Material

Deadstock textiles, Second hand textiles

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Circular 255 Textile 111 Textile 5

Deadstock textiles, Second hand textiles
Deadstock textiles, Second hand textiles
Deadstock textiles, Second hand textiles
Deadstock textiles, Second hand textiles
Deadstock textiles, Second hand textiles
Deadstock textiles, Second hand textiles
Deadstock textiles, Second hand textiles
Deadstock textiles, Second hand textiles
Deadstock textiles, Second hand textiles
Deadstock textiles, Second hand textiles
Deadstock textiles, Second hand textiles
Deadstock textiles, Second hand textiles
Deadstock textiles, Second hand textiles
Deadstock textiles, Second hand textiles
Deadstock textiles, Second hand textiles
Deadstock textiles, Second hand textiles
Deadstock textiles, Second hand textiles
Deadstock textiles, Second hand textiles
Deadstock textiles, Second hand textiles
Deadstock textiles, Second hand textiles
Deadstock textiles, Second hand textiles
Deadstock textiles, Second hand textiles
Deadstock textiles, Second hand textiles
Deadstock textiles, Second hand textiles
Deadstock textiles, Second hand textiles
Deadstock textiles, Second hand textiles
Deadstock textiles, Second hand textiles

Photos: Karolína Matušková, Lena Galovičová, Jakub Dematini, Eva Maceková, Antoni Amaya Obrador

Vivat život

Vivat život is a platform for critical textile art, slow fashion, and sustainable design. It was founded by Czech contemporary artist and textile designer Tereza Dvořáková, who is also a member of Fuga Collective, an initiative that focuses on blurring the boundaries between applied and fine art.

Tereza has long been collecting Materials With History. These are materials that are often categorized as deadstock, second-hand, second-quality, leftover, antique or trash. While these terms are indeed accurate, Materials With History are more than just these labels. They carry with them the stories of the people who created them, the conditions in which they were made, and the truths of the places they are connected to through the plants or oil they are made from, the water that was used in their creation and the resources of electricity that was used for their fabrication. These materials have been touched by human hands and woven or knitted by machines that founded a base of contemporary digital technologies, and they represent significant cultural heritage. These material stand as witnesses to both the good and the bad that humanity leaves behind, year after year.
Materials With History have been owned by someone, perhaps worn, cared for, or stored for years in a closet, waiting for the right moment that never came. They might have been considered treasures or represented dreams, or perhaps they are remnants that someone deemed worth keeping instead of discarding.

In one way or another, these materials tell a story of past aesthetic and material trends. They are a testament not only to the taste of individuals but also to entire historical periods. Textiles are, after all, one of the most omnipresent crafted substances in human life, they touch our bodies and become very intimate and personal. This all is a very romantic story of human ability and care. But it is also a story of pain, subordination, expropriation and exploitation, a story of burned land and death of both human and non-human. And not only the responsibility towards the future and planet, but also this crucial element of the past leads towards the responsibility for what we have inherited.

However, it is a concern that recycling today is quite often more of a justification for ongoing high consumerism. We have inherited a vast amount of textile materials that do not yet need to be recycled, thus avoiding the consumption of further water and energy – in essence, reducing the sustainability of these materials. Alongside the development of new, future materials, we must also focus on what to do with all the "wealth" we already have.

We are deeply immersed in the assets brought about by the idea of infinite growth – a vast warehouse of materials produced for decades ahead. Vivat život aims to update and reinterpret these materials, connecting them to the present and life, transforming them into the Contemporary Material. By reimagining Materials With History, the platform not only honours the cultural heritage we carry, but also emphasizes the responsibility we bear for both the past and the future. As a society, we have invested countless planetary resources, human and non-human freedom, and strength into this wealth, and it should not become waste without truly being waste.

Making process

The main techniques used by Vivat život are machine embroidery guided by hand on industrial embroidery machines and by CNC embroidery machines, sewing, and hand-attaching applications using beads and jewellery. A key part of the work involves searching for materials in old closets, forgotten shelves, second-hand shops, and stores selling second-quality goods or industrial production waste. All of this forms an extensive archive of materials, which wait for their new opportunity in the author’s studio.

Text submitted by the maker and edited by the Future Materials Bank. For information about reproducing (a part of) this text, please contact the maker.

Ingredients

Deadstock textiles, second hand textiles, second quality textiles, leftover textiles, family treasure textiles, antique textiles, embroidery threads, sewing threads, deadstock and second hand jewellery, second quality glass beads