People often talk about the vast differences between generations – and even chasms that can be almost impossible to bridge. They talk about prejudices and times gone by. About how things were easier, simpler and freer in the ‘old’ days. They also talk about how the younger generation lacks respect and is a bit too laid-back. Fortunately, in my conversation with two textile artists, these preconceived notions are proven false.
Grethe Sørensen is a textile artist and weaver, born in 1947 and living in Vamdrup near Kolding. Emilie Palle Holm is a textile artist and weaver, born in 1994 and living in Copenhagen. There is a gap of almost 50 years between the two practitioners, yet they are both passionate about their craft and the digital loom, which they both use in their artistic practice.
The two met in Tilburg – the Dutch Textiel Museum, which also offers training and a laboratory where one can work experimentally with the craft. They were both in residence there to create digital textile works. When I interview Grethe Sørensen at her home in the former school outside Vamdrup, she tells me that Emilie came to her rescue one day in Tilburg, when Grethe had hit a snag in her process. No one understood what she meant – technically, methodologically or in terms of textiles. But Emilie did, and she helped to ‘translate’ Grethe’s challenge.
Right there, a profound sense of generational connection was established. A bond in which age, gender, ethnicity and other preferences no longer mattered, for what they shared was greater than all that. A professional connection that built a bridge between two people, where knowledge and interest wove the generations together through subject matter and methodology.
Part of a generation?
When I ask the established textile artist and weaver whether she feels she is part of a generation, and if so, how she would describe it, she replies:
‘I am acutely aware that I am part of a very privileged generation that grew up in an open society during a time of peace and economic prosperity. A time when all opportunities were open, and you could always get by. If it became too difficult to make a living as a craftsperson, it was possible to take another course of study or find a job. Life was, in a way, simpler, and we arranged our lives so that we didn’t have such high financial expectations. We had security in the form of free education, health insurance and the prospect of a state pension when we grew old.
My identity as a weaver is not defined by being part of a generation. It is rather of a professional nature as a weaver, craftsperson and textile artist – a social group where everyone has more or less the same working and living conditions as self-employed people. I am fortunate to meet other weavers – young and old – who share the same deep interest in weaving, where curiosity and a desire to explore the possibilities of technique, materials and visual expression are the driving force behind the work.
I meet young people who are still in training and find that we can talk on equal terms about dreams, visions and projects, where age doesn’t really matter – at least from my perspective. I’m not blind to the fact that young weavers may have a different experience. Of course, I also remember my own time as a younger weaver. That, from my perspective, the situation looked different – as a young person, you struggle to attract attention and interest in your projects and perhaps feel that the well-established older generation takes up too much space in the picture.’
Shared values such as responsibility
Emilie Palle Holm sees herself partly as part of a generation with shared values, particularly when it comes to the premise of sustainability, which is a fundamental condition that is not up for debate and which influences the current generation’s choices in everything from materials to the questions they ask through their practice.
‘One of the things I see is a generation rediscovering the value of craftsmanship and an understanding of materials, and seeking a closer connection to the processes and materials behind what is created. Working with one’s hands is not at odds with intellectual work, but rather becomes fundamental to the way of thinking, investigating, developing and challenging.’
‘I also sense a certain distancing from mass-produced and highly commercial goods. There is an interest in understanding how things are made, where the materials come from, and what consequences production has.
It is not necessarily about rejecting industry, but about questioning the systems and consumption patterns we are part of, and exploring how they can be challenged, rethought and improved through greater attention to materials, craftsmanship and production processes.
If I were to characterise my generation, I would describe it as material-conscious, inquisitive and keen to forge new connections between craftsmanship, aesthetics and responsibility.’
Translation coming up soon.