Year: 2025
Jacquard Tapestry

Technique: Digital sculpting, photogrammetry, jacquard, hand embroidery
Material: Cotton
Photos by: Carl Ander + Wang & Söderström

Supported by The Danish Arts Foundation. Acquired to Röhsska Museums permanent collection. 

The Jacquard tapestry Känselspröt (Feelers) depicts an imaginary landscape filled with the sensory organs of various species, as well as satellite and radio antennas. The Jacquard loom was invented in 1805 and is a textile precursor to contemporary computers due to its use of punch cards. Inspired by the Baroque Chamber at the Röhsska Museum, Wang & Söderström have, for the first time produced a textile work with hand-embroidered details. The contrasting and romanticised landscapes of the Baroque era were the key inspiration for the tapestry’s dramatic motif. With lush greenery and mythological animals, the woven Verdure tapestry of the 17th century served as a model for Känselspröt. The fascination with the wonders of nature in the 17th century led to the great interest in botany in the 18th century. The naturalist Carl Linnaeus’ work “Systema Naturae” was published in 1735 and categorised nature into three kingdoms: minerals, animals and plants. Wang & Söderström challenge this system by designing a digital motif in which the boundaries between living beings and technology dissolve.