„My love of textiles is almost genetic“

From the university magazine Zett

Curator Sabine Flaschberger in the exhibition „Textile Manifestos—From Bauhaus to Soft Sculpture“, photo: Jacqueline Hofer

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Author Jacqueline Hofer

The exhibition „Textile Manifestos“ at the Museum für Gestaltung Zürich spans the spectrum from Bauhaus to Soft Sculpture. In this interview, curator Sabine Flaschberger reveals the ideas behind the manifestos and invites you to discover the fascinating development of textile art.

The current exhibition in the large hall of the Museum für Gestaltung Zürich is entitled „Textile Manifestos—From Bauhaus to Soft Sculpture“. What do you understand by a „textile manifesto“?

The title of our exhibition uses the term „manifesto“, a large and much-used word. A manifesto usually lays down a programme that rejects everything that has been true before or sets out an ethical guideline – think of manifestos of the artistic avant-garde such as the „Dadaist Manifesto“ of 1916. The statements of the textile works in our exhibition are less obvious and not explicitly formulated. They want to be explored by the public. In Ulrike Kessl’s „Nylons in Space“, for example, tights are connected to form nets and move freely through the space. She works according to the manifest principle: „I try to use sculptural processes to create a different perspective on the everyday environment and ask questions.“ She thus invites us to see existing architecture in a new way through her work. We have sought out guiding principles for the roughly 60 artists in the exhibition that accompany their works and invite viewers to engage with them intensively. The words interweave with the exhibits and the brief biographical information to form living manifestos and speak to us when we engage with them.

Each work therefore represents a certain attitude. What principles did you use to organise the works and how was the exhibition conceived?

As curator of the Arts and Crafts Collection, it is my job to create exhibitions from the collection that emphasise specific themes. The central axis of the exhibition invites visitors on a chronological journey through the history of textile art, from Bauhaus to the present day. Historical contexts play a central role here. The individual life stories and artistic orientations of the designers characterise the exhibition. The chapters in the side aisles are organised according to cross-connections. The „Social Fabric“ section, for example, follows the artistic view of textile image carriers in the social sphere and as mediators of social appeals, while „Stay Fluid“ scrutinises formal norms with artists such as Marie Schumann and Constanza Camila Kramer Garfias. In the „Swarm Weaving“ section, the collective weaving art of the former ZHdK textile class becomes a manifesto.

This means that many objects come from the museum’s collection. Do textiles play a major role in the decorative arts collection?

The Museum für Gestaltung Zürich has a long tradition in the field of textile arts. The textile classes at the predecessor institution of the ZHdK have contributed significantly to the fact that the museum’s collection today is very rich in textile objects. Textile art – artistic creation that goes beyond utility – also plays a central role. This art form has gained international significance since the 1960s. The museum began to acquire works directly from important exhibitions, such as the textile biennials in Lausanne, as well as from the museum’s own exhibitions, such as works by Sheila Hicks the seminal 1964 exhibition „Gewebte Formen“.

It’s clear that you have a great passion for textiles. Where does that come from?

My love of textiles was passed on to me through my grandmother and my mother. As a child, I was fascinated by the hand-embroidered cushions and finely knitted blankets in their homes. They inspired me with their beauty and the stories they told. I marvelled at how fabrics and threads could change shape under my mother’s hands, and the desire to imitate her was quickly awakened. Having my own sewing machine sparked my desire to create, as did exhibitions – for example at the Museum Bellerive – whose textile worlds celebrated the craft. Ultimately, my love of textiles is almost genetic.

Each of these works expresses the life and personality of the people depicted in a unique way, which I find particularly moving.

Sabine Flaschberger
Then the exhibition „Textile Manifestos“ is a real labour of love for you. Which object do you think tells a particularly exciting story?

I particularly like the group of three at the entrance to the exhibition. In the textile portraits, different artists each depict a person using different techniques and approaches „Wandbehang 2“ by Doris Stauffer-Klötzer from 1957 shows a female figure made up of geometric shapes and symbolises the idea of a „Stehaufchen“ – a person who keeps standing up despite adversity, very direct in its execution, which underlines the manifesto-like quality. The work reflects the artist’s combative character. Around ten years later, Polish graphic designer and artist Teresa Byszewska created „Dame Rouge“, an image of a woman who expresses an ambivalent mixture of joie de vivre and suffering. The fabrics used already have a story of their own, which gives the work a special depth. I find this portrait really charming and enjoy watching how our visitors scrutinise it. Lissy Funk’s abstract portrait of her husband bears his short name „Dölf“. Using elaborate embroidery techniques and vibrant colours, it manifests the emotional bond between the couple. Each of these works expresses the life and personality of the people depicted in a unique way, which I find particularly moving.

Your enthusiasm for the works is clearly noticeable. What do you like most about your work as a curator?

I am fascinated by immersing myself in ever new thematic worlds and discovering facets that reveal themselves with each new exploration. I find it particularly exciting to study objects in the context of time, to re-contextualise them and to understand how they have changed over the years. Contact with the artists involved or their descendants is also very enriching. I enjoy following individual positions over the years and sometimes acquiring works for the collection. Of course, it is also a great pleasure for me to make the works accessible to visitors and invite them to discover them. The works, which are normally stored safely in our depots to preserve their beauty, are brought into the light. Their visual impact only becomes apparent when they are physically assembled. Now they can enter into dialogue with each other as exhibits. Setting up an exhibition is always a magical phase.