co-created workshops by/for residents

    • Exploring nature and culture (excursions)

    • Personal time for research and creation

  • Conclusion: open house event open to local community. Eg. to showcase process, artist talks, workshops​

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©2022 by Constance van Berckel

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