Eurotex ID: A Multidisciplinary collaboration to enhance the EUROpean TEXtile IDentity
NEWSLETTER 1
PROJECTThe Eurotex ID project was launched in November 2008 through an interdisciplinary collaboration designed to rediscover and enhance the European textile industry of the 19th and 20th century.
The identification and valorization of European textile heritage is promoted by the cooperation among cultural, institutional and economic operators; encouraging creative reinterpretation and circulation of young artists and of their project works.
The textile archives from Prato Textile Museum (IT) - lead partner of the project, Documentation Center and Textile Museum of Terrassa (ES), and from Guimaraes -Centro de Computação Grafica de Guimaraes in collaboration with the local textile museum of Vila Nova de Familacao - (PT), are the source to develop a digital database available for online consultation, in order to inspire young artists from design schools to get creative and innovative design and products.
Study and research on digital database is combined with 3 study visits on European Textile Heritage, in Terrassa (24 - 25 November 2009), Prato (17-19 February 2010) and Guimaraes (April – May 2010), within a close collaboration among textile museums experts and design schools professors. The aim of these activities is to improve young designer skills in re-interpreting textile heritage to produce new fabrics and clothing with a high cultural added value.
PARTNERSHIP
Lead organiser :
Prato Textile Museum Foundation, Italy
Co-organisers :
o Centre de Documentaciò i Museu Textil de Terrassa, Spain
o Associação CCG/ZGDV - Centro de Computação Gráfica, Portugal
o Escola Profissional Cenatex Guimaraes, Portugal
o Amave – Associaçao de Municipios do Vale do Ave, Portugal
o Winchester School of Art, Univeristy of Southampton, United Kingdom
o ACTE – European Textile Collectivities Association
Eurotex ID Database
Eurotex ID textile database is a digital catalogue specifically set up for textile samples. This tool has been initially developed to allow remote access to the textile archives of the three Museums involved in the project. Its purpose is to help young people from fashion design schools – first of all Winchester School of Art (UK) and Escola Profissional Cenatex (PT) - to get technical informations and to take inspiration and develop new designs and fashion outfits.
The database develops from Imatex experience of Documentation Center and Textile Museum of Terrassa. It contains over 150 textile samples highly representative of the local industrial productive history of the partner territories, Italy, Spain and Portugal. The textile data-sheets are available for online consultation and provide details about history, decoration and technique of the fabrics, linked to a full photographic documentation.
Eurotex ID database is the first experimental tool of research for industrial textile heritage at European level.
Firstly developed within the Project, it could be potentially used also by other museums and institutions.
Website
www.acte.net/eurotexid/
The first study visit in Terrassa (ES)
24, 25 November 2009A selected group of 3 students from each design school visited Terrassa Textile Museum and its industrial districts in November 2009. This visit was a first inspiration workshop for a creative re-interpretation of textile samples. Both the Museum and the schools from Portugal and England were enthusiastic: see their comments.
The second study visit in Prato (IT)
17-19 February 2010During the study visit the two team of students, three from Southampton and three from Guimaraes, met some leading companies from Prato textile district such as the historical Lanificio Faliero Sarti, the young fashion brand Clotilde and the prestigious Lanificio Riccieri The input from the companies and the exchange of ideas will contribute to create innovative project works.
The next study visit in Guimaraes (PT)
28 – 30 April 2010The next study visit of the project will take place in Guimaraes at the end of April. This will be the last meeting between the student before the final exhibition of the project. Thus this will be an important chance to define the prosecution of activities and finalize the project works.
This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication [communication] reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
