Diana Regal (Portugal)

November 2009

Project
1.
Lines with which I weave myself
Lines with which I listen to myself
Lines with which I venture myself

1st Action
I start by the appropriating a visual poem by Regina Guimarães, which will name this first action as it reflects the practices of production and transformation of textiles, at the beginning of the 20th century, in the domestic context, were it was used for the manufacturing of clothes and other home textiles.

Fully aware that working with textiles usually implicated gender connotations (in its relations with female work) or economic connotation, either within a global or domestic economy, the aim of this action is to establish relations with such practices, and explore the interrelations implicated in such practices, and associated techniques and instruments, and also to the legends and myths which have been attached to them as well as the drawings made to accompany these processes and all of the elements that so often have been forgotten by those who are still involved with the textiles industries. 

Therefore, I start by proposing the construction of “framed drawings” made with strings that are based on a circular figure, which will refer to particular techniques of textile production as the Renda Tenerife and the Renda de Milão.

This action is divided in two parts:
- Exhibition and installation of the textile objects, graphic poems, etc;
- Open workshop for the community (under the scope of Grundtvig Program).
These two parts will be supported by a magazine, which will be available during the event, that collects all of this data.


2.
Felt Workshop – Traces on wool
2nd Action
The project Felt Workshop – traces on wool will contemplate several activities that can be fully developed or just partially. These are:

• The presentation of the book História de um tapete e Arca de Noé [History of a tapestry and Noah’s Ark] with texts by Regina Guimarães; includind a session of storytelling by Joaninha de Almeida directed to children, parents and the general public;
• The presentation of the movie Moiras by Regina Guimarães about a the Felt Workshop for the general public;
• Workshop of traditional felt – according with work developed during the Felt Workshop the artistic investigation/creation platform Formas de fazer will aim to reestablish and reinvent traditional means of felt production as a collective and ancient processes of knowledge through using wasted wool resultant from sheep-shearing. In practice, what is proposed is a workshop developed through the Cycle processdes of the wool: sheep-shearing, carding, spinning and weaving. The aim will be the development of works in felt with the recreation of traditional practices by means of contemporary visual languages. In this sense, it will be proposed to the participants to draw with colored strings on wool, creating an element that can be submitted/read as to a theme or not. These works can also be exhibited.

 
Organization: Colecção B, Cultural Association, under the scope of artistic investigation/creation platform: Formas de fazer [Ways of Making]

Coordinator: Diana Regal


CV