VERWOBENE IDENTITÄTEN – EINE TEXTILE LANDSCHAFT BITTERFELD-WOLFENS

Groundwater and soil in Bitterfeld-Wolfen are still contaminated by the GDR chemical industry to this day: The fiber production associated with the Wolfen film factory has also left its mark. In the 1980s, the factory was the third-largest producer of staple fibers such as nylon, Perlon and Dederon in the world. The harmful, mostly toxic waste was often simply disposed of in nature, for example in open-cast mining pits. For example, cellulose and lignin continue to decompose in the Johannes mine – also known as Silbersee – to this day. At the same time, a lot has happened in Bitterfeld-Wolfen: the town on the Goitzsche is now considered a local recreation area.

In their workshop, Laya Chirravuru and Maria Dinca develop large-format, woven carpets that make the past and present of the region visible and tangible. They use old clothes and former products from the film and fiber factory. When woven together, they create new contemporary patterns. The textile works of Gunta Stölzl, the pioneer of Bauhaus weaving, serve as inspiration. Her abstract style was the result of deliberate weaving experiments with unconventional materials, techniques and patterns. At the same time, the collaborative weaving invites discussion – the various materials are interwoven with the personal stories of the participants. At the end, the artists and workshop participants decide together how the “landscape” created should be used – as a tapestry with symbolic character or as a seating area that invites further dialog on the festival grounds?