Over 20 handweavers from around the world were all given the same instruction: search “textile labour Turkey" on Google and in a split second select an image to spend the next few weeks materialising using the ghiordes knot technique, also known as the Turkish or (in Scandinavia) rya knot. We have come to consume so much media at such a pace, what can we learn from living in a much slower speed, spending longer time with just one picture? Corralling and sharing progress in a Facebook group, the participants shared insights. For one thing, the image is selected by the weaver from the top search results, but the results are influenced by Google’s different algorithms in different regions. How fast and how wide does different information spread, and how do we break out of our echo chambers?

 

Project leader Emelie Röndahl is based in Gothenburg, where she works as a a weaving artist specifically interested in the rya knot technique. MFA in Crafts in 2012 at Academy for Design and Crafts, University of Gothenburg, where she is also currently completing her PHD. She has participated in exhibitions and residencies in Sweden, Croatia, the United States and Serbia.

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With contributions by: Aleksandra Tyszkowska (Poland) Andrea Pizarro (Spain) Arianna Funk (USA/Sweden) Begüm Cana Özgür  (Turkey) Betul Sertkaya (Turkey) “Dhoku” (Turkey) Emelie Röndahl (Sweden) Ezgi Aum (Turkey) Francesca Piñol Torrent (Spain/US) Heidi Pietarinen (Finland) Karine Makartichan (Armenia/USA) Lina Dornhof (Germany) Liron Shua (Israel) Lise Frølund (Denmark) Maja Petrović (Serbia) Marguerite Roux (South Africa) Marta Sobczyńska (Poland) Margaret Jones (UK) Mardi Nowak (Australia) Mortaza (Afghanistan/Sweden) Ragnheiður Björk Þórsdóttir (Iceland) Ritva Jääskeläinen (Finland) Steffy-Luise Dyer (UK) Sayumi Suzuki (Japan/Sweden) Susana Negre (Spain/Brazil) Şebnem Uğuz (Turkey) Zorica Zafirovska (Macedonia)