Colour, Dyeing Processes, and Natural Dyes in Textiles and Architecture
Diverse methods and challenges.
From this year on, the «TaDA Spinnerei» takes place twice a year. The half-day event presents the results of the latest TaDA Residency and spotlights specific aspects of textile production. The upcoming «Spinnerei» revolves around the connections between color, textiles, and architecture, with a special focus on the use and associated challenges of natural dyes. Experts from various disciplines share their experiences and discuss future developments.
The event will begin with a tour of the Sitterwerk.
Languages: German, English
Register here.
12:15 – 1:15 PM
Tour of Sitterwerk (meeting point: Magazin)
Tour through the art library and material archive (Sitterwerk Foundation), the Kesselhaus Josephsohn, and the St. Gallen Art Foundry
1:15 – 2:15 PM
Lunch (location: art library)
2:15 PM
Spinnerei 2024 (location: Magazin)
Welcome
Sabina Brunschweiler, Head of the Department of Culture, St. Gallen, TaDA funding body
Eveline Wüthrich, Art Library Management, Stiftung Sitterwerk
2:20 PM
Introduction
Marianne Burki, Head of TaDA
Meret Ernst, design specialist
2:25 – 3:15 PM
Input: Colour and Natural Pigments in Architecture
– Markus Lüscher, Park Architekten, Zurich
– Luzia Borer, Öl + Kalk GmbH, Basel
Moderation and Q&A: Marianne Burki
3:15 – 3:30 PM
Short break
3:30 – 4:00 PM
Intermezzo: Textile Dyeing in Sittertal 1904–1989
A tour
Istvàn Scheibler, Stiftung Sitterwerk
4:00 – 4:45 PM
Input: Natural Dyes and Industrialization
How sustainable are natural dyes? What do the research results say? And what about scalability and ecological aspects?
– Tina Tomovic, design researcher, Emmenbrücke
– Detlef Fischer, Textilcolor, Sevelen, TaDA Partner Company
Moderation and Q&A: Meret Ernst
4:45 – 5:30 PM
Roundtable: Natural Dyes in Textiles and Architecture: Synergies?
Luzia Bohrer, Detlef Fischer, Markus Lüscher, Tina Tomovic
Moderation and Q&A: Marianne Burki, Meret Ernst
5:30 – 5:45 PM
Intermezzo: Orbis – a Printing Process from the 1920s
A different type of colorfulness
Martin Schlegel, TDS Textildruckerei Arbon, TaDA Partner Company
5:45 – 6:00 PM
Short break
6:00 – 6:45 PM
TaDA Residency, autumn 2024: Insights into the initial results
– marc norbert hörler, artist (Switzerland)
– Elizabeth Hong, designer and researcher (USA/France)
– Anshu Singh, artist (India)
With Martin Leuthold, textile designer / President of the TaDA Jury
Moderation: Meret Ernst
6:45 PM
Conclusion of Spinnerei 2024
7:00 PM
Festive aperitif at the Atelierhaus,
with an address by Laura Bucher, Member of the Cantonal Government of St. Gallen
Biographies
Luzia Borer initially completed an apprenticeship as a painter and later trained as an actress. In 1999, she founded the painting workshop Öl+Kalk GmbH in Basel. In 2001, she completed a part-time seminar in color and architecture at COL-ARCH and in 2004 obtained the federal certificate as a craftswoman in monument preservation. Her work focuses on painting with natural building materials and design projects. She also offers specialist advice in painting for architecture and crafts and teaches at various institutions. Her interests include textile work as well as drawing and painting with self-made binders.
Dr. Meret Ernst has been a curator at the Museum für Gestaltung Zürich since 2024. She taught design history at HGK FHNW Basel (2015-2024) and initiated the Design History Network in 2016, which promotes exchange on design historiographical issues. From 2003 to 2020, she led the culture and design editorial team at the magazine Hochparterre. From 2011 to 2024, she served as vice president of the Swiss Design Association. She combines journalistic practice with scholarly work, thereby advancing her field and fostering a climate of critical discourse.
Detlef Fischer has been CEO, board member, and owner of Textilcolor AG in Sevelen since 2016. From 2011 to 2016, he was CEO and board delegate of BEZEMA AG in Montlingen, Tunisia, and Morocco, as well as CHT Austria. Mr. Fischer was instrumental in implementing the comprehensive bluesign® standard in the industry from 2006 to 2011. As Technical Director of Heberlein Textildruck AG in Wattwil, Mr. Fischer became familiar with the Swiss textile industry from A to Z. Before completing his degree as a graduate engineer at the University of Applied Sciences for Textile Chemistry in Reutlingen, he trained as a textile finisher and printer. With his many years of leadership and management experience, he has an in-depth knowledge of developing chemical product and market strategies. In the areas of textile finishing and textile chemistry, he is intensively engaged with current developments and has also specialized in sustainability. Detlef Fischer has positioned and developed Textilcolor as a leading company in the field of textile chemistry, in line with international standards and agreements. Currently, the company is focusing on the research of natural dye applications, specialty chemicals from renewable raw materials, and the backward integration of chemical syntheses due to major globalization issues.
Markus Lüscher is an architect and owner of PARK. He studied in Zurich and Berlin, interned at OMA in Rotterdam, graduated from ETH Zurich in 1996, and subsequently worked in various offices. Since founding PARK in 2004, he has realized several award-winning buildings with his team, written articles, served as a guest critic and juror, and is involved in the Bergalga Avers cooperative. Currently, PARK is working with external partners on projects including the construction of 100 apartments in Baar, the renovation of Rapperswil Castle, the transformation of the coal storage hall in Koch Park Zurich, the Rondinone studio in Paris, the lakefront park in Uetikon, and the renewal project for the Kunstmuseum St. Gallen.
Istvan Scheibler attended the School of Design in Lucerne (now HSLU) from 1989 to 1995. Since 1997, he has run a graphic design office, initially in Berlin and from 2012 to 2019 in Zurich, where he was responsible for the corporate design of the Kunstgiesserei, the Sitterwerk Foundation, the photo lab, and the Kesselhaus Josephsohn. Since 2023, he has been researching the history of the Sittertal and working on the decarbonization of the Kunstgiesserei and the Sittertal area.
Martin Schlegel worked for various companies in the textile sector in Switzerland and abroad after completing a commercial apprenticeship at Bischoff Textil AG. By chance, he came to TDS Textildruckerei Arbon GmbH and decided in 2016 to save the company from impending closure. He learned the craft of screen printing from the now-deceased employee G. Wassertheuer.
Tina Tomovic is a design researcher at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts - Design Film Art. Since 2017, her research has focused on circular economy, used textiles, and recycling. For the past two years, she has been working on her dissertation project on colors in textile recycling streams, examining how color use in design needs to be made more sustainable.
A discussion on the applications and effects of textiles and how they influence our lives.
18:00-18:45
Textiles: Protection and Durability
What demands do we place on textiles, and in what forms are they durable for individuals?
18:50-19:40
Textiles: Functions, Meanings, and Interpretations
What significance does the function of textiles hold – and when do we begin to interpret them?
– Dirk Hegemann, Empa, Group Leader Plasma & Coating
– Lilia Glanzmann, Co-Director Zeughaus Teufen and Head of Textile Design Department, Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts
TaDA residents:
– marc norbert hörler, Artist, Germany/Switzerland
– Elizabeth Hong, Designer and Researcher, USA/France
– Anshu Sing, Artist, India
Moderation: Marianne Burki, Head of TaDA
Communication and Coordination: Martina Lughi, TaDA Assistant
Assistance: Florin Röösli, TaDA Intern
The discussion will be held in English.
The cultural promotion program TaDA – Textile and Design Alliance, in collaboration with TaDA partners TDS Textildruckerei Arbon and the Saurer Museum, along with the company Lässer AG, and former TaDA residents, artist Axelle Stiefel and textile designer Pascal Heimann, have developed a project together. They invite you to explore the creative production process in the fields of design and textiles. The fashion collective PROTOtypes will also offer a children's workshop on upcycling and recycling.
Arbon has a rich history influenced by the textile industry, with many remnants of this past still visible. The event focuses on the current textile production process in dialogue with tradition. Visitors will be able to follow the creation of a product from concept and design to realization. Axelle Stiefel and Pascal Heimann have reinterpreted the motif of the Arbon flag, and this will be implemented with the partner companies. The public can take the new creation home with them.
PROGRAM
Presentations every hour (from 14:00 to 17:30)
At the beginning of each hour, a production step will be demonstrated at three stations. Visitors can start at any location and experience the three production phases throughout the afternoon. A historic Saurer bus will shuttle between the TDS Textildruckerei, the Saurer Museum, and the TaDA Studio. The presentations will each last 45 minutes.
Reservations are required: info@tada-residency.ch
Locations & Schedule:
TDS Textildruckerei Arbon, Textilstrasse 2, Arbon
14:00 – 14:45: Welcome: René Walther (Mayor of Arbon), Michelle Geser Lunau (Thurgau Cultural Office, TaDA board), Marianne Burki (Head of TaDA) and Martina Lughi (TaDA Assistant), and Martin Schlegel (TDS Textildruckerei Arbon). Introduction to textile printing with Martin Schlegel.
15:15 – 16:00: Introduction to textile printing with Martin Schlegel.
16:30 – 17:15: Introduction to textile printing with Martin Schlegel.
From 17:30: Closing remarks from all participants, followed by an aperitif.
Saurer Museum, Weitegasse 8, Arbon
14:00 – 14:45: Introduction to embroidery production.
15:15 – 16:00: Introduction to embroidery production.
16:30 – 17:15: Introduction to embroidery production.
TaDA Studio, Schlossgasse 4, Arbon
14:00 – 17:30: Introduction to the design process with TaDA residents Axelle Stiefel and Pascal Heimann, as well as textile designer Martin Leuthold. Supported by current TaDA residents Elizabeth Hong (France/USA, designer), marc norbert hörler (Switzerland, artist), and Anshu Singh (India, artist).
Kappeli (St.-Johannes Chapel), Kapellgasse 1, Arbon
14:00 – 17:00: Children's workshop with PROTOtypes for children and teenagers aged 5 to 15 years. We will explore various upcycling techniques with stenciling, printing, cutting, and decorating. Bring your clothes (sweatpants, hoodies, white cotton t-shirts, any clothing you want to print on or transform), and we will give them a new life!
Saurer Bus Timetable
14:45 – 15:00: From TDS Textildruckerei to Saurer Museum/TaDA Studio
15:00 – 15:15: From Saurer Museum/TaDA Studio to TDS Textildruckerei
16:00 – 16:15: From TDS Textildruckerei to Saurer Museum/TaDA Studio
16:15 – 16:30: From Saurer Museum/TaDA Studio to TDS Textildruckerei
17:15 – 17:30: From Saurer Museum/TaDA Studio to TDS Textildruckerei
Participants
TDS Textildruckerei in Arbon is one of the last manual screen printing shops in Switzerland, combining contemporary creations with traditional techniques and processes. Owner Martin Schlegel will demonstrate the capabilities of the 50-meter-long printing machine from the 1970s. TaDA – Textile and Design Alliance connects creatives from various disciplines and cultures with the textile industry of Eastern Switzerland. The studio and residence program is located on the former Saurer site. Next door is the Saurer Museum, which provides in-depth insight into the tradition of embroidery. Experienced weavers and embroiderers will show visitors how fabrics are made and how complex embroideries are created on the machines of the former Saurer company. Lässer AG, also a partner of TaDA, has taken over the production of the new creation. It is headquartered in Diepoldsau and is the market leader in large-scale embroidery machines.
INFORMATION
For questions, please contact info@tada-residency.ch, T +41 71 228 00 78
TaDA Studio Schlossgasse 4, Arbon www.tada-residency.ch
TDS Textildruckerei Textilstrasse 2, Arbon https://tds-switzerland.ch
Saurer Museum Weitegasse 8, Arbon https://www.saurermuseum.ch
This summer, at the end of August 2024, the historic Tröckneturm (drying tower) in St. Gallen will be revived by the Swiss artist and former TaDA Resident Stéphanie Baechler. The installation aims to (re)interpret the former purpose of dry wet dyed fabric, making it visible and tangible again. The installation is titled Forget Me Not, in reference to both the need to preserve historical craft, and to the pattern of a Swiss handkerchief embroidered with forget-me-nots. Through contemporary artistic intervention outinside this historic structure, the artist will re-invigorate and re-present the former function of the Tröckneturm, inviting viewers into a multifaceted dialogue addressing both textile history and the culture of remembrance.
The project has three components. The first is the public artwork itself; the second is the accompanying artist book Forget Me Not / Vergissmeinnicht, outlining the project’s process through detailed research and archive material; and the third is a conference day on site. The project is organised in collaboration with Kunst Halle Sankt Gallen and in dialogue with TaDA – Textile and Design Alliance.
LECTURES & DISCUSSIONS: Saturday 31 August 2024
POETICS OF DRYING (ARTISTIC) PRACTICES AT TRÖCKNETURM ST. GALLEN
10:00–17:30
There will be a historical introduction by Textile Designer Martin Leuthold. In dialogue with Barbara Zoé Kiolbassa, Assistant Curator at Kunst Halle Sankt Gallen, the artist Stéphanie Baechler will present the core of her research and artistic process. Architect Roger Boltshauser will give an insight into rammed earth constructions and will discuss the use of ceramics in Baechler’s practice. Cultural promotion programme TaDA – Textile and Design Alliance will hold a talk with
professionals from today’s textile industry.
14:45 – 16:45
TaDA Talk - organised by TaDA - Textile and Design Alliance
Local Production, Tradition, and Innovation
Brigitte Signer – Designer at Création Baumann AG
Daniel Rüdlinger – Contract Embroider
Samuel Wagner – Head Architecture & Sales Screen Printing at Sefar AG
Stéphanie Baechler
Moderated by Marianne Burki, Artistic Director TaDA - Textile and Design Alliance
Dates of the installation, on three weekends,
from 11:00–22:00; Do, Fr, Sa, & So
23–25 August 2024
29 August – 1 September 2024
5–8 September 2024
Admission and guided tour free of charge
Viewing of the installation is determined by the weather conditions
More info: www.stephaniebaechler.com
The "TaDA Spinnerei" will take place twice a year starting in 2024. This half-day event will present the results of the TaDA Residency and highlight specific aspects of textile production. The upcoming Spinnerei will focus on the connections between textiles, acoustics, architecture, and sustainability, emphasizing the perspectives of producers and how they bring their products into the future. Experts will present their ideas and research, engaging with the audience in discussions about the current and future roles of textiles in acoustics.
Languages: German, English
14:00 Welcome
Ursula Steinhauser, Head of the Department of Culture, Appenzell Ausserrhoden / TaDA Sponsorship
Giovanni Carmine, Director of Kunst Halle Sankt Gallen
14:15 Introduction
Marianne Burki, Head of TaDA
Martina Lughi, Project Assistant TaDA
14:20 TaDA Residency, Spring 2024: Insights into the first result
– Giulio Massimo Gallana, textile designer (Switzerland)
– Elisabeth Leerssen, textile designer (Netherlands/France)
– Bi Rongrong, artist (China)
With Martin Leuthold, textile designer / President of the TaDA Jury
Moderation: Susanna Koeberle, design expert
15:30 Break
Acoustics, Architecture, Textiles
16:00 Introduction
Marianne Burki
Susanna Koeberle
16:05 Impulses
Textile Facts, Sound, Emotion
– Oskar Fiedler, Fuchs Raumingenieure, Wallersdorf (Germany)
– Domenica Tischhauser, Tisca Tischhhauser AG, Bühler
– Barbara Smith, Lobra AG, Thal
– Christof Jenni, Haag-Plast AG, Heiden
– Martin Schlegel, TDS Textildruckerei Arbon
– Martin Leuthold, Textile Designer
... and others
17:15 Break
17:30 Workshop
Room acoustics, Health, Textiles
Discussion in three groups with speakers and the audience.
18:00 Results from the Workshops
Moderation: Marianne Burki and Susanna Koeberle
18:30 Performance
Patrick Kessler, musician / artistic director Klang Moor Schopfe
18:50 Closing Remarks
19:00 Apéro Riche
Biographies of TaDA Residents:
Giulio Massimo Gallana (1999) is a textile designer and artist from Bern. In his work, he explores different strategies of remanufacturing and how old clothes, or rather the fabric of old clothes, can be refined in a scalable way. He always looks at new strategies to develop further approaches to textile finishing. Giulio Massimo Gallana graduated from the TAF (Talentförderung Gestaltung und Kunst) for Design and Art and then studied textile design at HSLU. In winter 2023-24, he did an internship as a textile designer with Jakob Schlaepfer and provides input on the CLO3D fashion software at HSLU (Hochschule Luzern – Design Film Kunst). His final project on the topic of remanufacturing was nominated for the "Swiss design bachelor awards 2023" and named one of the "most intriguing fashion student design projects of 22/23" by Dezeen.com.
Elisabeth Leerssen (1988) ist eine niederländische Textildesignerin und Gründerin von Pâle Studio mit Sitz in Paris. Seit 2018 widmet sich das Pâle Studio dem Design und der Entwicklung von Textilien für Innenräume, wobei der Schwerpunkt auf Hochleistungstextilien und Nachhaltigkeit liegt. Parallel dazu arbeitet das Studio an Forschungsprojekten, die traditionelle Textilprozesse mit zeitgenössischen ökologischen Anliegen verbinden. Das Ziel ist es, die Rolle der Designer*innen inmitten des ökologischen Wandels zu hinterfragen. Dabei liegt der Schwerpunkt darauf, , lokale Lösungen zu finden und gleichzeitig verschiedene nachhaltige Ansätze kritisch zu reflektieren. Nach Abschluss ihres Studiums an der Gerrit Rietveld Academie (Amsterdam, 2012) hat Elisabeth Leerssen ihre Karriere als Textildesignerin, mit dem Entwerfen und Entwickeln von Textilien für Mode und Interieur begonnen. Vor der Gründung von Pale Studio hatte Elisabeth Leerssen wichtige Funktionen in der Produktentwicklung bei Kvadrat (DK), Marine Serre (FR) und Études Studio (FR) inne. Sie hat ihr Engagement in diesem Bereich durch die Teilnahme an mehreren Ausstellungen unter Beweis gestellt. Unteranderem bei ' La nouvelle garde du design soutenable'; 'AMOUR VIVANT' in Paris; und 'ABSTRACTION(S)–Textile et design', bei ARCADE Design à la Campagne in Sainte-Colombe-en-Auxois gezeigt.
Bi Rongrong (1982) is a Shanghai based artist. She collects and extracts patterns from natural landscapes, architecture, street posters, or surfaces of everyday objects. For her, the process of constructing these patterns can be described as “weaving". Through drawing, painting, traditional hand weaving, machine knitting/weaving, animation, and spatial installations, she is constantly searching for new methods to give different materials new and developing connections. She received her MA in Chinese Traditional Landscape Painting at Sichuan University in 2008, followed by an MFA in Painting from the Frank Mohr Institute in the Netherlands. Her works have been exhibited in various art institutions and public art projects, including, among others, Centre for Heritage Arts & Textile (Hong Kong), Shanghai Museum of Glass, Cass Sculpture Foundation (UK), Hangzhou Triennial of Fiber Art. In 2022, Bi Rongrong was the winner of the Spirit of Ecstasy Challenge in Muse, the Rolls-Royce Arts Programme.
Biographies of participants:
Art and architecture historian Marianne Burki was Head of Visual Arts with the Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia until the end of 2019. She was responsible for Pro Helvetia's visual arts funding policy in Switzerland, international exchanges and the Swiss pavilion at the Venice Biennale. Marianne Burki was previously Director of the Kunsthaus Langenthal. In the Paul Klee Stiftung, she was Project Manager for the Catalogue Raisonné Paul Klee. She is also the scriptwriter and director of the film Mariann Grunder, Bildhauerin. Since 2018-2023 she has been President of the Vereinigung Schweizer Kunsthistorikerinnen und Kunsthistoriker (Swiss association of art historians, VKK). Since 2021 together with Li Zhenhua she is the artistic director of Sequerciani Arte Clima, a project in Tuscany which bringst together art, science and agriculture.
Oskar Fiedler is a passionate musician and acoustician. For this reason, he studied Media and Acoustical Engineering at Mittweida University of Applied Sciences (DE) in 2019. Since 2022, he has been part of the team at Fuchs – Raumingenieure, conducting room acoustic measurements and planning. His focus is primarily on simulation and auralization. In his project work related to room acoustics, practical knowledge transfer and consulting are at the forefront.
With his double bass, Patrick Kessler works at the intersection of performative art and improvisation, between installation and composition - often expanding his artistic vocabulary through electronic elements, experimental analog sound collages and visual means.
Christof Jenni is the owner and managing director of Haag-Plast AG. After his training as a carpenter, he successfully completed a second training as a car upholsterer. In 2013, he joined his family business, Haag-Plast AG, and since 2016, he has held the master craftsman certification in leather and textiles, specializing in vehicles and technology. Under his leadership, Haag-Plast AG has grown steadily in recent years and has established a strong position in upholstery components for public transportation providers such as Stadler Rail, SBB, Appenzeller Bahnen, and Hess. Additionally, the company has successfully completed numerous large projects in fabric cutting and the production of upholstery and acoustic solutions for major hotels, schools, public buildings, and offices for clients across Switzerland.
Susanna Koeberle is a freelance journalist, author, and curator with a focus on design, architecture, and art, as well as their various intersections. She is a nomad based in Zurich, multilingual, and holds a lic. phil. I degree. Her interest lies in the diversity of cultural expressions. In her work, she considers aesthetic or scientific aspects as equally valuable as everyday phenomena for culture. She aims to relate different disciplines and cultures to each other, striving to understand the role of small things in the larger whole.
Following his apprenticeship as an embroidery designer, Martin Leuthold joined the textile company Jakob Schlaepfer in 1973. From 1989 to 2018, he was Creative Director and a member of the management board at Schlaepfer, where he and his team designed over 1,000 fabrics for the fashion world every year. With his exclusive fabric creations, he plays a decisive role in determining what will be considered a new fashion trend tomorrow. In 2004 he designed the exhibition “Bling Bling” in the Landesmuseum Zurich for the 100th anniversary of the company. He has been awarded countless prizes for his work, including the Swiss Grand Prix of Design from the Federal Office of Culture and the renowned American Cotton Design Award. Today, he works in his private studio.
Martin Schlegel worked for various companies in the textile sector both domestically and internationally after completing a commercial apprenticeship at Bischoff Textil AG. By chance, he came across TDS Textildruckerei Arbon GmbH and decided in 2016 to save the company from its impending closure. He learned the craft of screen printing from the now-deceased employee G. Wassertheuer.
Domenica Tischhauser is a trained dressmaker and designed wedding dresses and evening wear for women. After her initial training, she continued her education to become a textile engineer and after graduation worked for Jakob Schläpfer AG St.Gallen. There she took on the responsibility of purchasing fabrics and raw materials and for 5 years as product manager she coordinated sales and production at Boller Textiles. She was also part of the Collection Development team of "HUGO Man and Woman" at Hugo Boss in Coldrerio. From 2008 - 2017, Domenica Tischhauser was responsible for the management and further development of the business unit Mira X Fabrics in Bühler as a member of the management board. Since 2017, she is responsible for the "Product Development Carpets and Fabrics" of Tisca Tischhauser AG.
At two roundtables, experts from different disciplines will engage with TaDA residents, exploring the amazing possibilities to blur the borders between used textiles and new productions in the past and today, spanning architecture, textiles, and art both historically and in the present day.
18.00
Identifying waste: from clothing to fibre, from old to new
Giulio Gallana, textile designer, TaDA Resident, St.Gallen
Elisabeth Leerssen, textile designer, TaDA Resident, Paris
Tom Pulver, architect, Graber und Pulver, Bern and Zurich
18.50
Outlining sustainability: what to preserve and renew, what to discard?
Mandana Roozpeikar, director Textilmuseum St.Gallen
Bi Rongrong, artist, Shanghai
Kaspar Schlaeppi, Geschäftsführung Rework AG
The discussion will be held in English.
At the end of the talk, director Mandana Roozpeikar will be available for a tour of the exhibition for all interested visitors.
Concept and Moderation: Marianne Burki, Artistic Director TaDA
Communication: Martina Lughi, Assistant TaDA
Coordination: Josy Kriemler Intern TaDA
Biographies
Thomas Pulver
In 1992, Thomas Pulver founded Graber Pulver Architekten with Marco Graber. Graber Pulver's 80-strong team develops and realises architectural and urban development projects in Switzerland and abroad. Their work is regularly honoured, published and exhibited. In 2001 Thomas Pulver won the Bern cantonal studio scholarship in New York. He completed teaching and research activities as a lecturer at the ZHAW Winterthur and the ETH Zurich, and he was visiting professor at the EPF Lausanne and the Politecnico Milano. Born in Bern, Thomas Pulver studied architecture at ETH Zurich from 1982-1989, where he graduated under Franz Oswald. He worked in various architecture firms in Los Angeles, Barcelona and Zurich.
Kaspar Schlaeppi
Kaspar Schlaeppi runs the fashion brand ‘Rework’ together with designer Laura Weber. Founded in 2019, the company specialises in the upcycling design concept: Unworn second-hand textiles are collected, altered or completely re-sewn according to the company's own patterns. With this unconventional approach, Rework creates a sustainable alternative in the fashion world, as no raw materials, chemicals or water are required.
The «TaDA Spinnerei» takes place annually. During this one-day event, the results of the TaDA residency are presented on the one hand, and on the other, topics are set that highlight a specific aspect of textile production. This year, the focus is on the connections between textiles, architecture and sustainability. Experts from various disciplines will present their ideas and together with the audience discuss current issues and new demands on materials. The concluding round table will look to the future.
The programme will be mainly in German, with some interventions in English.
Registration is compulsory due to limited places. Register here or send an email to info@tada-residency.ch.
This year's Spinnerei will take place at two locations in Appenzell Ausserrhoden: Tisca Tischhauser AG, a TaDA partner textile company, and Zeughaus Teufen, a museum for contemporary and applied art. Both locations are a 20-minutes train ride from St.Gallen.
10:30 – 12:30
Tisca Tischhauser AG
Sonnenbergstrasse 1, Bühler
13:30 – 18:30
Zeughaus Teufen
Zeughausplatz 1, Teufen
PROGRAMME
10.30 Welcome
Cantonal Councillor Alfred Stricker; Ursula Steinhauser, Head of the Office for Culture, Appenzell Ausserrhoden, Trusteeship of TaDA; Domenica Tischhauser, Tisca Tischhauser AG, partner company TaDA
10.40 Introduction
Marianne Burki, Head of TaDA and Meret Ernst, Design Specialist
10.45 Production and innovation: guided tour of Tisca Tischhauser AG (in German)
Register here for the tour
12.00 Cooperation and multiple perspectives (in German and English)
Domenica Tischhauser in conversation with TaDA residents Carolina Forss, fashion and textile designer, artist, Pascal Heimann, textile designer and Axelle Stiefel, artist
12.20 Transfer to Zeughaus Teufen, Zeughausplatz 1, Teufen
Train S21 12:33 Bühler – 12:39 Teufen
12.45 Lunch break
Register here for the lunch
13.45 Insights into the first results from the TaDA Residency (in German and English)
– Carolina Forss, fashion and textile designer, artist
– Pascal Heimann, textile designer
– Axelle Stiefel, artist
With Martin Leuthold, textile designer / president TaDA Jury
Moderation: Meret Ernst
Register here for the presentations
14.45 Break
15.15 Workshop: «Textiles and architecture: fields of action, techniques, materials» (in German)
Which textile techniques and materials can also be used architecturally and what function do they have in this context? What role can local agricultural production play in this? How can textile expertise enrich architecture? The invited guests will bring their theses and questions, which they will discuss together with the audience. With:
– Annette Douglas, designer and entrepreneur
– Nina Conrad, Mira Durrer, Fibershed DACH
– Lela Scherrer, fashion designer
16.00 Results are presented and discussed with the audience
Register here for the workshop
16:15 Break
16.30 Intermezzo, Artistic intervention TaDA Residents: Axelle Stiefel, Pascal Heimann
16:45 Overview «Weaving architecture and digital technologies» (in English)
With Maria Smigielska, architect and researcher, Zürich
17:05 Q&A
17:15 Break
17:30 Round-Table: «Textiles and Architecture: What does the future hold?» (in German)
Architecture and textiles are linked at different scales - from the micro level of biological systems to the macro level of textile and built structures. In this context, the textile encourages us to think anew about construction and built structure that are flexible, adaptable and interact with the environment. Do cultural practices such as weaving or materials research offer sustainable solutions for architecture from the perspective of textile thinking? How can both disciplines develop a sustainable approach to materials? We will discuss these and other questions with our guests. With:
– Annette Douglas
– Brigitt Egloff, Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Lecturer, Researcher, Product & Textile Competence Centre
– Markus Lüscher, Park Architekten, Zurich
Register here for the overview and round table
18.30 Closing and thanks
Apéro Riche
At two roundtables, experts from different disciplines will discuss the intricate paths of textile creation.
18:00 Economic and cultural trade routes
– Fabian Takacs, Post-Doc researcher & lecturer
– Andreas Zangger, independent historian
– Axelle Stiefel, artist, TaDA Resident
18:45 Tradition, culture and exchange
– Luba Nurse, textile historian and conservator, Textilmuseum St.Gallen
– Carolina Forss, fashion and textile designer, TaDA Resident
– Pascal Heimann, textile designer, TaDA Resident
Moderation: Marianne Burki, Head of TaDA
Coordination: Martina Lughi
Intern: Julie Mader
The discussion will be in English and followed by an aperitif.
TDS Textildruckerei Arbon, TaDA - Textile and Design Alliance, Saurer Museum and Kunsthalle Arbon invite you to a joint tour. With Philipp Kuhn, Head of the Cultural Office of the Canton of Thurgau and René Walther, Arbon city mayor.
The tour provides an insight into the rich cultural and industrial landscape of Arbon: the Arbon textile printing works is one of the last manual screen printing works in Switzerland and combines current creation with the cultural heritage of the textile industry. Martin Schlegel shows the possibilities of the 50-metre-long printing machine from the 1970s. The cultural promotion programme TaDA - Textile and Design Alliance, brings together creatives from all disciplines and different cultures with the textile industry of Eastern Switzerland. The residency's studio and flat are located on the former Saurer site. In the studio in the former cloakroom, numerous experiments and new ideas are created - the current residents provide insight. Nearby is the Saurer Museum, where the history of the traditional company can be experienced. Experienced weavers and embroiderers show visitors how fabrics are made. As a platform for site-specific installations, the Kunsthalle Arbon has been presenting contemporary art in the former halls of the metal goods manufacturer Schädler for over thirty years. In the current exhibition, weaving takes place in a figurative sense when Swiss artist Eric Hattan (*1955) weaves discarded everyday materials into a multi-part, fragile whole.
A historic Saurerbus takes guests from the car park at the Arbon swimming pool to the Arbon textile printing works and back again.
For registration and the full program click here.
Mariska de Groot, who will be showing an installation at this year's festival, was supported in her research and realisation by TaDA and the Sauer Museum.
From 16:00 TaDA Performance at Festival centre
Axelle Stiefel (CH): The Operator
The Geneva-based multidisciplinary artist works with textiles, installation, video, sound and performance. She is TaDA Resident 2023.
TaDA Talk
Lace and other connections
Light and sound artist Mariska de Groot (NL), TaDA Residents Axelle Stiefel (CH), Selina Reiterer (A) and Oliver Maklot (A) discuss sound and textile collaborations and experiments with Marianne Burki (TaDA Programme Director), Ernst Kugler and Rudolph Rüegger (Saurer Museum) and Patrick Kessler (Festival Artistic Director). Moderation: Marianne Burki, Welcome: Ursula Steinhauser (Office for Culture Appenzell AI).
Performance
MORS
Performance by Selina Reiterer (artist and textile designer) and Oliver Maklott (media artist), TaDA Residents 2020.
Admission 10.- CHF
More info on klangmoorschopfe.ch/2023
Since April 2023, three TaDA residents have been working in Eastern Switzerland with the partner companies of TaDA – Textile and Design Alliance. They will now present the results and processes of these collaborations.
Followed by a TaDA Talk.
Welcome
– Céline Matter, Assistant Curator Kunst Halle Sankt Gallen
– Marianne Burki, Head of TaDA – Textile and Design Alliance
18.30 Presentations by the TaDA Residents
– Rafael Kouto, textile designer (Switzerland)
– Adrian Pepe, artist (Honduras/Lebanon)
– Chun Shao, multimedia artist (China)
Moderation: Lilia Glanzmann, head of the textile design course at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts
19.30 On the value of textile production
The value of textiles is constantly changing – historically, culturally and in production. Traces, ideas, facts.
Discussion with:
– Jumoke Sanwo, Storyteller/Cultural Producer, Creator/Director, Lagos & Dúna Dúrà
– Wang Weiwei, Curator, CHAT Centre for Heritage Arts & Textile, Hong Kong
– Lilia Glanzmann, head of the textile design at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences & Arts
– and the audience
Moderation: Marianne Burki
Language: English
Followed by an aperitif!
The exhibition at Gewerbemuseum Winterthur offers insights into the three-year pilot programme by exhibiting 13 positions and showing how potential can unfold when design, culture, technology and economy work together.
With Martina Lughi, TaDA Assistant
Meeting place: In the exhibition on the 2nd floor.
No registration required. Included in museum admission.
TaDA – Textile and Design Alliance is a funding programme that enables international cultural practitioners to engage artistically with the textile and design culture of Eastern Switzerland. The exhibition at Gewerbemuseum Winterthur offers insights into the three-year pilot programme by exhibiting 13 positions and showing how potential can unfold when design, culture, technology and economy work together.
With:
– Martin Leuthold, textile designer
– Martin Schlegel, TDS Textile Printing Company Arbon
– Marianne Burki, Head of TaDA - Textile and Design Alliance
Meeting place: In the exhibition on the 2nd floor.
No registration required. Included in museum admission.
More info on gewerbemuseum.ch
18.00 Welcome and reflections on the TaDA pilot phase 2020 – 2023
Andreas Schwarz, Deputy Head of the Office for Culture St.Gallen and Trusteeship Representative TaDA
18:05 Disappearing and imperfect?
The ultimate sustainability goal: products lasting forever or disappearing completely? How can sustainability and imperfection be combined?
With:
– Rafael Kouto, fashion and textile designer, TaDA resident
– Mario Pellin, curator, Gewerbemuseum Winterthur
– Chun Shao, media artist, TaDA resident
18:45 Big or small?
How do turnover, prestige and scope of companies influence measures to enhance sustainable production?
With:
– Adrian Pepe, fiber artist, TaDA resident
– Mandana Roozpeikar, director, Textilmuseum St.Gallen
– Lela Scherrer, fashion designer
Moderator: Marianne Burki, Head of TaDA
Coordinator: Martina Lughi, TaDA
Intern: Paula Knill
Language: English
The exhibition at Gewerbemuseum Winterthur offers insights into the three-year pilot programme by exhibiting 13 positions and showing how potential can unfold when design, culture, technology and economy work together.
With Martina Lughi, TaDA Assistant
Meeting place: In the exhibition on the 2nd floor.
No registration required. Included in museum admission.
The textile industry has undergone major changes in recent decades: fast-changing fashion trends, new material developments and manufacturing processes, innovations in production technology and functionality, globalisation with its shift of the textile market to low-wage countries as well as rising sustainability and labelling issues represent just a few of the enormous challenges. For Swiss textile companies, which can build on an extremely successful tradition, especially in Eastern Switzerland, one of the most important tasks today is to meet these challenges while holding their own in the face of global competition. This is why new and unusual approaches are of great importance, in engineering and technology as well as in design.
With the exhibition „Textile Industry & Artists in Residence“, Gewerbemuseum Winter- thur provides insights into the programme of TaDA – Textile and Design Alliance. International designers and artists have, in this programme, developed innovative projects, experiments and research approaches in collaboration with textile companies in Eastern Switzerland, thereby demonstrating the potential that lies in close coopera- tion between design, culture, technology and economy.
More info on gewerbemuseum.ch
This year's Spinnerei* aims to explore questions on sustainable production in the textile industry. Experts from various disciplines will put their projects and ideas up for debate. Moreover, current TaDA residents will present the initial results of their three-month collaboration with their partner companies. Artistic interventions add a further dimension to the TaDA Spinnerei, which is held in cooperation with Empa, TaDA's partner organisation.
The event begins with a guided tour through the Empa premises. The focus is to be on those labs that are used most intensively by the TaDA residents. Next, the artists and designers involved will present insights into the projects and processes that have developed out of the collaboration with their partner companies. Two workshops will then be held in which important questions regarding sustainability in production are to be discussed together with the audience.
TaDA Textile and Design Alliance is a pilot programme by the cultural promotion agencies of the cantons of Appenzell Ausserrhoden, St.Gallen and Thurgau. It builds on encounters and collaboration between representatives from the world of culture and the textile industry. Through an international call for applications, the programme invites practitioners from all arts disciplines to a three-month residency and brings them into contact with textile companies in Eastern Switzerland. The goal is to stimulate new ideas and approaches with regard to creativity and production in both domains.
How does a long-term approach work in the textile and fashion sectors? And what connections are there between sustainability and social issues? These questions are to be discussed by:
18.00 – 18.40
Sabine Portenier, fashion designer, Switzerland
Otto Rummukainen, artist, designer, Finland (TaDA resident)
Nelli Singer, textile designer, Germany (TaDA resident)
(discussion in German)
18.40 – 19.25
Susanne Rudolf, Fashion Revolution, Switzerland
Ana Micaela Fernández Martín, artist, Spain (TaDA residency)
Victoria Manganiello, artist, designer, educator and organiser, USA (TaDA residency)
(discussion in English)
19.25 – 19.35
Closing remarks with Mandana Roozpeikar, Director of Textilmuseum St.Gallen
(English)
Moderator: Marianne Burki, Head of TaDA
Coordinator: Martina Lughi, TaDA Assistant, supported by Marius Quilibier, TaDA Intern
The talks will be held in English and in German.
The first round of residents selected for TaDA in the programme's third year will present the results and processes of their stay in Arbon and the collaboration projects undertaken with textile companies in Eastern Switzerland.
Introduction by Giovanni Carmine, Director of Kunst Halle Sankt Gallen, and Marianne Burki, Head of TaDA
Presentations by the residents:
– Olaniyi Rasheed Akindiya, artist, TaDA resident
– Laura Deschl, Social designer and art researcher, TaDA resident
– Edit Oderbolz, artist, TaDA resident
In his performance activities, Olaniyi R. Akindiya Akirash reflects on the contrast between rural and urban life, revolving around social traumas and subjectivities. He investigates the role of textiles in African society and in relation to economic trade with Europe. During his residency, in cooperation with Pro Helvetia Johannesburg, he collaborated with several TADA partners to create new mixed-media works.
Edit Oderbolz researched the role of fabric as a membrane between public and private. During the residency, she worked among other things on the curtain – a recurring object in her work – as a textile element at the interface between interior and exterior.
Laura Deschl experimented with embroidery, industrial weaving, printing and 3D structures on textiles. Her main installation "Inherited Feelings" is related to her research on therapeutic textiles. She has developed a fabric that contains hundreds of small massage spheres, thus creating a stimulating body experience.
Moderator: Marianne Burki, Head of TaDA
Coordinator: Martina Lughi, TaDA Assistant
The presentations will be conducted in German and English
Followed by an apertif
Textile production is characterised by a pronounced global linkage. How is this reflected in the industry's day-to-day work and how have processes changed in recent years?
These questions will be discussed by:
– Olaniyi Rasheed Akindiya, artist, TaDA resident
– Laura Deschl, social designer and art researcher, TaDA resident
– Edit Oderbolz, artist, TaDA resident
– Detlef Fischer, CEO Textilcolor AG, Sevelen
– Roman Wild, curator of science and research projects at Textilmuseum St.Gallen
Moderation: Marianne Burki, Head of TaDA, moderator
Coordinator: Martina Lughi, TaDA Assistant
Discussion in English.
Edit Oderbolz and Markus Müller talk about the perception and transformation of space and material with Marianne Burki (art historian, head of TaDA – Textile and Design Alliance) and Isabel Zürcher (freelance art historian and author Kunstbulletin); welcome Patricia Bieder (SIK-ISEA). Followed by an aperitif.
Within the framework of the Villa Bleuler Talks, experts question Swiss artists about their artistic practice. Using selected examples of works, social, technical and scientific aspects are discussed. The starting point for the series of events is the basic work of the SIKART Lexicon and the Swiss Art Archive as well as the Kunstbulletin.
A cooperation of the Swiss Institute for Art Studies (SIK-ISEA) and Kunstbulletin
The event will be held in German. Registration is requested by May 20, 2022 to sik@sik-isea.ch. The number of places is limited. Participation is free of charge.
What makes textile companies in Eastern Switzerland grant artists and designers from around the world access to their machines? And what is the outcome of this kind of collaboration? The second TaDA Spinnerei* will once again present results and processes from the TaDA Residency 2021 programme. After that, textile company representatives and a market researcher will conduct a round-table discussion on new trends in textile production – and what multidisciplinary work has to do with these trends.
TaDA Textile and Design Alliance is a pilot programme of the cultural promotion offices of the cantons of Appenzell Ausserrhoden, St.Gallen and Thurgau. It aims to initiate exactly these kinds of encounters between cultural practitioners and the textile industry. Through an international call for applications, the programme invites practitioners from all arts disciplines to a three-month residency and brings them into contact with textile companies in Eastern Switzerland. The goal is to stimulate new ideas and approaches with regard to creativity and production in both domains.
* The German word “Spinnerei” signifies both a spinning company and ideas that stretch the imagination and are easily dismissed as nonsense.
Textiles fulfill a wide range of functions in nearly all walks of life. They can be adjusted to the most diverse contexts, be it architecture, fashion or medicine. High-tech materials and traditional lace are produced side by side. What is required of textiles nowadays? And how can textile companies develop in such an environment?
With:
– Peter Trinkl, CSO Saurer AG
– Andrea Winkler, artist, TaDA resident
– Sonia Li, artist, TaDA resident
– Ilona Kos, curator Textilmuseum St.Gallen, head of the Collection & Library department
Moderator: Marianne Burki, Head of TaDA
Coordination: Martina Lughi, Assistant TaDA
Discussion in English.
New materials, innovative production processes, smart technologies, interesting traditions. The world of textiles is constantly subject to new developments. Sometimes it is about traditional materials being processed by new production methods which will bring unexpected possibilities. And where should the new material take us in the future?
17.30 - 19.00
These questions will be discussed by:
– Domenica Tischhauser, textile technician, Tisca
– René Rossi, scientist, Empa
– Benjamin Mengistu Navet, TaDA resident
– Barbara Karl, science and research projects, Textilmuseum
Moderator: Marianne Burki, Head of TaDA
Coordination: Martina Lughi, Assistant TaDA
Discussion in English.
Screen printing is an ancient technique. Very few companies still practise screen printing by hand. What significance does handicraft have in present-day textile production, in an environment of high-tech materials and industrial manufacturing processes?
Participants:
– Martin Schlegel, Textildruckerei Arbon
– Tobias Kaspar, Künstler, TaDA Resident.
– Stefan Aschwanden, Direktor ad interim, Textilmuseum St. Gallen.
Moderation: Marianne Burki, Leiterin
Coordination: Martina Lughi, Assistentin TaDA.
The discussion will be conducted in German.
"The Fates Are Talking" by Stéphanie Baechler, realised during TaDA Residency 2020, is presented at the ESPACE NINA KEEL. The centerpiece of the solo exhibition is a dialogue in the form of a five-meter-long embroidery that will fill the exhibition space diagonally. The dialogue reads as a critical examination of the textile history of eastern Switzerland and today's global textile industry, where textiles are produced in vast quantities or for questionable clients.
More info on stephaniebaechler.com
The TaDA residents will present the initial results of their stay, followed by discussions with experts. The talks will be moderated by Hochparterre editor Meret Ernst and TaDA programme manager Marianne Burki.
What happens when creative people from different disciplines engage in a direct exchange of ideas with entrepreneurs from the textile industry? What happens when artists test machines and processes? And how are innovation, luxury and sustainability connected?
The new TaDA Textile and Design Alliance residency programme was launched in September 2020 in Eastern Switzerland. Over a period of three months, the five residents from different disciplines – Stéphanie Baechler, Alexandra Hopf, Oliver Maklott, Selina Reiterer and Quang Vinh Nguyen – worked with various companies in Eastern Switzerland. On 4th December, they will give insights into the processes and projects that were developed during the first TaDA residency. In the afternoon, experts and residents will discuss the topics "innovation and luxury", "sustainable production" and "sufficiency – the view from outside". The debate can be accessed by live streaming.
Download the programme
Re-watch on Youtube here
Vexer Verlag in the studio of Josef Felix Müller: lectures, premieres, books presentations, editions, music and art. Alexandra Hopf, artist from Berlin and TaDA Resident 2020, talks about her book concept. All TaDA Residents 2020 and the TaDA team will be present.
Full programme on vexer.ch