Do (not) peel off
Weave Up! 2024

Outdoor installation resulting from research and experimentation - International Workshop - exploring the relationship between cork and textiles.

The installation explores transparencies, overlaps, structures, and the mixing of materials by combining cork with other substances such as potato starch, latex, wool, and paper pulp, among others. It presents the idea of a second 'skin.' Stripped tree trunks, symbolizing the extraction of cork from the cork oak, are covered with these alternative 'skins.

A collective work by a multidisciplinary team of artists, designers, architects, and engineers. Using a conceptual approach centered on the tree (the cork oak) and the material (cork), they developed an experimental process that involved trial and error, leading to both successes and new discoveries.

As part of the European project Weave Up! Cork, a 5-day residency took place in 2023, with Lucile Drouet accompanying the project. The research explored cork and its production chain, from extraction in the Alentejo cork oak forest to the production of cork stopper derivatives (Sedacor) and cork yarn (Têxteis Penedo), with technical and scientific support from CITEVE. In 2024, a 10-day workshop was held from October 17 to 26, focusing on experimentation using a combined methodology: mechanical approach, overlay, and mixing. This culminated in a public presentation where the tree and the 'skin' were central themes—living matter in constant transformation—offering a creative reinterpretation of the cycle of life and nature.

Authors: Verena Brom, Sergei Zinchuk, Mónica Faria, Catarino Bere, Sofia Mingaleeva, Ivis Aguiar, Ana Leandro

Coordination: Susana Milão

Coordination and Production Assistant: Rita Amado

Production: Pedro Carvalho

Funding: Creative Europe

Organization: Ideias Emergentes/Contextile 2024

A library - CORK_THÈQUE - serves as an archive of all the experiments carried out by creators from different fields, who have developed a conceptual approach based on the idea of cork as a material and the tree (and its covering) - a first tangible skin expressed in surface and structure.

This is the result of 10 days of experimentation with different materials, with cork as the basis for creating new materials. To deepen the experimentation and establish a basis for the various approaches to the idea of cork as a 'skin', the concept of a 'second skin' was introduced, interpreted in different ways, from technique to metaphor:

Individual Protection: Comfort and Safety

Physical Protection: Cork serves as a protective bark for trees and provides acoustic and thermal insulation for our homes.

Emotional Healing and Protection: Cork workers form temporary social groups, emphasizing the social role of work and the creation of a sense of community.

Identity, Self-Expression, and Adaptation

Cultural Assimilation and Camouflage: Adopting new cultural norms and changing codes is akin to creating a second skin.

The cork industry is integral to Portuguese identity.

Sustainability

Natural Alternatives: Use of natural latex and heating and pressure processes as alternatives to polymers in cork products.

Cork Forestry and Climate Regulation: Highlights the importance of sustainable practices.

The Dangers of "Fake Green": Awareness of misleading environmental claims.

The Cycle and Lifespan of Trees and the Planet: Emphasizes the interconnectedness of natural cycles.

This is a non-scientific materials experimentation library.

It is approached from the disciplines of art, design and architecture, with some contributions from the field of textile engineering.