FIBRE STORIES FIBRE STORIES Edited by Ash Logan and Chiara Schmitt Managing Editors: Emily Smith, Hélène Day Fraser Assistant Editors: Elham Atighi, Melanie Camman, Christa Clay Advisors: Keith Doyle, Cemre Demiralp, Kate Armstrong Creative Direction: Ash Logan and Chiara Schmitt Design: Arina Sin Photography: Benny Zenga, exceptions noted In collaboration with The Stationary Project Printed and bound in Canada Typeset: Joly Text and Joly Headline from Blaze Type Anais from New Letters ABC Favorit Mono from ABC Dinamo This book can be downloaded as a .pdf http://fibrestories.ecuad.ca http://fibrestories.ca ©Shumka Centre for Creative Entrepreneurship 2021, artists and writers Emily Carr Universit y of Art + Design 520 East 1st Avenue Vancouver, BC Canada, V5T 0H2 Produced on the traditional, unceded and ancestral territories of the xwməθkwəýəm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səlilẁətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication Fibre Stories: Fibreshed as the seed, the Field School as the fertile soil / [edited by Ash Logan and Chiara Schmitt]. Publication produced to accompany the Fibreshed Field School program presented by the Shumka Centre for Creative Entrepreneurship in collaboration with the Aboriginal Gathering Place and Material Matters at Emily Carr Universit y of Art + Design from September to December, 2020. ISBN [Print edition] 978-0-9878354-8-2 ISBN [Electronic edition] 978-0-9878354-9-9 1. Design --Textiles --Canada—Research—Field School. 2. Art, Canadian--21st Century— Research --Field School. 3. Textiles --Regenerative systems --British Columbia. I. Armstrong, Kate, 1971- II. Emily Carr Universit y of Art + Design (B.C.) Fibreshed as the seed, the Field School as the fertile soil Contents Land Acknowledgment 1 Local Fibres 3 Introduction, Emily Smith 4 UCRF Manifesto 8 Local Fibres: Local Futures 9 Notes from the Sidelines, Hélène Day Fraser 15 A Conversation with Rebecca Burgess 17 Fibreshed Field School 23 The Field School 24 Reciprocity & Stewardship 25 Location 29 Mentors 33 Student Submissions 41 Processing Nettle, Camila Szefler 41 Coil Basketry: One Row at a Time, Naomi Boyd 43 Connections of Consequence, Connor Budd 45 Making Traditionally, Danika Oystrek 47 The Circle, Lydia Lovison 49 Warping and Weaving 51 Location 55 FlaxPaper, Camila Szefler 107 Mentors 59 Practice Practice Practice, Naomi Boyd 109 Student Submissions 67 Veins, Tuyen Hoang 111 Cubila, Paula Torres Urzua 67 (re)valued, Ash Logan 113 Teatime over Linen, Tuyen Hoang 69 Rebirth, Elham Atighi Lorestani 115 Repeated Acts of Tending, Tess Snaden 71 pl.lab, Christa Clay & Chiara Schmitt 117 What If Our Clothes Grew, Annika Dixon-Reusz 73 Worms and Weaving, Melanie Camman 119 Regeneration 75 Fibre for Thought 123 Location 79 In Retrospect 124 Mentors 83 Reflection 125 Land, Sheep, Wool, Felt, Repeat, Ajra Doobenen 91 The caring act of tending to a vessel, Morgan Martino 93 Indigo Dyeing, Shira Anisman 95 Growing a Textile System, Damien Stonick 97 Hand-Arts as Symbolic Resistance, Taja Arya Jinnah 99 Fibre Futures 101 The Roving Designers 103 Greensinging, Connor Budd 105 Contributors Students: Emily Carr University of Art + Design Lydia Lovison Visual Art Danika Oystrek Industrial Design Connor Budd Industrial Design Camila Szefler Illustration This project would not have been possible without the hard work of all the people involved: Naomi Boyd Industrial Design Emily Janek Visual Art Annika Dixon-Reusz Industrial Design Tess Snaden Visual Art Paula Torres Urzua Industrial Design Fibreshed Field School Project Team: Ruby Lewis Visual Art Emily Smith­  Research Faculty Lead, Fibreshed Field School, Emily Carr University of Art + Design, Co-founder of Vancouver Fibreshed Tuyen Hoang Industrial Design Hélène Day Fraser Associate Professor, Design + Dynamic Media and Co-Director, Material Matters, Emily Carr University of Art + Design Morgan Martino Industrial Design Ash Logan Project Coordinator Damien Stonick Masters of Design, Alumni Cemre Demiralp Coordinator, Shumka Centre for Creative Entrepreneurship and Living Labs, Emily Carr University of Art + Design Shira Animan Illustration Kate Armstrong Director, Shumka Centre for Creative Entrepreneurship and Living Labs, Emily Carr University of Art + Design Caleigh Smith Communications and Media Studies, With thanks to Lisa Papania, Beedie School of Business and Sarah Lubick, Director of Entrepreneurship, Simon Fraser Universit y Laura Herridge Visual Art Ajra Pursley-Doobenen Industrial Design Taja Arya Jinnah Visual Art Simon Fraser Universit y Fibre Stories: Research Assistants Chiara Schmitt Masters of Design Mentors: Rebecca Burgess Founder + Executive Director, Fibershed Stephanie Ostler Owner, Devil May Wear, Instructor, Beedie School of Business, Simon Fraser University Nicola Hodges Textiles Instructor + Maker Christa Clay Masters of Design Melanie Camman Masters of Design Elham Atighi Lorestani Masters of Design Ash Logan Bachelor of Design, Alumni Sharon Kallis Executive Director, EartHand Gleaners Society Brenda Crabtree Director, Aboriginal Gathering Place and Special Advisor to the President on Indigenous Initiatives, Emily Carr University of Art + Design The Shumka Centre operates with the generous support of the Vancouver Foundation. Tasha Nathanson Founder + CEO, 7 Leagues Leather Education and Work-Integrated Learning (ACE-WIL) and the Ministry of Advanced Dr. Love-Ese Chile Founder, Grey to Green Solutions, Regenerative Waste Labs Education, Skills and Training. This program is generously supported by the Accountabilit y Council for Co-op Star Hoerauf Owner, Morning Star Woollen Farm Emily Carr University of Art & Design Guest Facilitators: Shumka Centre for Creative Entrepreneurship Connie Watts Associate Director, Aboriginal Gathering Place, Emily Carr University of Art + Design Valérie d. Walker Indigo Griot + Artist, Sessional Faculty, Emily Carr University of Art + Design Pam Magee Owner, Macgee Cloth Company Janey Chang Artist + Experiential Educator Senaqwila Wyss Ethnobotanist + Educator Meagan Innes Indigenous Educator Phil Gregory Professor Emeritus, University of British Columbia Anna Hunter Longway Homestead, Pembina Fibreshed Living Labs Material Matters Fibreshed Field School took place on the traditional, unceded, and ancestral territories of the (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and s lilw talʔ (Tsleil‑Waututh) Nations. e e e e e As a place-based project, we are especially aware of our responsibility to the fibreshed, bioregion, and Indigenous hosts of this land. 1 2 An Introduction by EMILY SMITH 01 LOCAL FIBRES A Fibershed (or ‘Fibreshed’ in the Canadian spelling), is a term coined by Rebecca Burgess that denotes a “geographical landscape that gives boundaries to a natural textile resource base, engendering appreciation, connectivity, and sensitivity for the life-giving resources within our homelands” 1. The Fibershed movement involves design for local and regenerative textile systems that support independent working producers and expand opportunities to rebuild regional manufacturing through connecting end users to farms, ranches, and our local land base. Building a deeper relationship within our region involves connecting directly to the land, while developing a personal connection to the history, processes, and people of e e e the unceded territories of the (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and s lilw talʔ (Tsleil-Waututh) nations e e I FIRST LEARNED ABOUT REBECCA BURGESS’ WORK IN 2014, WHEN I was in the Bay Area at a Maker Faire, a DIY festival founded by the folks that created Make: Magazine. At the time, Maker Faires were the centre of my universe: I was busy organizing the Vancouver Mini Maker Faire here in Vancouver, and was an avid knitter and textile artist. It was always so exciting to bring together 1. Gabrielle Saulsbery. “You Know Slow Food? Check Out Slow Fashion.” modern farmer. Accessed through https://modernfarmer.com/2015/10/rebecca-burgess-grow-your-jeans/ FIBRE STORIES 3 01. LOCAL FIBRES 4 such a diverse group of individuals from the many subcultures of makers in I had just finished reading Cradle to Cradle the city: installation artists, textile artists, circus performers, science and technology enthusiasts, basket weavers … It was like a big potluck of giant kinetic sculptures, robots, and wild ideas. I loved Maker Faires because they were so democratic and inviting. I always felt empowered to learn something and make something new, which presented an exciting alternative to the (by William McDonough & Michael Braungart) went global), I also saw the economic impact of and realized I wanted to be that kind of design- so many auto workers unable to find work. The er, creating within a circular economy. When I ethos of Fibershed involves re-invigorating local finished design school, I looked around me and manufacturing, as well as the incorporation of realized that there wasn’t much of an industry multiple ways of knowing, making and creating. dedicated to this. So, I explored these ideas I figured that perhaps this model could be an offline instead. While it’s tempting to want to opportunity to cut down our carbon footprint by find some sort of instant solution to what can be localizing production and being more mindful on done, I realized I had to go on a personal journey both a producer and consumer level. to uncover blind spots and develop a deeper relationship to the world around me. I found that I was always drawn to fibre a living in the city. I found it much more rewarding to work with others in real-time, to bring people together, and make real things with my hands. I had originally explored graphic design in 2008 and I wanted to do this job, thinking I could use my skills to do something for the environment. FIBRE STORIES LO CA L FI B R ES 5 themselves the same questions. I invited artists, educators, and fashion experts to attend small events and tackle these questions through weavers, spinners. The more I knit, the more I discussion, guest presentations, and inquiry. It became curious about the fibres I was working was at one of these events that I met Emily Carr with, and started to learn about those materials. faculty member Hélène Day Fraser, who helped I started to understand how our clothes are real- me connect some dots with regards to design ly made, why they’re so inexpensive, and how and education. It wasn’t until 3 or so years later the ability to purchase more and cheaper cloth- that I was lucky enough to work with Hélène on ing drove many people to throw their clothing Clothing(s) as Conversation and attend Emily away. I saw how many of the major brands that I Carr to complete a Master’s degree. It became was buying from were blatantly stealing designs clear to me that I was most interested in bring- from independent and Indigenous artists, utiliz- ing people together to create experiential and ing unethical farming practices, and flat out ex- inquiry-based programming in order to see a ploiting their workers. I learned about the 2013 cultural shift. What could designers do with Rana Plaza disaster, which drew global attention this sort of knowledge, and how might a more to uncovering the problems within multi-tier informed materials-based approach inform their supply chains that for a long time were kept from professional practice? Fibreshed Field School was created in we were robbing ourselves of the experience of collaboration with staff, faculty and students at making the thing, which can be very bonding. It Emily Carr and SFU. The wheels were set in motion when I was invited to teach an SFU program, Back in 2014, when I was reading about what I was doing for “fun” would end up being my main source of earning many people as I could find who were asking amazing guilds and groups of knitters, stitchers, all just felt out of balance. I was working as a graphic designer at the time, and really had no idea that I hosted a series of meetups with as and textile artists. Vancouver has so many consumers. At the same time, I could see that consumer landscape I was living in. was definitely not the case; manufacturing just Business of Design, in which I was called on Rebecca’s work with Fibershed, it seemed to to encourage business and design students to be a worthy cause and I immediately signed make and think with their hands. In my sec- up as an affiliate member. The question I kept ond year of teaching this course, Lisa Papania asking myself was, “How can we do better? kickstarted a partnership between Emily Carr More slowly? Is it possible to make a living and SFU revolving around sustainabilit y and the wage while working mindfully and sustainably?” textile industry. Lisa connected SFU's School Growing up in Windsor, Ontario, I watched the of Interactive Technology (SIAT), the Beedle auto industry collapse in neighbouring Detroit, School of Business, and Emily Carr's Shumka Michigan. When this happened, I was initially Centre for Creative Entrepreneurship. She even excited to consider the positive impact of this arranged for the course to be co-taught with collapse on the environment (I’ve since learned Stephanie Ostler, a local designer and owner 01. LOCAL FIBRES WO R DS BY EM I LY SM ITH 6 of Devil May Wear, who would become an the status quo and making a living through important collaborator. Together, we incorpo- hands-on making. rated principles from business and design in At the end of the semester, students order to encourage students to think critically were tasked with creating a group project which about the global fashion and textile industry, and involved the entire class, with the criteria that consider possibilities for the future. Fibreshed they work together and build an inquiry-based just seemed to be something I couldn’t get discussion to learn from one another. Ultimately, away from. it was up to them to curate and create a dis- The biggest challenge teaching this pro- cussion-based event where they engaged the gram was that we wanted it to be experiential. public. The students created Local Fibres: Local We wanted students to think critically through Futures, the precursor to Fibreshed Field School. making, and to do something in the real world, In the end, launching Fibreshed Field with real people. We didn’t want to hear students School was something that I was thrust into. This parrot back what we had said; we wanted them program would never have been created had to construct their own ideas, and create some- there not been an expressed interest from stu- thing meaningful. Sure, we introduced them to dents, facilitators, makers and business owners. It is impossible to illuminate our local fibreshed tions, but created an open dialogue and encour- without a range of voices, perspectives, and aged students to also take concrete actions in multiple ways of knowing. All of the pieces were their own lives. there - we just needed to bring them together. explained what Fibershed is all about, and how ics, and small business operators I'd come into she was working with farmers, artisans, and contact with as a result of hosting Vancouver brands to create carbon negative clothing. She events. I did my best to work with mentors with perspectives and real-world applications that include many different ways of knowing: economic, together and agree on things like healthy soil. scientific, Indigenous, embodied knowledge She was critical of the global conversation on (head, heart and hand) to name a few. on possibilities locally when we just focus solely equitable textile ecosystem look like?* on the global scale. We also shared the work • a fish leather shoe startup, 7 Leagues Leather, as well as Caitlin ffrench, an independent textile inant business approaches presented, including but not limited to the global south and indigenous communities; 5. Express our determined opposition to ill-advised and deFormulate visions—and corresponding research practices— that allow for the possibilit y of enacting new relationships between humans and Earth in the context of fashion; 6. Take a leadership role in debating existing and new ideas and creating action around fashion-sustainabilit y themes, especially in areas where the generation of new knowledge is of actual or potential significance; What can a local, sustainable and 7. Devise means for turning research applications towards the "The Union of Concerned Researchers in Fashion (UCRF) was formed in 2018 by Kate Fletcher, Lynda Grose, Timo Rissanen and Mathilda Tham (in alphabetical order). The formation of the Union was brought about by the realization that over the last thirty years sustainability in fashion has been an industry-led movement and as such, has been constantly framed within business, without asking questions about the nature of business itself." underlying root causes of pressing environmental and social How can we build deeper connec- problems, including but not limited to climate change, wealth tions to what we wear?* and • Diversify the voices within fashion and sustainabilit y discourse, to reflect multiple perspectives beyond the dom- tions to both mentors and participants: • in guest speakers like Tasha Nathanson from policy frameworks; 3. This program posed the following ques- point-of view. In many ways, we’re missing out network that started out of the UK. We brought yond current norms and business-as-usual. This includes structive fashion projects; with wildly different political viewpoints come Researchers in Fashion, a global meet-up 2. Advocate for whole systems and paradigm change, be- 4. spoke about how she had witnessed individuals sustainability, and how limiting life cycle analy- Create an ‘activist knowledge ecology’, that is, to develop a system of knowledge about fashion sustainabilit y purpose- Fibreshed Field School is built around the work of local experts, artisans, farmers, academ- of Kate Fletcher, and the Union of Concerned 1. rejecting overly-cautious economic, legislative and Burgess host a talk with students where she ses can be from both a consumer and producer Union of Concerned Researchers in Fashion (UCRF) proposes to: fully geared towards fostering sustainabilit y change; everything we could regarding our own explora- We were lucky enough to have Rebecca UCRF MANIFESTO inequalit y, biodiversit y loss, and plastic pollution; Is it possible for designers and 8. makers to make a living doing so? Organise, when determined desirable and feasible, fashion researchers to translate radical step change into effective Union of Concerned Researchers. “UCRF Manifesto.” Version 2 accessed through https://concernedresearchers.org/manifesto/# political, and other, action; This publication documents the wide array 9. of activities that came about as a result. Review and revise, when deemed necessary, this manifesto. artist and designer, to name a few. We were seeking out creative individuals challenging FIBRE STORIES LO CA L FI B R ES 7 01. LOCAL FIBRES U N I O N O F CO N C ER N E D R ESEA R C H ER S I N FASH I O N 8 LOCAL FIBRES: LOCAL FUTURES This event was the final project for the first-ever For some students, it was the first time they had joint program between Simon Fraser University's picked up a needle and thread. School of Interactive Arts and Technology (SIAT), the Beedie School of Business, and the Emily Smith connected students to the Union Shumka Centre at Emily Carr Universit y. The of Concerned Researchers in Fashion, a union program was called Business of Design, later that was formed in 2018 by Kate Fletcher, Lynda renamed Make Change Studio, focusing on Grose, Timo Rissanen and Mathilda Tham. It textile and clothing sustainabilit y. This pro- was an opportunity for students to connect with gram was co-led by Emily Smith, Stephanie global leaders in fashion sustainability and to Ostler, and Hélène Day Fraser. The work, which be part of a global conversation that addressed also engaged collaborators from the Textile local issues. The Union was formed to challenge Adaptations Research Program (TARP), spanned the narrow scope of industry-led sustainabilit y three terms, and integrated principles of busi- discussions, and to include broader perspec- ness and design. This was also the moment tives to steer a smarter debate about fashion when discussions about how to turn the idea for and sustainabilit y (UCRF) Emily posed the the Fibreshed Field School into a realit y started opportunity for the class to organize a local to happen with Kate Armstrong, Director of the assembly an event with Fletcher’s Earth Logic Shumka Centre, and Cemre Demiralp. Together Action Fashion Research Plan, that would bring they acted as producers for the Field School, together individuals in Vancouver to discuss, arranging funding and developing the institu- challenge and question what can be done on a tional and administrative framework needed to local and global scale. successfully operate this ambitious new model. Photo by Dino Dang The first term was all about research, Local Fibres: Local Futures was a student-led assembly created in November, 2019. Aligned with the Union of Concerned Researchers in Fashion, the About halfway through the first term, In order to address diverse topics in the framework of this assembly, several discussion investigating wicked problems related to fashion topics were predefined by students, which and sustainabilit y, and seeking out opportuni- represented seven groups in the event struc- ties for change. The students would read and ture. The participants chose which topics most research, and explore through the act of making. aligned with their interests, and students orga- goal was to create a space where a diverse group of individuals could con- nized ways of capturing the conversation being had, and building actionable “next steps”. nect and discover their part in building resilient communities and better business futures. It centred around a series of activities to provoke and capture collaborative discussions around the pressing issues related to sustainable fashion and clothing production. The assembly included a mix of students, faculty, researchers and industry to connect with and discover possibilities for a more sustainable local textile industry in BC. The results of this discussion informed the first Fibreshed Field School at Emily Carr University of Art + Design in 2020. Photo by Dino Dang FIBRE STORIES LO CA L FI B R ES 9 01. LOCAL FIBRES LO CA L FI B R ES: LO CA L FUTU R ES Photo by Christic Leung 10 FIBRE STORIES LO CA L FI B R ES 11 01. LOCAL FIBRES QU I LT BY A MY SA LVA D O R A N D ASH LO GA N 12 The first activity was called ‘Quilted Discourse:’ Each group had two assigned topics with a series of questions to help guide the conversations. The topics included: Localism; actionable steps the participants could take in their local communities. For the last activity, the participants were given two postcards designed and printed by Materials; Post growth; Commerce; Earth Logic; Globalized Consumer Culture; Academic + Public the class. The first postcard was addressed to Collaboration + Social Change; Greenwashing; The participants were asked to write a message the participant’s local Member of Parliament. Policy; Intersectionality / Accessibility; to their local representative about changes they Transdisciplinary; Information - of supply chains want to see around climate action and sustain- and products; Education. ability in their community. The second postcard After each topic of discussion, the participants were asked to draw or make notes of was for the participant’s future self. They were whatever stood out to them on 5x5 inch squares of paper. Those would then be scanned, and wanted to take within the coming months relat- laser-etched onto denim that was donated by a local business. The squares were then sewn into a quilted tapestry that symbolizes the discourse generated around sustainability, commu- asked to write down any goals or actions they ed to textiles and sustainability. In the following spring, the postcards would be mailed back to the participants to reflect on their goals. This event became the springboard from which Fibreshed Field School was created. This program is a partnership be- nity and textiles. A larger discourse would bridge the conversations and find any ‘aha’ moments, followed by the next activity. Titled ‘Local Action Plan,’ this activity was inspired by the UCRF Manifesto and opened up the conversation on tween The Beedie School of Business and SIAT at Simon Fraser University, as well as the Shumka Centre for Creative Entrepreneurship Students involved in hosting event: CURATION TEAM ASH LOGAN AMY SALVADOR MICHAEL PETER AMAR SHAH PHOEBE LIM MEDIA & OUTREACH ZOE FORTUNE SHENGHUI (KAREN) LIM TOAN (DINO) DANG KIN SEE (CHRISTY) LEUNG INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS MATTHEW KURTIS SAI-MUN FONG JOHANNA JUCUTAN CORA WAI-KEI FU LOGISTICS: NIKHIL CHODIMELLA SANYA AROR SOHYUN PARK HAPPINESS CHIH JOU (KELLY) SUN GABRIELLA TOFFOLETTO YUQING (CYNTHIA) PAN YOU (LIV) LYU ZHANMING ZHANG and Textile Adaptations Research Program (TARP) at Emily Carr University. Union of Concerned Researchers. “Welcome” accessed through https://concernedresearchers.org/ welcome/#more-2365 Post card design by the Media Outreach team Photo by Dino Dang FIBRE STORIES LO CA L FI B R ES 13 LO CA L FI B R ES: LO CA L FUTU R ES 14 Notes from the sidelines And somewhere along the way … I came across Rebecca’s Fibershed. It resonated! Fibershed provided myself and others with a significant marker and example of a possible, pragmatic way to facilitate and promote needed change. I also met Emily Smith. Emily's enthusiasm, drive and capacity to draw people together around making was inspiring and formidable! Her initiative and drive as she taught her version of the ECU/SFU program, Business of Design, was notable and led to a new project—her idea for a field school revolving around the Vancouver Fibreshed. In my position as Associate Dean of Emily Carr's Master of Design program (2017–2021), I was no longer directly connected to research but was always thinking and interested in new modes of porous mentorship that questioned the status quo. It was my pleasure and privilege to contribute in the ways I could to Fibreshed Field School: HÉLÈNE DAY FRASER I have been questioning and reconsidering the garment industry and our relation to clothing for a long while now. • Taking part in discussions about ways to acknowledge and learn from the In 1991 I graduated from studying Fashion at the discovery of new knowledge through the Indigenous wisdom connected to Ryerson in Toronto. I had a line of clothing called application of practical skills, product-service making in this place; Blank Canvas. I was interested in statements, systems, and residual artifacts that enable novel clean starts, clean slates. It was (I recognize pathways in sustainable design, production and Union of Concerned Researchers now… ) unidirectional and arguably highly influ- the critical use of clothing. It sought: in Fashion; enced by a modernist perspective. As I worked • in the industry, I began to think of clothing and the role of clothing (from statement to conversation) I loved clothing as a statement, I longed for a • That thinking started me on a new route - a project titled cloTHING(s) as Conversation, which I developed with my colleague Keith Doyle. cloTHING(s) as Conversation became the nexus connecting a thread of exploration into dialogic spaces, artifacts and action, material and the social. The project, which engaged over eighty-eight people (researchers, research assistants, collaborators, participants) Field School • Providing space and facilities of Material Matter's TARP lab; And finally, most recently, guiding (along with my colleague and co-conspirator Keith Doyle) a group of five remarkable Designers/Research Assistants as they combed through the content and insights of students and mentors of the Fall 2020 Fibreshed Field School. Their work over the past four months has led: to this publication documenting the Fibre Stories collected in Emily's Field School; a series of how-to zines inspired and informed by the students activities and learning; and a vibrant podcast. They have also contributed to identifying and detailing new curricular and research initiatives that Emily Carr can take on with community stakeholders in the coming years. I am of the mind this is just the beginning of a marvelous and important adventure - very much looking forward to seeing where it leads us all! Alternate means of communica- many to many) • Alternate means of production and use (additive manufacturing, distributed networks, resilient systems) Dialogue fostered by the events and provocations of cloTHING(s) as Conversation extended for myself and the others involved to the places where we make, the materials we work with, the strategies we use, and the implications of the relations we have with humans and the more than human. from three different continents, focused on FIBRE STORIES as they designed the structure of the technology, one to one—moving to and unwinding a ball of thread - a dialogue between the designer/maker and the user, with the Cemre Demiralp and Kate Armstrong tion (the implications of digital back-and-forth dialogue - perhaps like winding object as the go-between. Facilitating connections to the Collaborating with Emily Smith, Alternate means of thinking about designed objects in relation to our cumulative experiences with them. I also realized that while • • LO CA L FI B R ES 15 HÉLÈNE DAY FRASER is a first-generation Canadian, of Welsh and English descent, born in North-Eastern Quebec. She has been formed by life in a small town on the Canadian Prairies, an island in the Philippines, downtown Toronto, Strasbourg, the outskirts of Paris, France, and most recently Vancouver and the North Shore. Hélène is an Associate Professor in the Ian Gillespie Faculty of Design and Dynamic Media at Emily Carr University of Art + Design. She holds a Master of Applied Arts in Design and a Bachelor of Applied Arts in Fashion. Her work in academia is informed by a past professional career in fashion, design, and manufacturing. 01. LOCAL FIBRES WO R DS BY H ÉL ÈN E DAY FR ASER 16 FIBRE STORIES IS A PODCAST ABOUT OUR LOCAL FIBRESHED, A conversation with regional textiles, industry, education, soil and the tensions that arise when REBECCA BURGESS we examine fibre and cloth through the lens of sustainability and decolonization. The full podcast can be found on www.fibrestories.ca For our first episode, recorded on May 26, 2021, we welcomed Emily Smith (creator of the Fibreshed Field School and co-founder of Vancouver Fibreshed) and Rebecca Burgess (Executive Director of Fibershed, Board Chair of Carbon Cycle Institute, and the author of the book Harvesting Color) as our guests. We would like to acknowledge that our host Melanie, our guest Emily, as well as Emily Carr University of Art + Design, where Fibreshed Field School and Fibre Stories podcast have been primarily conducted, are located on the traditional, unceded, and ancestral territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səl̓ilw̓ətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) nations. Rebecca joined the podcast from the unceded territory of the Coast Miwok, North of San Francisco. As a place-based project, we are especially aware of our responsibility to the fibreshed bioregion and Indigenous hosts of this land. The Fibre Stories podcast will continue to explore the implications of doing fibre work as uninvited guests, and the impacts industry and institutions have on humans and non-humans in this place. Rebecca [RB] was essential to the success of the Field School, contributing her mentorship and vision for resilient local textile economies. In the following pages we are excited to share an abridged transcript of the Photo by Paige Green pilot episode of Fibre Stories, featuring a conversation between Rebecca Burgess and Emily Smith. FIBRE STORIES LO CA L FI B R ES 17 01. LOCAL FIBRES E XC ER PT FR O M FI B R E STO R I ES P O D CAST 18 How does being in this place relate to your I’m at right now. Fibresheds are supporting concept of a Fibreshed? me in that and challenging me. The dichotomy Emily Smith (ES): It's been such a between the indigenous stewardship and the wonderful journey to connect with people who I European settler is like a dike. It is two different believe in and who embody the Fibreshed ethos: approaches. It still is. The reality which reflected neighbours, educators, small business opera- back at me is that these are two different things. tors, and artists. To go hyperlocal and focus on I feel like the heartbeat is we’ve got to pull this what’s directly in our backyards. To learn about together. We’ve got to become intersectional, the fibres that make up our clothing and to con- because we’re not going to survive if we don’t. tinually go deeper, asking questions like, what Western science and traditional ecological are the fibres that make up the yarn that make knowledge have got to pull it together. up the sweater I’m wearing? Emily, you've put a lot of thought into planning How has the concept of Fibershed shifted all of this. What are your afterthoughts and for you throughout time? How do you con- your reflections? sider it now? ES: My intention with Fibreshed Field Rebecca Burgess (RB): The year 2020 School was to cultivate a conversation that really deepened some layers of my understand- includes multiple ways of knowing. To see ing of what it is to live, work, and experience and validate multiple world-views, ideas of the material culture from the soil to your skin. Then world and really look at questions around how how you care for that material, how it returns to we can create more equitable and sustainable the soil at the end of its life, and how you bring cloth. Then - what are some ways of making it consciousness to each of those steps. work? How can we make a living wage doing Last year brought forward another layer of this, making this stuff? None of these questions understanding [of the history and impacts of] are comfortable. Once you actually start getting colonization in California. The communit y that I originally started doing my work with was segregated. It was kind of like working with tribes. I was learning, not doing anything, other than acting as a sponge and absorbing their ethos, their approach, and their land stewardship models. Separately, I was touring euro-based farming systems that were sheep dominated, or cotton and flax. This cotton wasn't managed like down to it, the history of textile production, on my journey with Fibershed. Often people that it would be in West Africa, it had origins in South have radically different views as well -- in philos- America or China. Although the cotton growing ophies and perspectives. I believe it's in being in California has very much been operational- able to hold space for multiple perspectives, where your clothing comes from, cotton, and their ecosystems - there's nothing comfortable about it. It was really uncomfortable for me thinking about how we could represent all of these different scenarios and different ways of being and to envision new possibilities. Fibreshed Field School was made up of people that I've met ized by the European settlers that arrived here, and create spaces for conversation, where real bringing the cotton to California mainly in the learning happens. I don't think it's as powerful to 1930s. Hat for a long time and now I’m ready to present various worldviews in a lecture and go come together with a bunch of human beings through all the points, than it is to experience and solve our crises together. This is where what’s lived, and shared between people. FIBRE STORIES LO CA L FI B R ES 19 “It's probably one of the most thoughtful manifestations of holding multiple perspectives in one space that I've seen and very well done in that period of time where, at least in the US, it feels very polarizing sometimes.” —Rebecca Burgess RB: It's as if Fibreshed Field School is operationalizing and giving the space for people RB: I've had some students from Mainland China do some really interesting draw- to have an opportunity to understand all the ings and sketches of how they homesteaded fractals of all our different perceptions. That's with silk, silkworm production and hog produc- really what makes up a communit y. That's what tion. These systems would all feed each other, makes up a fibreshed. A beautiful platform was including the effluent from boiling the chrysalis. created here for that conversation to occur, with They would eat the protein that the caterpillar the different perspectives all meshed into an provided and use that water to create a den for umbrella. It's really powerful. It's unlike anything the pigs to roll around in mud. Nutrients from the I've ever seen. It's probably one of the most hogs were put at the base of mulberry trees to thoughtful manifestations of holding multiple create a nutrient cycle that would in turn create perspectives in one space that I've seen. This healthy trees that fed the silkworms. I found project was very well done in that period of time it very interesting that these were the same where, at least in the US, it feels very polarizing students who felt pressured when I asked them to do this work sometimes. Having multiple per- to think about what the most ecological fibre is. spectives coming together, in one space, safely, They all said nylon. Then I asked them to paint acknowledging differences is absolutely critical. a picture of their own relationship with their ancestries, and what that fibre system looks What role do academic initiatives, such as like. Then we thought about it through the lens Fibreshed Field School, have to play in build- of the carbon cycle. Then really what is the most ing alternative, decolonial textile economies ecological fibre, if we look at it through that lens that are considerate of the land on which the of thermodynamics and carbon cycling, which work takes place? are the most fundamental laws that our planet ES: You know, for me it does keep com- works that we know our planets work within? ing back to looking at where we are now, where Their responses were, 'Oh, my traditional way of we are going, and where we can go. Opening doing things was actually fairly climate-friendly.' up these stories is such a huge part of making It's just when we try to scale up hog production, more informed and educated choices about or silk, then we create life cycle assessments our humanity, careers and our future. 01. LOCAL FIBRES E XC ER PT FR O M FI B R E STO R I ES P O D CAST 20 “You know, we’re letting centralized knowledge and power dictate over our own intuitive, just understanding of how the world works. And that’s where universities have the opportunit y to create change and say ‘let’s foster this from the grassroots up.’” —Rebecca Burgess (LCAs) based on those industrial processes. Then we plaster those LCAs, through sustainability indexes, such as the Sustainable Apparel Coalition and the Hague Index and allow those indexes to come in and become the instruction FIBRE STORIES IS A manual. For these young mainland Chinese PODCAST ABOUT OUR students who thought, 'Oh, we can't do silk, it's LOCAL FIBRESHED, re- horrible. That's how I was taught.' We're letting gional textiles, in- centralized knowledge and power dictate over dustry, education, our own intuitive and just understanding of how soil and the tensions the world works. And that's where universities that arise when we ex- have the opportunit y to create change and say, amine fibre and cloth 'let's foster this from the grassroots up'. Let's fos- through the lens of ter this knowledge from this place up and share sustainability and de- that instead of this thing that comes from on colonization. The full high and crushes everything you actually know podcast can be found to be true/ the hierarchical learning environment on that dismisses traditional knowledge. www.fibrestories.ca FIBRE STORIES LO CA L FI B R ES 21 01. LOCAL FIBRES E XC ER PT FR O M FI B R E STO R I ES P O D CAST 22 THE FIELD SCHOOL Through her passion for textile sustainability and education, Emily Smith developed Fibreshed Field School in collaboration with Cemre Demiralp and Kate Armstrong from the Shumka Centre to bring a unique experiential learning environment to students and mentors alike. The Field School 02 FIBRE SHED FIELD SCHOOL was divided into three cohorts, each offering a different perspective on what's possible for local, ethical textile production. Though faced with the challenge of a global pandemic, the Field School persevered through resilience and creativity. Fibreshed Field School was an experiential mentorship program that investigated ecologically sensitive and economically viable methods of local textile production. This program was inspired by and worked collaboratively with Fibershed, an international network founded by Rebecca Burgess. “Fibershed is a non-profit organization that develops equity-focused regional and land regenerating natural fiber and dye systems. Their work expands opportunities to implement climate beneficial agriculture, rebuild regional manufacturing, and connect end-users to the source of their fiber through direct educational offerings. They are transforming the economic and ecologic systems that clothe us to generate equitable and climate change ameliorating textile cultures.”1 The program offered industry exposure and knowledge transfer between fibre producers, designers, and entrepreneurs. It provided immersion in the hands-on, real-world context where fibres are grown, harvested, and processed. It allowed gaining practice and support as well as a greater understanding of how to instantiate ideas and make projects happen outside of the classroom. 1. Fibershed. “Fibershed’s Mission & Vision.” Accessed through https://fibershed.org/mission-vision/ FIBRE STORIES 23 02. FIELD SCHOOL 24 Reciprocit y &Stewardship 25 Photo by Sharon Kallis 26 In partnership with EartHand Gleaners Society and the Aboriginal Gathering Place, the Reciprocity & Stewardship cohort focused on responsible land stewardship and practices informed by Indigenous ways of knowing. RECIPROCITY &STEWARDSHIP Cohort activities included the processing of nettle, daylily, fireweed, flax, dogbane, milkweed as material research at Trillium Park and the Means of Production gardens with Sharon Kallis, along with workshops at the Aboriginal Gathering Place including traditional ways of making salmon leather with Janey Chang, cedar basket weaving with Brenda Crabtree, and spinning animal fibres with Senaqwila Wyss and Meagan Innes at the Aboriginal Gathering Place. Building a more profound relationship within our region involved connecting directly to the land while developing a personal understanding of the history, processes, and people that occupy the unceded, traditional territories of the xwməθkwəy̓ ə m (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱ w ú7mesh (Squamish), and səĺilẃətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. MENTORS AND GUEST FACILITATORS: BRENDA CRABTREE SHARON KALLIS JANEY CHANG SENAQWILA WYSS MEAGAN INNES STUDENTS LYDIA LOVISON DANIKA OYSTREK CONNOR BUDD CAMILA SZEFLER NAOMI BOYD EMILY JANEK Photos by Benny Zenga FIBRE STORIES CO H O RT 27 02. FIELD SCHOOL R EC I PR O C ITY & STEWA R DSH I P 28 ABORIGINAL GATHERING PLACE Situated in the heart of the universit y, the Aboriginal Gathering Place (AGP) offers students, Emily Carr’s Aboriginal Gathering Place (AGP) hosts facult y and the communit y the possibilit y to learn students, contemporary about Indigenous ways of knowing and makartists, and informs curriculum and community. ing. Through learning with traditional materials It is a centre that reflects and methods, the AGP shares resources and the cultural characteristics experiences on culture and material practice of our Aboriginal students, community and traditions. while opening up dialogue through events, workThe AGP allows our Aborigishops and talks. nal students to develop and The students from the Reciprocit y and strengthen their identities in a supportive, safe enviStewardship cohort were invited to take part in ronment. We foster learning workshops that would foster their understanding experiences and are commitof traditional ways of making through hands-on ex- ted to providing the necessary support to Aboriginal plorations with cedar and fish skin. The Aboriginal students to ensure their academic success. Our interGathering Place became a place of learning disciplinary Aboriginal during the Field School to the students. Here curriculum encompasses both they learned cedar basket weaving with Brenda the traditional and contemporary artistic expressions Crabtree and fish leather making with Janey of Aboriginal Peoples, and Chang. Senaqwila Wyss and Meagan Innes shared is a valuable resource for students in accessing and their knowledge of the traditional processing of exploring traditional mateanimal fibres with the students, advancing the stu- rials and methods. Courses dents’ understanding of history, practices, and the include studio practice, art history, critical theory and people connected to this region. ABORIGINAL GATHERING PLACE industrial application. from “Aboriginal Office” accessed through https://aboriginal.ecuad. ca/aboriginal-office/ Brenda Crabtree’s cedar weaving workshop. Photo by Connie Watts. FIBRE STORIES LO CATI O N 29 02. FIELD SCHOOL A B O R I GI N A L GATH ER I N G PL AC E 30 Situated not far from Emily Carr Universit y of Art + Design in the Mount Pleasant Area of Vancouver, the Means of Production Garden (MOP) provides a place within our communit y where environmental art engagement can take place, and the discourse on art and ecology can be nourished. Stewarded by the EartHand Gleaners Society, the garden provides resources to investigate fibre processing through craftsmanship. Along with the MOP garden, EartHand Gleaners also manages Trillium Park North located at the edge of the Strathcona neighbourhood in East Vancouver where they grow fibre plants. Trillium garden gives EarthHands artists, makers and educators the opportunity to teach sustainable harvesting, crop management and crafting skills using the locally grown plants. Focused on responsible land stewardship and practices informed by Indigenous ways of knowing, the Reciprocit y and Stewardship cohort was invited to learn about fibre processing from Sharon Kallis. Along with learning about the gardens' different plants, the students learned fibre processing, coiling and braiding throughout the Field School. MEANS OF PRODUCTION GARDEN AND TRILLIUM PARK EARTHAND GLEANERS SOCIETY We are artists, makers and educators who believe that bringing people together to share creative projects that connect us with the land helps our communities become strong, resilient and just. Founded as an arts-based non-profit in 2013, EartHand Gleaners Society’s specialty is connecting makers with materials that come directly from the land around them; we model ‘How to be a Producer without first being a Consumer’. By working with the plants around us using ancestral skills common to all cultures, we inspire participants to discover cultural connections, learn new skills, and discover novel sources of raw materials for creative practices, including garden waste, invasive plants, and textile waste. Respect is the core of EartHand’s practice. Our environmental art projects spring from collaborative research, skill development and skill sharing among community members and professionals in the fields of education, sciences and the arts. We aim to strengthen intercultural connections and relationships to place, and find meaningful ways to acknowledge our Host Nations. Our regular partners include Vancouver Park Board, local schools, environmental stewardship non-profits, and our community arts organization peers. from “EartHand’s About” page. accessed through https://earthand. com/about/ FIBRE STORIES LO CATI O N 31 02. FIELD SCHOOL M O P A N D TR I L L I U M GA R D ENS 32 SHARON KALLIS WITH A “ONE-MILE DIET” APPROACH TO SOURCING ART materials, Sharon Kallis works to discover the inherent material potential in a local landscape. After graduating from Emily Carr Institute of Art + Design in 1996, she began working with materials from the land in 1999 and has exhibited and engaged communities with her practice in Ireland, Spain, Mexico, and throughout the United States. Sharon is the founding Executive Director of EartHand Gleaners Society, an arts-based organization that brings together artists, scientists, and educators to consider how we can be makers without first being consumers through the appropriate use of locally grown plants. With the EartHand community, Sharon manages two urban parks as creative commons; growing weaving, dye, and renewable woodland plantings. Sharon has received Canada Council and British Columbia Arts Council grants and was the recipient of the Brandford/ Elliott International Award for Excellence in Fibre Arts in 2010. Sharon received the Mayor’s Arts Award for Studio Design in 2016. Sharon is the author of Common Threads: weaving community through collaborative eco art (New Society Publishers 2014), a book about her art practice written as a field guide for others wishing to explore unwanted plants for creative community actions. FIBRE STORIES M ENTO R 33 02. FIELD SCHOOL R EC I PR O C ITY & STEWA R DSH I P 34 BRENDA CRABTREE BRENDA CRABTREE (XYOLHOLEMO:T) HAS BOTH NLAKA’PAMUX and Stó:lō ancestry and belongs to the Spuzzum Band. Brenda is the Director of Aboriginal Programs and Special Advisor to the President on Indigenous Initiatives at Emily Carr University of Art + Design. She is also an artist, curator, mentor, educator, community facilitator and cultural advisor. Brenda is recognized as an enduring champion for Indigenous artists and has been a key figure in developing ground-breaking programs. In her art practice Brenda fuses Northwest Coast First Nations materials and traditions with political texts to create a vehicle for political activism, bridging art, politics and history. Brenda received her BA and MA (Cultural Anthropology) from Western Washington University. Her teaching and art practice focuses on both traditional and contemporary Aboriginal materials and techniques. Her research includes collaborating with Indigenous artists + educators in New Zealand, Australia, Borneo + Tuvalu. In 2016, Brenda was honoured by the BC Achievement Foundation as an enduring champion for Indigenous artists, and has been a key figure in developing groundbreaking programs such as Decolonizing the Healthcare System through Cultural Connections, the Urban Access to Aboriginal Art Project, and the Aboriginal Canadian Entrepreneurs artist residency. Meanwhile, she sits on a number of boards and committees including the YVR Art Foundation’s board of directors; the Bill Reid Gallery’s content committee; the First Nations Council for Coast Mountain College; and Ornamentum magazine’s editorial advisory committee. Her work as an artist is likewise as much an act of considering con- Photo provided by Brenda Crabtree text as it is one of pure creation. This broad focus was front and centre during a pair of recent exhibitions—Li iyá:qtset: We Transform It at Abbotsford’s The Reach gallery, and We Carry Our Ancestors: Cedar Baskets and Our Relationship to the Land at the Legacy Art Gallery in Victoria, BC. FIBRE STORIES M ENTO R 35 02. FIELD SCHOOL R EC I PR O C ITY & STEWA R DSH I P 36 JANEY CHANG JANEY CHANG IS AN ARTIST + EDUCATOR, FISH SKIN TANNER, AND revivalist on a path to remembering how to be human and alive through the (re)learning of ancestral skills. She is a first generation Chinese Canadian woman living in North Vancouver on beautiful Skwxwú7mesh and Tsleil-Waututh Territory at the foot of the mountains and close to the ocean. Her main art form is salmon skin leather, where she gives new life to salmon skins that are destined for waste from the restaurant industry. Learning this traditional ancestral skill has helped to connect her to her Chinese heritage as well as to K’emk’emelay/Vancouver, the land she calls home. This passion has evolved into her livelihood, and she has had the honour of teaching fish leather classes to many humans, including Indigenous communities who have distant memories of this old ancestral skill. FIBRE STORIES M ENTO R 37 02. FIELD SCHOOL R EC I PR O C ITY & STEWA R DSH I P 38 MEAGAN INNES MEAGAN INNES IS FROM XWMÉLTS’TSTN ÚXWUMIXW (VILLAGE). She is a Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish Woman), an educator and a multidisciplinary artist. Meagan received her Master's Degree in Education from Simon Fraser University where she examined the importance of ancestral skills, knowledge and language. Her re- search and work revolve around examining connection to place, kinship and spéńem (plant) s7ekw’í7tel (siblings) péńem (plant things). She is an emerging artist who is waking up her ancestral skills and practicing the ways of her Ancestors. She is exploring reshaping pedagogy to embody traditional ways of knowing and being, more specifically Skwxwú7mesh traditional ways of learning, knowing and being. She had recently completed the First Nations Language Program at Simon Fraser University to learn Skwxwú7mesh Sníchim, the language of her Ancestors. Meagan loves to work with her hands, utilizing traditional materials and objects to create cultural works that are used for their intended purposes. Her practice includes, but is not limited to, weaving with a variety of natural fibres, animal hides, and plant materials as dyes and pigments. Photo provided by Meagan Innes FIBRE STORIES M ENTO R 39 02. FIELD SCHOOL R EC I PR O C ITY & STEWA R DSH I P 40 PROCESSING NETTLE FIBRE STORIES CAMILA SZEFLER STU D E NT 41 02. FIELD SCHOOL WO R DS A N D I M AGES BY CA M I L A SZ EFL ER 42 Materials Basic coil basketry contains possibilities to achieve form with any number of materials, including natural and man-made fibres in infinite combinations. Forms of basketry using natural materials were developed by cultures on opposite sides of the planet using drastically different materials, and yet so many of the most basic techniques overlap or are in conversation with each other surrounding the same basic principles. Artifacts are produced using a certain set of skills or techniques, whether those appear in the harvesting and processing phases or within the finishing, and so the object itself becomes a vessel for holding skills and perpetuating that knowledge. Working with natural materials means that the life of a given artifact is intentionally and inherently limited, meaning that the practice of making must be kept alive in the form of skills and knowledge. COIL BASKETRY: ONE ROW AT A TIME Coiling & Lashing Once you have your first loop in place, the con- cept is very simple; you use your lashing to sew (lash) your outer row to the one before it. The infinite nature of this type of making is something that has deeply appealed to me, and allows for the continued practicing and honing of skills over time. This mat has become the manifestation of my own rope making and coiling practices, incorporating some materials for both the coil and lashing; daylily, fireweed, flax, hemp, nettle, and many more to come. The basic repetition of technique allows for all of these aspects to work together in harmony, even when things become a bit chaotic in the overlap. The plan is to continue building outwards with ‘local’ materials, even as I relocate with the mat to different NAOMI BOYD FIBRE STORIES STU D E NT 43 02. FIELD SCHOOL places. It has become somewhat of practice of place-making and my go-to spot to meditate— the texture enables one to feel present and supported while sitting on it. Developing Form The actual creation of form would have been incredibly important for practices of cultivation, relationship building, and artistry: the vessels that we take for granted today would have enabled the gathering of material and sustenance, transportation of water and goods across distances, and therefore trade, exploration, and other forms of development. The combination of all of these aspects would have meant deep respect for both the materials and the skills required to create such objects, allowing those who participated in such a practice to feel pride and commitment to their work. This is something that I am only beginning to develop in my work. Teaching An important factor for me was to try and perpetuate my learnings and teach others some of the same skills. Conducting workshops to comply with the current restrictions due to the pandemic, in-person and online, has provided its fair share of challenges, but there have been some workarounds that have proved to be relatively successful, such as using bright orange string as a substitute to demonstrate coiling which would provide high contrast on camera. Final Thoughts All of this work has led me to develop a deep appreciation for the concept of coiling and developing form through simple repetition. The techniques are quite simple, possibly the most basic way of developing breadth and form using a linear, flexible material, and yet the possibilities for making and creating are limitless. WO R DS A N D I M AGES BY N AO M I B OYD 44 CONNECTIONS OF CONSEQUENCE Technically speaking I am an industrial designer, currently in my fourth year of studies. I have long struggled with my relationship to the discipline, feeling little kinship with the field or its dominant processes and approaches. I am not alone in my concerns, as many of my fellow students follow rituals of careful self-regulation and monitoring during their design processes. My aversion to the industrial stems from my upbringing in a small island community in B.C. It was (and is) intensely rural and local, where there exists a constant appreciation for local material, traditional techniques, and hand labour. Small, craft thinking dominates. Connection to the land, both wild and cultivated is emphasized at home and in school. These are all ideals shared with the Fibreshed concept, and more specifically, the Reciprocity + Stewardship cohort of the Field School. For a long time I observed two distinct approaches to design; one in the context of my island home, and one which took place in the urban setting. For me, one being satisfying, and the other being incredibly dissatisfying, even frustrating. Despite concerted efforts, I had failed to completely transpose my rural design methodology to the urban. I had yet to witness precedents that operated under similar values in an urban setting. The design process in the city seemed entirely disconnected from any consequential factors; divorced of reciprocity, care, temperance, narrative, and place. It was overbearing, overblown, overabundant, and fed by an overly global system. It was a constant feeling of guilt, wastefulness, flippancy, and frivolousness. Before participating in the Reciprocity + Stewardship cohort of the Fibreshed Field School, I had been making progress in shaping a more satisfactory design methodology for myself, allowing back in parts of my upbringing, ancestry, and interests that I had previously excluded. This methodology was formed by an obsession with the ancient and manual, a growing interest in natural materials, and a shift towards rough and non-pedigreed forms. However at the time I had yet to fully commit myself and did not recognize the intricacies of the philosophy I was trying to practice, attempting to replicate it without a complete understanding. It was by engaging with the Reciprocity + Stewardship cohort that I fully realized how to structure a more satisfying CONNOR BUDD FIBRE STORIES STU D E NT 45 design methodology using these principles but based in the urban. Connection was a constant theme throughout the cohort. Connection to land, to material, to process, to culture, to teaching, and to other people. At the outset of this cohort, we first established a bond with the land, by acknowledging it and speaking to it, working and caring for it, with hands and knees in the dirt. Then came the attachment to the materials, which began with their extraction. That attachment only grew as we spent time with the materials: feeling, processing, refining, learning, and knowing them. By inheriting skills and techniques, this connection to materials deepened. We established bonds with other people as well, through the teaching of those skills, and subsequently through collective learning and labour. From this communal labour—through the skills, materials, and the stories and anecdotes recounted—a link to culture emerged. The approaches of the Reciprocity + Stewardship cohort revealed a vast web of links to consequential nodes, functioning as liaisons to place, process, material, and people. These links themselves are reciprocal, simultaneously informing and governing each other, allowing the creative process to be as much enabled as it is constrained. Fibresheds are heavily embedded in the local. From what may seem a limitation, vernaculars spring forth, directly informed and supplied by the unique local context of place, culture, methods and material. The use of natural materials and manual techniques allows for honesty and transparency in all stages of 02. FIELD SCHOOL making, evidencing origins in imperfection, and revealing labour, care and communion. This is a process of making which truly venerates material and the place from which it comes, neither lo-fi nor lo-tech, but lo-facade. By observing these tenets, I have felt a new sense of comfort and liberation in creation. It feels right, and I no longer feel guilty, wasteful, flippant or frivolous in my making. Acknowledging webs of connection that are both tempering and empowering alleviates those emotions. These ideas require sacrifice, a conscious choice to disengage from dominant canons of creation and to commit to something older and more earthly with unwavering, nigh spiritual, devotion. There is also, I believe, an obligation that is instilled by practising these ideas. I am humbled and grateful for the knowledge I have received; from Sharon Kallis, Brenda Crabtree, Janey Chang, Senaqwila Wyss, Meagan Innes and my fellow students. In receiving their teachings, I have inherited a responsibilit y to preserve and teach them. I’d like to provide something of an analogy, for what I am not exactly sure. A continuous part of our work in the Reciprocit y + Stewardship cohort has been the action of twisting to bring things together. First, it was through cordage of raw plant materials, and finally, in the spinning of wool. A ritual of bringing together disparate and disconnected, but equally venerable strands. The twisting of a length of material is limited and informed by that which is supplied, drawing in elements of place, process, people, and culture; each fortifying the cord. Cord, which can link, connect, tie and bind together. WO R DS A N D I M AGES BY CO N N ER B U D D 46 Ancient processes of creation are shared histories between us, uniting and safe, yet the need for profit causes industrialized processes to be increasingly prioritized and normalized. MAKING TRADITIONALLY: Through learning to work in my local fibreshed, I have begun to reawaken these instinctual methods of creation which have been forgotten through the generations. During this process I have begun to long for a deeper connection with my ancestors and a sense of purpose and self that extends beyond my time. My great-grandparents were born in Ukraine and began homesteads on the prairies of Alberta in the early 20th century. They lived a traditional Ukrainian lifestyle in Canada, one in which they raised my grandparents. The majority of these traditions have been lost to time, yet one remains: the food. My family gathers on occasion and has the most magnificent feast. Traditional Ukrainian cuisine is what I have been brought up on. These cultural experiences have been formative in my sense of self and they carry strong memories of my loud Ukrainian family. This is a part of myself that I long to share with others. This awakening led me to create the project Yisty (Eat), which had me share traditional meals that my grandmother has taught me creating space to slow down DANIKA OYSTREK FIBRE STORIES STU D E NT to prepare. By rekindling my connection with ancestral foods and sharing them with others, I hope to develop a stronger connection to my practice and the people who surround me. To ground this meal in ancestral methods of making, I fabricated two tools from raw materials. The first is a pot-holder made from handspun fibres including wool, dog hair, and fireweed seeds. It is knit quite thickly to be as resistant to heat as possible. In addition, I created a trivet made from coiled daylily rope. The material at the centre was harvested in the garden of my childhood home in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta and the external portion has been harvested here, in Vancouver. These two choices are symbolic of the journey which has brought me to this point: from where I’ve grown up to where I am now. I have discovered that to create in these spaces, the creative process must be significantly decelerated. Working with the seasons and waiting for available materials goes against what designers are accustomed to. It is time to normalize making slowly. Above: The table is set with a coiled daylily trivet and a knit potholder made from hand-spun yarn. Holibtsi, Borscht, and Perishke prepared according to my grandmother’s recipes. Materials were sourced in Vancouver, BC, and Fort Saskatchewan, AB. 47 02. FIELD SCHOOL WO R DS A N D I M AGES BY DA N I K A OYSTR EK 48 past months of harvesting, processing, coiling, weaving, spinning, tanning, making fishskin leather, making yarn, were waiting for her. Meagan held up the object making objects—all gathered and taught in the Indigenous for us. All I could see was a startling beauty, a way—have helped me confront that missing thing. beauty made deeper with everything it carried, the THE CIRCLE Disconnection. Disconnection severs listening. It has been a humbling and an emotional thing to grasp. It had been years since I had plucked a living thing from the earth. Here I was, harvesting plants, learning to process, learning to make, returning to the garden what I could not use. It felt new and familiar, challenging and comforting. I received many gifts—tools, materials, knowledge—all meant to culminate into something good. Instead, I felt as if I had failed. The day after the compost truck picked up the cattail bag, our cohort gathered at the Aboriginal Gathering Place to spend the day with Sharon Kallis, Senaqwila Wyss, Meagan Innes and Brenda Crabtree. It was November 13, 2020. In her generous way, Sharon brought many supplies. Corn hair, horse hair, dog hair, rabbit fur, fire-weed fluff, sheep wool, milk-weed, hempseed fluff, carders, drop spindles and more. We were going to learn to spin. LYDIA LOVISON Senaqwila and Meagan are Indigenous knowledge holders working to recover what has been lost—their oral language but also the cultural language of the hands, making with plant fibres, hides, fishskin, cedar and so much more. They do this for their ancestors and communit y, but most especially for the children and that tender generation’s right to hold their culture dear, with Something was missing. Something was missing though I To the seasons. To nutrients. To care. As I worked un-fettered knowledge and pride. They spoke of the didn’t know it the day I sat down to weave with cattails. For on the bag, the cattails resisted as I kept urging depth of cultural loss in their communit y, with a fierce weeks I had been thinking over what design object I would them on. I can do this, I kept thinking. It will be determination to make right what colonialism tried so make using the skills I had learned at Fibreshed Field amazing. I wove and wove, dismantled and wove. hard to erase. There were many days at Fibreshed Field School. What, what would I make? Then, the idea arrived. Repeat. And then I stopped to stare at the bag. It School that felt human, with our cohort spending time in A bag. I was going to make a bag. But it wasn’t going to be was awful. My weaving was terrible. Exasperated, nature, in communit y, learning from bighearted people. just any bag. It was going to be a knowledge holder. It would I stomped out to the compost bin, lifted the lid and But this day stands out for me as particularly human. We hold knowledge in the form of a book —my Reciprocit y and gathered in a circle. Senaqwila had her drum and she and threw in the bag. Meagan sang a traditional song. Their singing was like a Stewardship book, which was filled with what I had learned, The following day, I returned to the bin and what I had made, what I had to say about it all. I considered peered inside. The municipal recycling and com- ceremony of memory and emotion. The drumming a call of materials and its shape. The mesmerizing process of the post trucks would be arriving soon. There they heartbeats to long away ancestors. When the time came circle, of coiling with daylilies or iris stems was certainly a were, the cattails, the gifts from the earth that I had to acknowledge and welcome our ancestors, all I could do contender. But, I was also drawn to weaving with cattails not done well by. I ran my hands over them, filled was weep. into a square bag. Decisions finally made, I sketched out with feelings of remorse and regret. ideas, considered measurements, set up my materials, consulted my resources. Then, I got to work. Some humans of support. On that day, I learned to look inward and listen. To really listen. To confront barriers of disconnection and that immediacy that demands fast, perfect results like some kind of checklist. I picked up the drop spindle knowing I would not build much skill in a day. Indeed, I might not make much progress at all. Yet somehow, with the power of Meagan’s story and Sharon’s guiding steps —what to look for, what to feel for—the fibres connected. One set of hands held drop spindles, the other held fibres. Our circle, our little communit y, was spinning connective knowledge. Indeed, sustainable making; using gifts from the garden, do away with environmental guilt: objects made in this way become gifts of reciprocit y when they are returned to the soil as food. Somewhere in Vancouver, the soil is feasting on my unfinished cattail bag. But that time of disconnection, of not listening, still weighs on me. The cattails were moist but they needed more. In my go-to gear of hurrying towards perfection, I didn’t even think to notice - let alone ask for help. When the listening came, my knowledge bag arrived in its slow, unhurried way. It is made of iris stems, not cattails. Coiled, not woven. All along, it was meant to be a circle. Not a square. It took time for me to hear that. The bag is made of knowledge. And it carries knowledge. It also carries gratitude. So much of it. she received from someone in her communit y. She de- It is no small thing to single out a specific event or experience from Fibreshed Field School. scribed her independence, her determination to process that gift on her own. Instincts strong in her told her they gear for the mind and body. I'm definitely part of this group. knowledge generously shared by big-hearted peo- would spark and lead the way. She created and creat- Plant fibres, however, are decidedly not in that gear. They ple who care deeply. But if I must choose one ex- ed, dismantled and recreated. Repeat. In her words, the exist in a gentle, unhurried way. They listen, then respond. perience to highlight, it is a lesson I learned. These resulting object “wasn’t good enough”. But then support STU D E NT memories, the learning, the community, that circle Later, Meagan shared a story about a material gift tend to shift into hurry mode as their default gear, that go-to We have been bursting with learning, gaining FIBRE STORIES came. She asked her community for help and they 49 02. FIELD SCHOOL WO R DS A N D I M AGES BY LYD I A LOVISO N 50 Warping&Weaving 51 52 In partnership with the Macgee Cloth Company, a local weaving mill based in Roberts Creek, this cohort focused on transparent practices around textile production. WARPING &WEAVING In this exploration of design for small-scale textile manufacturing, the students learned skills for prepping textile production (warping, weaving, and ethical yarn sourcing) and gained first-hand experience using the weaving software Fiberworks. The project culminated with the opportunity for the students to have their designs for two blankets woven in ring-spun cotton and lambswool, as well as their very own personalized labels, produced professionally by the weaving mill. FIBRE STORIES CO H O RT 53 02. FIELD SCHOOL WA R PI N G & WEAVI N G MENTORS AND GUEST FACILITATORS NICOLA HODGES STEPHANIE OSTLER PAM MAGEE, MACGEE CLOTH COMPANY ANNA HUNTER STUDENTS TUYEN HOANG TESS SNADEN RUBY LEWIS PAULA TORRES URZUA ANNIKA DIXON-REUSZ 54 Situated between Gibsons and Sechelt, Roberts Creek is a beautiful, rural communit y on the Sunshine Coast, located on the unceded, ances0 (Musqueam), tral and traditional s l’ilw ’ ta l (Tsleil-Watuth), (Squamish), and shíshálh (Sechelt) territories. While Roberts Creek is known for its forests, and beaches and local art and craft scene, it is also home to our two mentors Pam Magee and Nicola Hodges. Aiming to learn how small-scale textile manufacturing takes place locally, the Warping and Weaving cohort was invited to visit the Macgee Cloth Company and learn about fibre processing from Nicola Hodges in Roberts Creek. The students started their day trip in Vancouver. After a short ferry ride on a cloudy day, they were all warmly welcomed by their mentors in Roberts Creek. Beginning with a tour of Pam's workshop, the students were offered insights into textile processing technologies. Impressed by the huge metal loom that originated from the Industrial Revolution, the students learned about Pam's practice in the smallscale weaving mill. To illustrate what t ypes of fibres are being processed in Roberts Creek, Nicola laid out different natural fibre samples and explained their properties. The students learned how to spin and ply the fibres using a drop spindle. To advance their understanding, Nicola demonstrated how to use a spinning wheel. Equipped with a broadened understanding of small-scale textile production within their local fibreshed community and hands-on practice in fibre processing, the students returned to Vancouver. e 55 e LO CATI O N e FIBRE STORIES e e ROBERTS CREEK 02. FIELD SCHOOL R O B ERTS C R EEK MACGEE CLOTH COMPANY Located in Roberts Creek, British Columbia, Canada, the Macgee Cloth Company is a bespoke textile company specializing in blankets and throws made on antique English shuttle looms. Our blankets have a true selvedge edge which can only be made by a shuttle loom weaving a continuous weft thread. We have sourced and imported Dobcross looms from Wales and Yorkshire in the UK manufactured from 1936 to 1953 as well as a Charlesworth warper from 1899 to craft blankets in the great tradition of heirloom weaving. from Macgee Cloth Co. “About the Macgee Cloth Company.” accessed through https://macgeecloth.com/ pages/about-us 56 ONLINE SESSIONS The original vision for the Field School was to take place in-person and outdoors, where each cohort would meet weekly, participate in workshops and engage with guest speakers. The initial concept included cross-cohort collaboration and communit y events for the students and mentors to share the work they were creating. During the planning phase, the world came to a halt when COVID-19 swept the globe. Although many challenges were present, the project staff acted with resilience and determination to create an unique and memorable experience for everyone involved. To adhere to the Provincial Health Orders much of the Field School transitioned to the virtual space. The platform used was BlueJeans video conferencing, the name couldn't be more fitting, a symbol that describes not only the history of our Western textile industry, but also that of artisanal labour and unbreakable fibre. The students from the Warping & Weaving cohort gathered virtually from the comfort of their homes on Friday mornings, facilitated by mentors Nicola Hodges and Stephanie Ostler. These meetings were an opportunit y for the students to ask questions and get feedback on their process, along with lessons in using the Fibreworks software to design their blankets. Due to the flexibilit y of gathering virtually, the students were able to have guest speaker Anna Hunter visit them to speak about owning and operating her fibre farm and wool mill called Longway Homestead in Manitoba. Stephanie Ostler facilitated an online financial workshop for both the Warping & Weaving and Regeneration cohorts. As the founder of a successful clothing company Devil May Wear, Stephanie helped the students understand finances in relation to running a small business and provided templates for the students to explore their product ideas. FIBRE STORIES LO CATI O N 57 02. FIELD SCHOOL O N L I N E SESSI O NS 58 NICOLA HODGES NICOLA HODGES IS A TEXTILE CRAFTSPERSON AND TEACHER WITH an interest in design, local textile manufacturing and sustainable fibre farming. She has worked with EartHand Gleaners Society since 2017 teaching workshops on fibre processing and spinning as well as led projects exploring hyper-local natural dyes. She recently had the opportunity to train at Long Way Homestead’s spinning mill as well as travel to study various practices including traditional knitting design, natural dyes, leather tanning and shepherding. She is currently living on shíshálh (Sechelt) and Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) territories in Roberts Creek where she is working on a research project for Maiwa Handprints studying the viability of growing dye crops in this bioregion. FIBRE STORIES M ENTO R 59 02. FIELD SCHOOL WA R PI N G & WEAVI N G 60 STEPHANIE OSTLER AS A LIFELONG RESIDENT OF THE RAINY CITY STEPHANIE OSTLER launched her clothing company, Devil May Wear, straight out of high school, and immediately began attracting international attention and sales. By the time she was 30 she had 3 successful retail locations including Granville Island, Main Street, and Fan Tan Alley in Victoria. Devil May Wear has been voted Vancouver’s Best Local Designer Clothing Store for 3 years and was voted runner up prior for 5. Working with mostly sustainable fabrics she produces her designs in Vancouver which she has sold in stores as far as Hong Kong and The Netherlands. Through Devil May Wear, Stephanie supports high school students with valuable job experience and mentorship and has worked with teen mothers to provide the skills they need to go out into the workforce. She uses her entrepreneurial expertise to help launch startups, speaks about being a designer and entrepreneur at various events in order to inspire young people and the community at large, and runs small seminars about starting your own business. In 2013, she did a TEDx talk titled "The Luxury to Buy Better" where she spoke about buying sustainably. Stephanie is a member of the environmental committee of the University Women’s Club of Vancouver, is currently the treasurer and was previously the president of the Granville Island Business Association, has sat on the boards such as the Canadian Club of Vancouver, and was a mentor with YELL in West Vancouver Secondary School. She recently stepped down as Vice President of ArdorCare, Photo provided by Stephanie Ostler a biomedical provider of creative innovations supporting Canada’s aging population, which launched publicly in 2019. She is passionate about giving everyone a chance to contribute meaningfully and to inspire the next generation by educating young people about entrepreneurship. FIBRE STORIES M ENTO R 61 02. FIELD SCHOOL WA R PI N G & WEAVI N G 62 PAM MAGEE PAM MAGEE IS A WEAVER USING INDUSTRIAL SHUTTLE LOOMS from the early 20th century to create blankets in the tradition of European textile production during the Victorian age. She is the founder of Macgee Cloth Company. Located in Roberts Creek in British Columbia, Canada, the Macgee Cloth Company is a bespoke textile company specializing in blanket throws made on antique English shuttle looms. Their blankets have a true selvedge edge which can only be made by a shuttle loom weaving a continuous weft thread. In order to craft blankets in the great tradition of heirloom weaving, the company has imported Dobcross looms from Wales and Yorkshire, which were manufactured from 1936 to 1953, and a Charlesworth warper from 1899. The company was started with the desire to create a blanket in the tradition of heirloom textiles craft but with transparent sourcing and environmentally sound provenance. Their blanket throws are made from 50% English Lambswool and 50% ring-spun, organically grown, North American cotton. The Lambswool is from Gledhill Spinners in Yorkshire, UK, a family-owned wool spinning company in business for nearly 80 years. The wool is 100% new superfine 21.5-micron lambswool. The company uses ring-spun cotton from Hill Spinning, a family-owned mill and one of two spinners in North America who ring-spin cotton. Ring-spun cotton uses an older, slower spinning method which Photo by Alana Paterson produces a stronger and softer yarn than the open-end spinning used in high production textile industries. The cotton that is used is grown organically by the Texas Organic Cotton Marketing Cooperative and certified by the Texas Department of Agriculture. FIBRE STORIES M ENTO R 63 02. FIELD SCHOOL WA R PI N G & WEAVI N G 64 ANNA HUNTER ANNA HUNTER IS A FIRST GENERATION SHEEP FARMER AND WOOL mill owner in Eastern Manitoba, Treaty One Territory. Anna, her husband Luke, and their two sons moved to Manitoba from Vancouver, BC in 2015. She started a small sheep farm, raising Shetland sheep for their beautiful wool. In 2018 they established a small-scale wool processing mill - the only one of its kind in Manitoba. They process wool and fibre for themselves and other farmers. Anna is passionate about building community and connecting rural fibre farmers with urban consumers, fibre artists and crafters. Anna believes that regenerative agriculture and climate beneficial food and clothing is integral to moving forward as farmers, fibre artists and Manitobans. To learn more about Anna and her farm/wool mill, check out Longway Homestead. Photo taken from www.longwayhomestead.com FIBRE STORIES M ENTO R 65 02. FIELD SCHOOL WA R PI N G & WEAVI N G 66 Who could have known weaving and warping are so unique and so full of little details. Before the program, I did not have a clear understanding of the background work and all the knowledge necessary to get a latticework and each design's delicacies. CUBILA Even though we are not used to appreciating the presence of weaving in our products, it has always been part of our culture. Recognizing the effort and time of each piece is essential, and we have to become more aware. I admire those who can create with fibres, textiles and nature altogether, always complementing each other. For example, when interweaving yarn or threads into a fabric by performing a warp and weft series. To be fair, what captures my attention the most is the versatility with which multiple blueprints can be created when changing a single thread's colour without changing the overall idea at the time of weaving. The difference is in the details; keeping things simple by exploring shapes and patterns that we can appreciate in each outline represented by the different cultures. There are vibrant, striking and colourful tones in my culture, with different shapes that form a story within the same cloth, which by itself expresses a vast part of what Mexico is. Canada and Mexico are two completely different cultures. The art of weaving is present in both countries; but have different techniques, colours, patterns and expressions. In Mexico, Mexicans use natural fibres, such as cactus, agave, palm, and cotton, as well as natural dyes extracted from plants, insects, and minerals. They are always incorporating weaving and embroidery in their cultures as tribute and pride. On the other hand, natural dyes and a neutral colour palette are characteristic of Canadian weaving from what I could experience; later, these various materials combine during the weaving. However, in both countries, the art of weaving has started to decline, partly due to the lack of availability of natural resources. One single piece can take months to complete; cost and time are also important variables to consider when deciding materials and continuity. Being in the Warping & Weaving cohort taught me two things. First, it showed me how much we could express with such simple materials which we used in the program, exploring and hands-on learning, but more importantly through thoughtfulness and sharing. Second, I realized we tend to see weaving in our cultures as if it were something from the past, oblivious to the existing development and somehow outdated. The act of recognizing the work put into the objects that are part of our daily lives should become a part of our routines by paying attention to small details. The work on details is splendid and worthy of appreciation. Weaving can be turned into many things and varies in size, colour, technique, figure, pattern, material, and shape. PAULA TORRES URZUA FIBRE STORIES STU D E NT 67 02. FIELD SCHOOL WO R DS A N D I M AGES BY PA U L A TO R R ES U R Z U A 68 TEATIME OVER LINEN removed, and spun when damp. I am and perform. The use of chemicals to business to scale feel quite intimidating, curious if any of this aspect influences expedite the retting processes is a but the approach I’m taking is building your perspective on the process to prett y big example and chemical dyes are an argument for the support of rural cultivate and processing linen? another. In the world of mass production, communities through flax processing Damien: I genuinely have not gotten the more you make and the faster you do and linen production. Permitting and as far as you in this regard. Thank you it, the more money you can make. This support for small farms are quite scarce, so much for teaching me! If there is impetus for speed, however, is what gets and it can be difficult for farming to I remembered seeing a call to participate in Fibreshed Field School on a sunny day back in the anything I have come to appreciate, it us into trouble with deeper and deeper happen in urban areas. The more we summer of 2020. It was a chance I never wanted to miss. Fast forward to September, I joined the is the generosit y of the individuals who earth debt. I am of the mind that there talk about and facilitate growing and grow and make. Their hearts and spirits is space and support for goods that are small-scale manufacturing, the more we are so deeply and literally woven into made mindfully, and the history of linen can push on municipal and provincial the fabrics they make and share. This is is not one that came from chemically entities to support. It also takes a lot of not on the topic of the prompt, but I have speeding up the process, but hundreds, creative thinking- where is the funding, If anything could be taken away from the Field School experience, it has been the people; their met so many genuine and giving women if not thousands, of years of doing things and how can I position my goals within generosity in sharing knowledge became a genuine touchpoint that compensated for how most of who are so open with sharing their the slow way. the goals of a cit y, province, or country? our learning happened in a virtual environment. Our later assignment, “Dream Cloth”, asked how knowledge. It has been so humbling and Tuyen: Yes! I find it unsettling how linen How can I leverage the language they gratifying. used to be the oldest and prominent fibre, use in my approach, conversations, and Tuyen: If linen fibre is produced on a but is now replaced by others that are applications? I’m not quite in a position large scale, alkali or oxalic acid may faster to produce like cotton. to get funding. So, I’m learning what be used during the retting process to Damien: Cotton can be better, but I can, and connecting with similarly make it faster. Both could be toxic to the it’s faster and easier to use horrifying invested individuals. environment. Retting with water or dew amounts of pesticides and absurd Tuyen: You mentioned that flax was program under the Warping and Weaving cohort, which concentrated on cloth production. In the beginning, I got a chance to make my own blankets with Macgee Cloth located in Sunshine Coast, British Columbia. we would design a cloth from our imaginations. I sought out linen as a potential material for it. So, I reached out to Damien Stonick from the Regeneration cohort. Concentrating on one material and learning through conversations made the process very fulfilling for me. Here, I would like to invite her perspective and offer our encounter to hopefully shine some light on this fibre. Tuyen: Extracting fibre from She mentioned flax grow- hackled, and carded, but have not spun takes a longer time, and is an environ- amounts of water. abundant in Canada before being wiped flax is lengthy and time-con- ing over the winter in our or woven. It has been my experience, mentally healthy practice. This also Tuyen: Perhaps this is why smallscale out by canola cultivation. Reviving a flax suming. I have only seen this region quite happily. So, I having come from a Bachelor’s Degree means organic linen is more expensive production has a better chance at forging production from the ground up does process from afar, just like bought seeds from Whole in Materials Science and Engineering. and less accessible. a healthy relationship with the land, and seem like swimming against the current. peeking through a kitchen Foods (granted, not fibre So in the transition to design, it is very Damien: I’ve settled fairly deeply into with the community, it provides for. But it It requires lots and lots of support. I am window. Have you gone producing, but for seed) easy to disconnect from the full history examining and opposing the costs of is very difficult without a supportive policy certainly one in spirit. Thank you so through it by hand? How and cleared a patch in the of a material. We get excited about the forcing plants and resources to do what and grant incentives. Can you share some very much for providing such wonder- does it make you feel about front yard, and stomped potential and the usefulness, but we we want them to, and not work with of these struggles? ful insight. this material? them in. That was two have no part in the labour of it. Flax is them in how they are inclined to behave Damien: The thresholds for building a Damien: I haven’t had the months ago and the little such a bodily intensive material. How opportunity to take flax friends are probably two much more do we cherish a garment or from seed to linen yet. I inches tall now. Typically good when our own sweat goes into the am reminded almost daily flax has a 100-day matura- birth of it? about how much patience tion cycle. So, the colder Tuyen: From the research, I have gath- is needed to make things weather causes a growth ered moisture is crucial in working with that are meaningful, and delay. After I had planted linen. Compared to cotton, linen yarn lasting. I have, however, the seeds, I was able is not as elastic and is tricky to use for started my own learning to connect with Sharon warping because the tension may easily in a few different ways. The first step I Kallis, who is the founder of EartHand become uneven. One trick is praying took, on what is a rather slow journey, Gleaners. I joined Sharon, Kathy Dunster, water to fix that. Keeping the yarns was watching videos. I have watched an agriculture professor at KPU, and an moist on the loom also makes it easier Scottish and European productions. MDes student from Emily Carr. Kathy and to beat them in. I have seen experienced The Scottish was presented by an Sharon have been trying different fibre weavers advising to avoid pure linen for older gentleman who works at what flax seed varieties for the last two years warping. This has shifted my perspec- is essentially historical preserva- and we assisted them in processing a tive on the process involved in working tion, and the other was a large-scale, few of the batches. I feel anxious about with linen. Water is equally important largely mechanized European farm the disconnects I have in my knowledge. to transform flax to fibre. It is needed and factory. I started reading a book, I have planted them. I am watching them during retting to dissolve the pectins titled Homegrown Linen: Transforming grow. But I have not harvested or retted, that bind layers of the stalk. Fine quality Flaxseed into Fibre, written by Raven which is one of the most critical steps in linen yarns are made of the longest Ranson. She is from Vancouver Island. linen production. I have broken, scutched, fibre remaining after shorter ones are FIBRE STORIES STU D E NT 69 In retrospect, I went through what felt like negotiating back and forth with expectations about a material. The more I found, that reality flipped me one-eighty. Listening to Rebecca Burgess, I realized there are many layers to understand the resources that we use. I am grateful for Nicola Hodges, one of our mentors for constantly providing her presence. Her teaching about how fibres become cloth was the earliest touch point that fueled a thirst to learn as much as I could. A simple takeaway came from reflecting on all these processes: Physically touching, feeling, learning with hands is a fundamental gateway to understand my material, how much it produces and how to use it meaningfully. A truthful way of making means not forcing something to be made or performed at a capacity it doesn’t have. It is easier said than done. On why it is important to be part of a community: I would like to have a symbiotic connection with growers, producers, and fellow practitioners. However, ideas come faster in my head than my skills can catch up. They have yet to take form and whom I produce for have yet to actualize. As I am finding my own practice, there are more questions than answers. And to find answers, I will keep making. TUYEN HOANG 02. FIELD SCHOOL In collaboration with DAMIEN STONICK WO R DS A N D I M AGES BY TUYEN H OA N G 70 I was eighteen when my parents helped me move across the country. Before they drove away, my dad hugged me and asked, “Can you make it through the next ten minutes?”. Through tears and some confusion, I said, “Yes.” He hugged me one more time and said, “Then you’ll be fine, just keep making it through the next ten minutes.” REPEATED ACTS OF TENDING Since then, I have thought about this moment constantly. The idea that if I can focus on a smaller action, like the ten minutes ahead of me, eventually time will pass and I will not be where I was. When I spent the first holiday away from my family I taught myself how to knit. That long weekend I sat and did not stop knitting until my scarf was about two feet wide and nine feet long. Reflecting on my practice, everything I have made comes from this methodology of repetition; something small, done again and again, and finally amounting to something larger. This has only been amplified by the Field School. In it, I have been pushed to question where I am needed the most and how I can better our local fibreshed. Many times along the way I have related to the single threads at Pam’s mill. On their own so minuscule and tiny and the idea of making a large blanket with them seemingly impossible. However, with dedication and repeated acts of tending they amount to such beautiful pieces of cloth. I am a single thread, dreaming of a larger blanket that I in no way can make on my own, but with this Field School and the community that has started, I know I don't have to do it all by myself. I was recently asked why people outside of the textile communit y should care about Fibreshed. The question in my head is not why TESS SNADEN FIBRE STORIES STU D E NT 71 02. FIELD SCHOOL but how couldn’t you care about Fibreshed? It was hard to give a direct answer because why would people outside of this communit y care enough to buy a 500 dollar sweater when they can go to H&M and get a similar one for 20 dollars? Why would they go out of their way to know their clothes when they are used to wearing them twice and throwing them out? Why, why, why became so loud I couldn’t hear my own thoughts, but in a way the answer is simple. With a deeper understanding of our clothes, we are less likely to toss them away. When we connect a maker or a place to the pieces in our wardrobe, we wash them with more care and we consider them more important than the cheap t-shirts from H&M. It is not about the price but more so considering the lifespan of the things we buy. It’s pushing people to question their consumption choices and recognize the harm in throw-away fashion. These questions are like the unmade cloth, large and untouchable in my mind. Although, with every conversation, we have around the importance of knowing we pass one thread through the others slowly weaving a Fibreshed tapestry. This process cannot, nor should not, be rushed so I turn to my trust in repetition. It has been a powerful privilege to be part of this journey and I do believe this is only the beginning of my blanket. WO R DS A N D I M AGES BY TESS SN A D EN 72 WHAT IF OUR CLOTHES GREW? ANNIKA DIXON “It is November and the weather is cold, the few leaves remaining on the trees blow in the wind. The alarm clock beeps and beeps again for the third time this morning. From the cozy comfort of my duvet, I can sense the cold air from outside through my bedroom window. The concept of standing seems daunting. My toes curl towards my heels as I slowly push the covers aside and comb my fingers through my hair and over my face to shake the feeling of sleep. Perched on the edge of my bed I balance looking into my closet to decide what I wear. The water in the trough is low because it was neglected from being filled the night before, so my lovely garments are looking a bit wilted. I accept the realit y that I will be rocking the “tired” look today. Standing straight, I move my hand over my clothes, a couple of pairs of pants dangled in the water, a couple of tops, and a fluffy jacket, all in various shades of cream. I know where each of them FIBRE STORIES comes from, the way that they were made, and by whom. Harvested from the local farm just a couple of kilometres away and spun, woven, and finished at our local clothing supplier. They come with tags mapping their lifespans, but of course, it depends on how well you take care of them. I grimace at the thought of how I neglected to feed them the night before. Opting to not yet get dressed, I picked up my emergency spray bottle and gave each of the clothes a squirt of nutrients to perk them up. I then shuffled to the kitchen to start the coffee and put bread in the toaster. While I wait for my toast and coffee, I take a shower, filling a large bucket with water at the same time. I then add the bucket of water to my closet trough. Sitting at the window with a hot cup of coffee and peanut butter toast I lose my thoughts in the fog…though lately it is been hard to decipher fog from pollution… the strives we took to move STU D E NT 73 to a more sustainable future allowed us to adapt to a new way of living very quickly, but there are still remnants of life before that we have never been able to tackle. It is challenging. Full from breakfast, I am now running late for work, a consequence of wanting to enjoy breakfast. Returning to my closet, my clothes seem to have perked up from the nutritious spray, which is a relief. It is always a bit of an embarrassment wearing wilted clothes in public. It physically shows neglect. I opt for a long sleeve gathered sweater, a-line woven pants, and the fluffy jacket with a cute hat and mittens to keep me warm out in the cool November weather. By detaching the garment wicks and removing the hangers, they shake dry and curl around my body. Feeling comforted by my connection to my clothes, I step out my door with confidence and zoom to work, knowing I will rewind this cycle when I get home at the end of the day but opt for curry for dinner instead of toast. I made an internal promise to remember to water and spray my closet tonight before bed. Prepared for a long day of meetings and phone calls for the rest of the day, I move into the day as the clock ticks ten o’clock.” My dream cloth for my final assignment for Fibershed Field School focused on the critical concept of “what if our clothes grew?” and looked into the future. Researching hydroponics with wool as a growing medium to reflect how we live with our garments, and encouraging a deepening of our connection with our textiles. An idea that can allow us to think about our objects in a different way. Hydroponics are plants that can grow without soil; herbs, clovers, and some vegetables. To grow seeds in textiles you need a medium, wick, and water trough. If you are growing seeds in the winter it is helpful to have a grow lamp and place your system next to the window where it can get lots of light. You will also ideally have some pumps to circulate the water, but it is not necessary for a basic system. For the wick, you can pretty much use any type of fibre as long as it soaks up water. Old clothes, 02. FIELD SCHOOL cotton, wool, and even some synthetic fibres will work, though not as well as a natural fibre. From this program, I have gained a strong knowledge of weaving and am excited to delve deeper into my role as a designer to support the local textile industry. We have had the incredible opportunity to have two large blankets created at Macgee Cloth and turn our design visions into technical instructions. We all now have the potential to start our own sustainable practices within our personal spaces; planting natural dye gardens, and starting sample weavings. But beyond this, with our gained knowledge of yarn counts, of Fiberworks (creating digital weaving instructions), and connection to the local fibre processing (mills, sheep farms), we can create woven cloths for a variety of different purposes (lamps, clothing, furniture, accessories, and décor), pushing beyond our intimate personal practices, into greater impacts, helping us approach unique and creative solutions for weaving our own cloth. This has emphasized how important systems of support for mills and farms that are local. I look forward to starting a natural dye garden in the new year, and continuing to learn as much as possible about making textiles locally, and collaborating with other designers interested in this area. WO R DS A N D I M AGES BY A N N I K A D I XO N - R EUSZ 74 Regeneration 75 76 In partnership with Rebecca Burgess, Morning Star Woollen Farm and 7 Leagues Leather, this cohort focused on exploring multiple practices surrounding regeneration and the circular economy. REGENERATION The students learned about new methods of regenerative agriculture in BC through a visit to Star Hoerauf 's Morning Star Woolen Farm on Bowen Island. Star, a regenerative farmer and designer, in partnership Phil Gregory, UBC Professor Emeritus of Physics and Astronomy, presented their "Food and Fibre Sustainabilit y Insights." To build on regenerative practices, the group attended a natural indigo dyeing series with Valérie d. Walker, a local textile artist and educator. They learned traditional shibori dyeing techniques and how this natural dye can help create healthy soils. In the final series of activities, the group worked with Dr. Love-Ese Chile and Tasha Nathanson from 7 Leagues Leather to conduct an experiment to evaluate the potential use of a cider industry by-product, provided by Twin Island Cider, as a tannin for leather production. Students tested the material for tannin content in a laboratory experiment, comparing it to results obtained using more conventional leather tannin sources. After each of their activities, the students reflected on their experiences in a group video call with their mentor Rebecca Burgess. FIBRE STORIES CO H O RT 77 02. FIELD SCHOOL R EGEN ER ATI O N MENTORS AND GUEST FACILITATORS REBECCA BURGESS STAR HOERAUF TASHA NATHANSON DR. LOVE-ESE CHILE PHIL GREGORY VALERIE D. WALKER STUDENTS LAURA HERRIDGE MORGAN MARTINO AJRA PURSLEY-DOOBENEN DAMIEN STONICK, SHIRA ANIMAN TAJA ARYA JINNAH CALEIGH SMITH 78 The name for Bowen Island is Nexwlélexm in the native language of the Squamish people and describes a beautiful place in the middle of Howe Sound, not far from Horseshoe Bay, West Vancouver. It is home to mentor Star Hoerauf and guest speaker Phil Gregory. The students of the Regeneration Cohort were invited to visit Morning Star Woollen Farm on Bowen Island with the intention of learning about regenerative farming. During their visit, astrophysicist and soil enthusiast Phil Gregory presented his ideas on "Food and Fibre Sustainabilit y" through a group discussion. The students started their day trip from Vancouver on a rainy fall morning. After a welcome by Star to her farm, their first activit y included examining a raw sheep fleece. Star explained how the raw wool is processed to become a finished product. She spoke about her past career in technical apparel design and her goals as an entrepreneur. Star explained the importance of building personal networks, referring to the experience she has had developing relationships by having her fleece processed into yarn. Accompanied by the sheep, the students then got a tour of the farm where they learned about Star's regenerative farming practices raising sheep specifically for their fleece. She explained how the property had been developed for water conservation and described the systems in place for carbon sequestration, including strategic grazing techniques. Later, in a discussion with Phil Gregory, the students learned about soil degradation, the impacts of global warming and chronic disease epidemics in relation to industrial agriculture on a global scale. They discussed how regenerative practices can help to rebuild healthy soils, starting on a local scale. BOWEN ISLAND FIBRE STORIES CO H O RT 79 02. FIELD SCHOOL R EGEN ER ATI O N MORNING STAR WOOLLEN FARM At Morning Star Woollen, our purpose is to study the natural world and invest ourselves in ways that enhance the healing of the soil that sustains everything we produce and share. Ours is a well-worn path, quietly pioneered by generations of ranchers who intimately understood the synergy of grazing animals and the earth. We’re honoured to follow their wisdom and the lessons that unfold before us moment by moment on the farm. And we’re proud to be contributing in a small way to nourishing the future world by nurturing our little stretch of land. from Morning Star Woollen farm, “Our Story” accessed through https://morningstarwoollen.com/ 80 ONLINE SESSIONS The adaptabilit y of virtual meetings allowed for the students of the Regeneration cohort to have group discussions with their mentors as well as hands-on workshops with their guest facilitators. Rebecca Burgess met with the students from her home in California while the students tuned in from Vancouver. Rebecca facilitated discussions around the content the students were learning in the Field School from the context of Fibershed and regenerative farming practices. The virtual meeting space also made possible an indigo presentation from Valérie d. Walker, where the students learned more about her work as a textile artist and indigo maven. The most impressive use of the Bluejeans video conferencing application was the series of workshops hosted by Tasha Nathanson and Dr. LoveEse Chile, where the students learned the process of making fish leather and conducted tannin extraction experiments from kits that were prepared for them, all from their own homes in front of a computer screen. In the face of a challenge like COVID-19, the students, mentors, guest facilitators, and project staff showed great resilience and made the Field School come to life through perseverance, flexibilit y, and determination. FIBRE STORIES LO CATI O N 81 02. FIELD SCHOOL R EGEN ER ATI O N 82 STAR HOERAUF SHEPHERDESS, GROWER & DESIGNER AT MORNING STAR WOOLLEN Farm, Star Hoerauf is a life-long lover of clothes who has worked for leading edge makers of technical outerwear including Arc'teryx, the North Face and Patagonia. She has spent the past decade raising children, sheep, and reconciling her love of clothing with the fashion industry. Hoerauf is recognized as a pioneer in the realm of high-performance technical apparel, and has received more than a dozen awards for technical outerwear design. Though much of her career has been spent innovating synthetic fabrics and cutting edge construction techniques, she is now passionately focused on the use of high-performance natural fibers and small-scale domestic manufacturing on Bowen Island, BC. FIBRE STORIES M ENTO R 83 02. FIELD SCHOOL R EGEN ER ATI O N 84 VALÉRIE D. WALKER VALÉRIE D. WALKER IS A RENAISSANCE ARTIST, ALCHEMYST, TRANSMEDIA maker, educator, curator, Indigo Griot, Radio-Wave creatrix & BIPOC Femme Afro-Futuristic transmitter. She holds 5th level Ikebana (Japanese flower arranging) & Chado (tea-ceremony) degrees with Urasenke-Kyoto & lifetimes of Indigo knowledge, she landed on Gaia in Honolulu & has traveled the planet in space and time. Valérie holds a degree in EECS from UC-Berkeley and her MFA from NSCAD University. Valérie’s artwork explores enviro-positive natural dyeing and printing, fibre-based responsive installations, tactile virtual spaces, solar-powered circuits, story-telling, epigenetic memories, environmentally healing studio processes, craft-based techniques, digitalia and imagining, programming, sensoriality, and Afro-Futurism. Her curatorial work examines Diasporiac revelations, Indigi-Queer Black Other Femme representations & Techno-Enviro Moravecian NightMares. Valérie has over 20+ years of Grrl Powered radio online from her production & hosting of the XX Files Radio show, @Matricules, Canada’s only open-source, feminist digital media art portal. Her installations & dimensional sculptures are exhibited across Canada and the world. Part of the Surrey Art Gallery’s 2017 Ground Signals group exhibition, her recent Richmond No. 3 Road mentoring project, and commissioned work received outstanding reviews. Valérie returned to the West Coast 6 years ago, after 20 years in Montréal where she taught Techno-Culture, Arts & Gaming (TAG) and Computation Arts in the Fine Arts Faculty of Concordia University. Involved with Studio XX (now Ada-X) for 17 years; Valérie produced & hosted the XX Files Radio show, now in year XXV on CKUT FM & Soundcloud. She has started several alternative, BIPOC, Feminist LGBTQ+ hackerspaces & Alternative & Grrl & Queer Games festivals in Montréal. She teaches Interdisciplinary Foundation Studio, Interactive Wearables, Electronics for Artists, Fibreshed Regener- Photo by Maya Lubell ation (TARP) Indigo naturally, Programming for Grrlz with community empowerment centers, and serves on various art juries and the boards of Pride in Art and BLAC. She is an artist in residence at the Malaspina Downtown Printing Studios and has her own bio-fermented natural indigo dye studio in East Vancouver, BC. FIBRE STORIES M ENTO R 85 02. FIELD SCHOOL R EGEN ER ATI O N 86 TASHA NATHANSON TASHA IS A CURIOUS ENTREPRENEUR, ATTUNED TO SOCIAL enterprise and keen on business models successful not just on a commercial level but also designed to enhance the well being of individuals, communities, and the environment. When she encountered a group of Vancouver artists teaching themselves small-batch fish leather tanning, she set out to research and test the market for scaling that idea up from artisinal handwork to commercial production for job creation and wider impact. Building a new type of manufacturing business that will blaze a way forward (re)using local, sustainable resources is what gets her up in the morning. Seven Leagues Leather is the result. Photo provided by Tasha Nathanson FIBRE STORIES M ENTO R 87 02. FIELD SCHOOL R EGEN ER ATI O N 88 DR.LOVE ESE CHILE DR. LOVE-ESE CHILE IS THE FOUNDER AND TECHNICAL DIRECTOR of circular waste research and testing company Regenerative Waste Labs. Dr. Chiles' research focuses on understanding the biodegradation of biobased products to develop new waste management and circular recovery technologies. Her interests lie at the intersection of the circular economy, bioeconomy, green chemistry and sustainable science. She has taken her scientific training into the industry and is passionate about communicating and translating her knowledge into new ventures and initiatives that will add value to our communities. As a person who comes from diverse backgrounds both personally and professionally, Dr. Chile is driven to connect people who may not usually come together to co-create products and services that will lead our communities into a greener and more equitable future. Photo provided by Dr. Love Ese Chile FIBRE STORIES M ENTO R 89 02. FIELD SCHOOL R EGEN ER ATI O N 90 Regeneration—a word that evokes ideas of growth, cultivation and continuous caring for something that might have been forgotten or disregarded. A word that involves cyclical ways of working. LAND, SHEEP, WOOL, FELT, REPEAT Regenerative farming practices in our Fibreshed are being embraced by various farmers working at different scales. We were invited to visit one of these farmers, Star Hoerauf, at her home and farm on Bowen Island, BC. This experience was the first time meeting many of my cohort members in person. Upon arrival, we gathered around a work table with a raw sheep fleece on it. This was from one of Star's Blue-faced Leicesters. This table, perched on her back deck, overlooked her farm that scaled a large and steep hill. We could hear her sheep through the fog and rain as they roamed around their field. Star told us stories about her relationships with them as she talked us through how she planned to process this specific fleece. The task was slow, layered and required a communit y of people to get from raw wool to spun yarn. I was enamoured by it all. It seems silly to be so taken by a greasy lanolin rich fleece, however, I couldn’t hide my excitement as I listened attentively. I stood there trying to take in as much information as possible in the short time we had. From here I knew this was something I needed to explore, however through Star’s description of the process I also knew it would AJRA DOOBENEN FIBRE STORIES STU D E NT require care, dedication and most of all, time. There is a responsibilit y and respect that has to be taken on when working with these materials. What does it mean, as a maker to work 91 02. FIELD SCHOOL with fleece from a sheep that contributed to a regenerative farm? For me, it means you are working within the soil-to-soil cyclical system. As the sheep contributes to regenerative farming and carbon sequestering, the wool it grows is an extension of these practices and methodologies. Not only can it be used for the making of yarns and felts, but eventually its nutrients can be returned to the very soil in which it originated. I believe that forming relationships with the soil, animals and everything in-between is at the heart of regenerative farming. So naturally, I started my exploration. Using fleece from my home island, I was able to connect with the people and sheep that produced it. After these conversations, I processed the fleece. This process included skirting, scouring and carding the fleece and following this I felted the wool. I am now at the stage of having a material (felt) to work with— we’ll see what comes next ! WO R DS A N D I M AGES BY AJ R A D O O B EN EN 92 THE CARING ACT OF TENDING TO A VESSEL There is something so wondrous about tending help but begin to personify it, finding metaphors to a vessel. Watching over its contents, bubbling for a child or beloved pet. She would swaddle and swirling about in an ever-changing-never- the vessel in blankets for warmth, feed it lime, quitethe-same series of patterns and abstrac- sugar and sake, and check its health. Our tions. Like watching a camp fire or the pull of impact on the vat had to be carefully planned the ocean, the contents of a pot, cauldron or and considered before our use of it, and was as container can be incredibly captivating to the much a factor in our use of it a s how it would human mind, inviting interaction and attention. affect our fabric. During my time in Fibreshed Field School, I was able to unpack how the actions of tending to during Dr. Love-Ese Chile’s Apple Pomace a vessel in service of dyeing or tanning could Tannins workshop, I was able to experience connect to sustainable making practices. first hand what tending to a vessel of dye was Many of the ways in which we usually temperature, stirring its contents and smelling textile goods (at the individual level at least) do its aromas helped reinforce the lessons in pres- not have a limited window of time to be complet- entness, reciprocit y and resilience that other ed. One can set down a pair of knitting needles areas of the program had brought up. I began to or crochet hook or embroidery hoop and come imagine how a prolonged relationship with these back to it months or years later and pick back sorts of dyeing processes would impact my up where they left off. Sewing projects can be design practice, enabling me to better consider passed down from generation to generation, my design decisions with regards to how their mended and modified through use, reuse and materials are processed. hope to carry with me the long term caring com- employed to make sure they can to work in their mitment I was able to experience when looking intended fashion. after these vessels of dye. Their lessons in process driven, site specific, symbiotic making are and her Indigo Vat, I was struck with how much lessons in the true costs and rewards of making of a relationship the two of them had. I couldn’t in a sustainable way. MORGAN MARTINO 93 As I continue my work in creative fields, I however, a more active role of care must be When in the presence of Valérie d. Walker STU D E NT like. The hours I spent in front of it, checking its engage with creating, transforming or caring for disuse. With leather tanning and textile dyeing FIBRE STORIES When I was able to tend to my own pot 02. FIELD SCHOOL WO R DS A N D I M AGES BY M O R GA N M A RTI N O 94 INDIGO DYEING SHIRA ANISMAN FIBRE STORIES STU D E NT 95 02. FIELD SCHOOL WO R DS A N D I M AGES BY SH I R A A N ISM A N 96 As the system grows, more producers, growers, makers, designers, and support systems start to grow. A stronger network starts to produce more sprouts, more leaves, and more potential. GROWING A TEXTILE SYSTEM An analogy of growing Indigo As the system matures, the budding network starts to bear fruit. The system can begin producing goods, connections with the system can begin to branch out to other regions and produce seeds of ideas that can be planted by other people, for other systems, and the cycle begins again! Much like a seed, an idea starts small. A healthy textile system needs to start with healthy ideas. Ideas focused on life, on place, on accountability, on hands, on craft, on care. To grow the idea of a new textile system, the idea must be planted. A seed planted in the wilderness, far from where we live and breath, might grow, it might die. Planting an idea where we are, however, we can care for the idea good soil, we can check in on it, we can weed out destructive ideas and practices. We become accountable, and excited! FIBRE STORIES STU D E NT DAMIEN STONICK 97 02. FIELD SCHOOL As a seed grows and begins to sprout and spread, we can begin recognizing where ideas are progressing, projects are growing, and where there are gaps. We can begin to ask what amendments need to be added, how can we fertilize the soil- grow support in the communit y, hold conversations, and develop practice. WO R DS A N D I M AGES BY DA M I EN STO N I C K 98 HAND-ARTS AS SYMBOLIC RESISTANCE Hand-based rituals can deepen our relationships to both material and place. Hand-based rituals can deepen our relationships to both material and place. These practices can be a part of building systems of support; having positive reverberations in the lives of vulnerable people and disabilit y justice. I focused on processes that lead to learning our bodies in different ways to increase our autonomy and connection to the land. In this way, ritual can tangibly link to health in our lives. Rural communities often lack necessary services and supports. This reduced accessibility has an increased impact on people living with disabilities. Nexwlélexwm (Bowen Island) is the rural island communit y where I grew up. It is where I have the strongest connection to place. The earth and water systems there raised me, and the natural environments are often where I felt the most freedom as a visible minorit y in a small population. When we are building resilience in our communities and practices why shouldn’t we look at ecosystems or individual organisms' bodies to reflect the ecology in our frameworks? Even in details like how wool can be felt like a form of protection or how the imprints of sheep’s hooves can shelter seeds and FIBRE STORIES water. There are even lessons to be learned in the scale structure of a salmon if we spend the time to be able to see them. A natural system that I learned the most from was soil. Philip Gregory, a local Bowen astrophysicist turned soil-enthusiast, brought up a concept when describing the importance of making information around health in soil and how that can affect our bodies visible. This was the need to “give people the tools to survive their lives.” He gave people the knowledge to avoid nutritionally deficient food, but this struck me as something with a wider application. Part of giving people the tools to survive their life is environmental health and forming meaningful relationships between people, and between practices. Visibility of knowledge and production can help combat the violence at all levels in fibre and agriculture production; having an awareness of the life cycles in labour and material. Life cycles were central to my exploration of indigo. I studied the Kumo Shibori dye-resist technique. A meditative process of collecting and tying in creek stones. I gathered stones from the natural water system where all TAJA ARYA JINNAH STU D E NT 99 my drinking water came from growing up. The ritual informed my body. There are multiplicities in how we can enrich our relationships to our environments, and this project built a circularit y with my personal history with the creek and in the technical process. Our mentor, indigo maven Valérie d. Walker, told us we have the colour blue because we can breathe which is another strong connection between indigo and the body. I also felt connections to the body in the language of family lineages—the powers of the mother indigo vat—and in how each vat has its cycles of life and death. Valérie’s stories also brought up the notion of gift economies, gifts in exchange for knowledge, and the passing down of meaningful work objects. Even the untying of our work felt like opening a gift from the indigo vat itself. Collecting the stones, t ying them in, dyeing the work, and returning the stones all activated my body in different ways. The dyeing process has its own kind of choreography that can enrich interaction. Across cultures, the procession of dyeing informs physicality. Becoming embedded in cultural language, cueing the creation of songs and dances linked to making. The effects of the dyeing process on the body reminded me of mehndi. One of my first memories is of when a woman articulated henna designs on my hands at a family wedding. I remember running around but having to keep my hands still as the henna dried. How it was a memorable deepening of family and cultural relationships translated from one hand to another person's hand. I thought about my cultural background when creating my shibori because India was historically the largest producer of indigo. Although the way indigo is grown now has been shaped by British colonialism and industrialization. There is a need for increased transparency in environmental and labour health impacts to change these colonized systems for the better. This can help a production go back to the direction of local farming practices. Localized 02. FIELD SCHOOL engagement in the arts and meaningful labour is a way of producing relationships that can facilitate greater change. While experiencing the isolation and uncertainty of the pandemic, through hand-based rituals of making, a community formed between us. We were in a way producing tangible expressions of these connections. Even if we couldn’t exist altogether in the ways that used to be normal, we still shared a kind of physical presence through our shared work. I felt this also while working with the salmon leather. The fish leather process has made me reassess the value of what we consider waste materials and what materials we restrict from value. This had a poetic relationship to how the conditions of industrialized labour have been a method of restricting people with disabilities from the economy, and extensively from society. These systems are devaluing when you are disabled and can damage self-worth, autonomy, and health which is why labour that is accessible and meaningful is so important. Hand-based rituals have visible value in our lives, in part, because environmental health is inextricable from communit y health. Fibre arts are uniquely suited to addressing questions in communit y building because this medium is ingrained in our daily rituals of comfort and connecting with others. The fact that engagement in the arts and meaningful labour has positive resonance especially in the lives of people who are marginalized or vulnerable, is something that will stay with me and inform my practice moving forward. As I am sitting sewing gifts for loved ones from the salmon leather I made myself, I think about the possibilities in the communit y, and I feel hope. WO R DS A N D I M AGES BY TAJ A A RYA J I N N A H 100 WHAT’S NEXT? 03 FIBRE FUTURES Fibreshed Field School brought together students, mentors, faculty, and community in a way that revealed the importance of establishing a local textile industry and the responsibility of artists and designers to work reciprocally with the land, culture, and community. Students gained insight into fibre production and processing, manufacturing and design, and entrepreneurship. While learning where fibres are grown, harvested, and processed, their perception of time was challenged through slow making. They learned what it means to research and work responsibly and reciprocally with local fibre systems. These insights sparked a change in their work, which for many students outlasted the Fibreshed Field School and begins to inform their future design and art practice. With this next chapter, we aim to give these students the space to share their continued work and give others inspired by the concept of fibreshed the opportunity to show how their practices are trailblazing fibre futures outside of the Field School. FIBRE STORIES 101 03. FIBRE FUTURES 102 THE ROVING DESIGNERS THE ROVING DESIGNERS ARE A COLLECTIVE OF INTERDISCIPLINARY designers. The collective was created to foster co-design and co-creation in a sustainable, inclusive and decolonial manner. Its aim is to bring design work out of the confines of traditional studio spaces and into parks, plazas, sidewalks, and anywhere else in nature and public space. Formed in fall 2020 in response to shifting access to studio spaces during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Roving Designers are focused on creating spaces for members to gather and share in each other's practices. The collective is a space that encourages decolonial design practices that care with and respond to local environments, communities, and contexts through small and slow acts of design making that can lead to discussions and insights into larger systemic issues. Projects that have come out of the Roving Designers include guided design walks as well as a Design Workbook. This summer the collective continues to be active through a Practice-Based Book Club and Micro-Grant initiative. As members of the collective begin to travel to different parts of Canada, these projects act as tools for members to continue to stay connected to one another and to share how the spaces and communities they live within shape their personal design practices. A PLACED-BASED DESIGN COLLECTIVE FIBRE STORIES FI B R E FUTU R ES More information about the Roving Designers can be found here www.rovingdesigners.carrd.co instagram: @rovingdesigners 103 03. FIBRE FUTURES WO R DS A N D I M AGES BY R OVI N G D ESI GN E R S 104 The realizations I came to last semester—about my practice and design beliefs, and how those ought to be shifted—heavily influenced the development of my Bachelor of Industrial Design grad project. GREENSINGING is an attempt to articulate a methodology and philosophy of design; a manner in which design, through preparation, process, and product, ought to behave. It places special emphasis on connections, and a recognition of them, which I found to be an integral part of my experience in the Reciprocit y + Stewardship cohort of the Fibreshed Field School. The methodology of GREENSINGING stresses the need to observe and acknowledge these webs of connection that underpin, support, or may suffer under the creative process; connections to land, to non-human entities, to material, to each other. In observing these, a designer is both tempered GREENSINGING GREENSINGING is a propositional framework of practice for establishing reciprocal and continuous relationships with the natural world. It seeks to effect a biophilic and bio-collaborative sensibility, not only as a design methodology, but as principles and practices which may be adopted by anybody wishing to grow more empathetic relationships with natural systems. It is a response to ecological grief and a resulting disillusionment with design practice. It draws in new values for a world in crisis; a deep love of land, a focus on the local, and a return to ancient and innate ways of existing and thinking. This framework engages participants in guided field activities, provoking reflections upon relationships to the non-human natural, and directing them towards a biophilic and bio-collaborative mindset. Through participants’ engagement with these activities, GREENSINGING has been tested, generating artifacts and manifestations of the process. CONNOR BUDD FIBRE STORIES FI B R E FUTU R ES and empowered, committing to a canon of creation that is far older and innate. A concern I had while participating in the Field School was how to introduce these concepts to people who are unfamiliar with them. GREENSINGING is, among other things, an attempt to create a framework, heavily inspired by Fibreshed, which can be understood by those parties to whom these concepts are completely foreign. My time in the Field School revealed many of the grand questions that I have about design and ways of living and creating, and GREENSINGING begins the process of interrogating and exploring those questions. It is my way of articulating some of the concepts which lay beneath the surface of Fibreshed. Perhaps it has less to do with the fibre (though it is certainly not excluded), and more to do with the shed. PDF versions of my complete GREENSINGING writings can be read at cutt.ly/7vRRTdk CONTACT: cbudd@ecuad.ca 105 03. FIBRE FUTURES WO R DS A N D I M AGES BY CO N N O R B U D D 106 FLAXPAPER Inspired by what she learned in the Field School, Camila Szefler has continued to work with fibre in her practice. Working with the tow flax leftover from her project, the 50 mile Sketchbook, she made paper that can easily be drawn and written on. Using a proper blender, the hollander beater on the Emily Carr campus, she was able to explore different drying methods to create beautiful flax paper. CAMILA SZEFLER FIBRE STORIES FI B R E FUTU R ES 107 03. FIBRE FUTURES WO R DS A N D I M AGES BY CA M I L A SZ EFL ER 108 PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE encompasses a series of forms & interventions exploring the relationships between maker, material, & the spaces in which the work is situated. PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE MATERIALS My work as a maker and designer seeks to explore relationships involving objects, materials, places, and the systems that support these interactions. This project has developed to be distinctly practice based, embracing the ongoing nature of learning processes related to material research methods. While this work may not be recognized as traditional ‘industrial design,’ I believe it speaks to the discipline’s core elements, those which seek to address the world around us through material. The repetition of basic actions is a key element in establishing connections between maker, material, and site, whether that be the tying of knots or weaving of branches. This practice seeks to embrace the concept of emergence, which is the way complex systems and patterns arise out of relatively simple interactions.1 Once a number of these primary elements (materials, techniques, tools) have been identified and validated they can be recombined to incorporate new structures, shapes, and uses. The forms which arise serve to augment the existing body of work, a foundation for further research through design. VOLUMES The volumes were created to capture this period within an ongoing practice, focusing on the three themes that have been central to my work recently: generation, intervention, and stewardship. The act of documentation has also become a part of the practice itself, the goal being to continue producing volumes of similar st yle as the work develops over time and place.2 This work was humbly practiced on the occupied, ancestral territory of the x wməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), Stó:lō and səĺilẃətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations thank you to the land that has hosted me as an uninvited guest, and continues to teach me each and every day, thank you to all of the teachers who got me here, thank you to all the folks, beings, and sites that have significantly informed this practice, thank you to the willow, for keeping me humble. NAOMI BOYD FIBRE STORIES FI B R E FUTU R ES 1. adrienne maree brown, Emergent Strategy, 2017 2. watch documented interventions on www.vimeo.com/534160897 CONTACT: naomidboyd@gmail.com www.naomidboyd.ca 109 03. FIBRE FUTURES WO R DS A N D I M AGES BY N AO M I B OYD DUDE CHILLING PARK cotton rope 3 hours of making // up for 12 days SCULPTURE GRAVEYARD south flatz advertising tarp 2 hours of making // up for 40 hours PATCH OF GRASS cotton twine & pine cones 6.5 hours of making // up for 34 days 110 VEINS Veins is a project that explores tissues made from garments - unused, lost their purpose, donated, thrown. This project explored creating structures that could function as seats, and later took a speculative route. What happens when the seat form is informed by Vietnamese indigenous beliefs? TUYEN HOANG FIBRE STORIES FI B R E FUTU R ES left: Tall stool 20” x 17” Plywood, steel, recycled denim and leather 111 03. FIBRE FUTURES above:  Comfort stool 18” x 17.25” Plywood, steel, recycled denim and leather WO R DS A N D I M AGES BY TUYEN H OA N G 112 While attending her final year of Emily Carr Universit y in the fall of 2019 Ash took Business of Design led by Emily Smith and Stephanie Ostler, where she was introduced to the work of Rebecca Burgess and the Fibershed Network. While working on her thesis project, she knew she wanted to work within the area of textile sustainabilit y, and was looking for direction and inspiration. Attending the first public lecture given by Rebecca Burgess at Emily Carr, which centered around regional textile systems and carbon-negative clothing, her project direction became clear. (re)valued approaches the wicked problem associated with the clothing and textile industry by exploring a generative material practice using regional fibres and multiple textile production techniques. Each artifact is a representation of its process, carrying an embedded vernacular. The series of artifacts are designed to provoke conversation around our values, the material economy, connection and to encourage a new urban mythology. The Coat The coat’s design is a representation of the process, every aspect carefully crafted from sketch to fibre processing, picking, cleaning, carding and felting, to pattern drafting and sewing. The transparency of its story is seen, smelled and (re)valued ASH LOGAN 03. FIBREFUTURES FI B R E FUTU R ES felt through the materials that have been produced and designed. Lined with silk and sewn using silk thread, the coat is designed to be composted for end of life. The form allows for an openness in accessibility. The coat is aesthetically inspired by Japanese fashion with an androgynous approach. The Tote-Back The tote-back is a versatile bag designed for daily use. Using regional fibres, the bag communicates a deep connection to the land while maintaining a polished look with ease in its functionality. The bag can be worn off the shoulder and as a backpack. The bag is designed for end of life using linen fabric for the lining and handles, fastening the ends of the handles with leather and sewn together using silk thread. It’s clean, simple aesthetic allows it to be used in any scenario. The Pouf The pouf is home seating furniture, qualit y made for comfort. The woven and felted fabric offers a unique yet subtle aesthetic. The regional wool creates a soft and comforting experience. Sewn together using yarn made from the same fibre and stuffed with straw, the pouf is designed for end of life. Ash acted as the project coordinator during the Fibreshed Field School activities and has continued work with the project in the second phase as a research assistant. She continues to work in regional material systems, utilizing not only new local fibres but also deadstock fabric that has been diverted from waste streams. IMAGES: www.ashs.design CONTACT:  ashal.22@gmail.com @ash.s.design 113 FIBRE STORIES WO R DS A N D I M AGES BY ASH LO GA N above left:  The Tote-Back above right: The Pouf right page: The Coat model: Ketrice Anderson 114 REBIRTH The skirt is designed to be like an illustrative book with three layers of fabrics telling the stories of death and rebirth over and over again. The Master of Design program has taught Elham what it means to truly connect to land in deep ways that explore her own heritage She is now working on the concept of revaluing textiles and fashion garments by means of telling stories. She wants to provoke conversation about different cultures and values. Inspired by her Iranian heritage, Elham’s current work formed around the idea of Nowruz and the rebirth of nature. The work is the result of Elham’s personal thoughts around the concept of death and life after death. It is built on a 2430 BC myth about the celebration of spring (Nowruz). Dumuzi, king of the gods of Sumer, married the beautiful Goddess called Inanna who is the goddess of fertilit y. The marriage is the face of sacred marriage. Dumuzi dies and Inanna mourns his death. Ultimately, he will be allowed to return to heaven to be with her for one half of the year. His return is the beginning of the new year and it is the symbol of rebirth. In methodology, sacred marriage is used to describe creation. ELHAM ATIGHI LORESTANI FIBRE STORIES FI B R E FUTU R ES 115 03. FIBRE FUTURES WO R DS A N D I M AGES BY EL H A M ATI GH I LO R ESTA N I 116 PL.LAB A PLACE-BASED MATERIAL LAB The lab was created with a mission to understand material ethics and responsibilities from the places and land on which we work, live, and play. CHIARA & CHRISTA SCHMITT CLAY FIBRE STORIES FI B R E FUTU R ES 117 The pl.lab is a research and design lab with a mission to understand material ethics and responsibilities from the the places and land on which we work, live, and play founded by Christa Clay and Chiara Schmitt, both graduate students at Emily Carr University of Art and Design. The collaborative approach of this project allows us to work with students, faculty, and external co-creators with the collective goal to create a meshwork of data through resources, experiences, contacts, and protocols. Through this work, we hope to build a foundation from which to share and offer knowledge and open up conversation on place-based and responsible material practices. Aiming to engage with people through this research, to provoke imagination, and to diversify perspectives on material practices in ways that support local communities, we see 03. FIBRE FUTURES this work as a means of embedding reciprocity between designers and place within the Emily Carr communit y and beyond. The first project of the lab focused on an in-depth material analysis of Cytisus scoparius, commonly known as Scotch Broom, an invasive plant species that is pervasive in southern British Columbia. The investigations included processing the broom as a raw material to explore its potential as a regional resource for fibre content. This experience has encouraged the next steps of creating a place-based material database. Our team is now in the early stages of building the first edition of this work, which will feature artists and designers, their local material affinities, ethics and protocols of harvest and collection of the featured material, and more. www.pllab.ca WO R DS A N D I M AGES BY C H R ISTA C L AY A N D C H I A R A SC H M IT T 118 Sometimes the worms are a metaphor for designing with care, reciprocity, and working with circular systems. WORMS AND WEAVING: a design practice through soil and cloth Over the past year, I have been exploring the making of cloth and fabric at all stages. My participation as a research assistant in the second phase of Fibreshed Field School has given me permission to incorporate my love of gardening into a design practice. The regenerative farming practices introduced to the students aligned with the practices I have already adopted working with worms and composting to build rich soil for growing vegetables. The work includes seeding flowering plants to support bees and hummingbirds, planting flax, nettle and fibre plants for making cloth, and now madder and natural dye plants for learning how to colour cloth. Working with EartHand Gleaners had bridged my experience from working in my own yard to working in the community and in relationship with others. As a personal exploration and within an EartHand Guild, I have also delved into weaving as a way to explore my own heritage and the history of settler colonialism in Canada. The history of cloth is intertwined MELANIE CAMMAN FIBRE STORIES FI B R E FUTU R ES 119 03. FIBRE FUTURES with racism and movements of people around the globe. I have also embarked on an exploration of worm composting as a part of my practice. Worm composting is a simple and elegant way of building soil, and working with what already exists. I have been running worm-composting workshops with young people, post-secondary students and adults who are neurodiverse. Sometimes the worms are a metaphor for designing with care, reciprocit y, and working with circular systems. In other workshops, I am simply sharing what I have learned about composting with red wigglers and building soil. My favourite moment was exploring alternative forms of listening with five-year-olds by creating vibrations, stomping and patting the ground to be loud or quiet, to teach them about how worms, who do not have ears, hear through movement. Weaving and worms are teaching me how to make complicated issues and topics accessible through embodied experiences. WO R DS A N D I M AGES BY M EL A N I E CA M M A N 120 Our perceptions of time had been tested through slow making. —Lydia Lovison As we move through different physical environments over the semester (virtual, rural, urban) this regenerative practices take on different identities, however at its roots are these and values of care, attentiveness and cyclical methods of practice. —Ajra Pursley-Doobenen I am starting to contemplate materiality of the things I build and make from…but beyond that—where do materials come from? Where do they fit in relation to the world? —Laura Herridge I’m looking forward to the coming months and years of practicing these teachings and continuing to develop my own understandings and connection to the land and the materials and techniques that have developed through what the ecology has provided to us. —Naomi Boyd Trying these new skills, I am so aware that there are people who hold all this expertise in their bodies. Thinking about that knowledge held in touch is so inspiring. It makes me very hopeful to remember we all have the capacity for this sort of skill and mastery. —Ruby Lewis Hand weaving holds, in my mind, more of the makers memories and stories. The process of small scale hand works, like weaving, knitting, crocheting, and sewing carries the stories and feelings of the maker regardless if it’s clear to an outside eye. —Tess Snaden In one way or another, our collective warp fluidly feeds our imagination and holds together our blankets. Like a watershed where we get water from, or a foodshed where to get food from. I would like to remember this collective warp as my fibreshed, a precious one. —Tuyen Hoang The more I made rope the more my hands began to let my mind wander. I no longer had to focus on the movements of my hands. —Emily Janek During this process I have begun to long for a deeper connection with my ancestors and a sense of purpose and self which extends beyond my time. —Danika Oystrek Being present for the entire process through work and labour, knees in the dirt, fingers green. All the wonderful scents of those raw materials, so lovely and fresh. The soft rustling as a group of us all quietly twist up cordage. —Connor Budd 139 While experiencing the isolation and uncertainty of the pandemic, again through hand-based rituals of making a community started to form between us. We were in a way producing a tangible expression of these connections. —Taja Arya Jinnah 141 Working with and aiding in the creation of materials such as tannins and dyes without a predefined use for them (rather than the reverse process that I am used to) was a paradigm shift that allowed me to critically examine my own practices, both in regards to its connection to material consumption and community engagement. —Morgan Martino IN RETROSPECT SEPTEMBER–DECEMBER 2020 THE FIELD SCHOOL Reciprocity And Stewardship, Warping And Weaving, Regeneration Cohorts 04 FIBRE FOR THOUGHT Sometime in early 2020 Emily said “let’s go outside!” Then, COVID-19 happened. Stuck. Following this as the observers-onlookers-gatherers of all of this collective intensity and tasked with documenting/sharing the many creative threads/ experiences of the Fall Fibershed Field School over a more extended time frame, we slowly realized that new relations had formed. In early July 2021, after months of online discussions and planning, we finally met up, in person, for the first time. Sitting together, in a light filled room, with two white boards in front of us we were finally able to share through gestures, sighs, laughs— movements in a shared space. And as we did so we collectively wrote out—sorted through—what we had been invited to look at, listen to and consider. The students of the Field School had been welcomed to move beyond extractionist understandings/usage/positioning. They took this on with gusto. We realized for them (and us also) the fibre, tools, place, weather, heritage, time, stories of this experience were active, autonomous agents who contributed in their many ways and had come to be understood by the students (and ourselves) as collaborators. Boxed in. Separated From one another. Wondering make a difference? 123 FIBRE STORIES Ash, Emily, Hélène, Christa, Elham, Chiara, and Mel What would it take to FI B R E FUTU R ES JANUARY–JUNE 2021 Creatives caught How to collaborate ... FIBRE STORIES An initial proposition to go places, meet people, be together, shifted to a virtual endeavour. Reconstructed out of necessity. A place of uncertainty and strangeness coupled with many ways of knowing, doing, being—of care. The students and their mentors found a way to connect. And as they did so they spoke-worked-found new relations with fibre, tools, place, weather, heritage, time, and stories. 04. FIBRE FOR THOUGHT TI M EL I N E 124 fibre AS COLLABORATOR helping REFLECTION Collaboration is the action of working alongside one another. As collaborators, we team up, get together, work jointly, participate, unite, combine, merge, link, associate, amalgamate, integrate, and form alliances. As we do so, we share goals, wishes, and desires for the future. For Fibreshed Field School’s mentors, students, facilitators and community, this future embraces diverse perspectives and accepts our non-human contributors to counter the prevailing modernist and capitalistic agendas through collaboration. Collaboration is an abstract term defined through human contexts. But what happens if we treat not the human but rather the earth as our collaborator? Its history, forces, processes, and sustenance as partners. What if we question the role the human plays in the concept of collaboration? Following our own affinities for particular collaborators, this final section offers up some final thoughts to leave you with. FIBRE STORIES FI B R E FUTU R ES 125 In our heavily manufactured, globalized world, it’s nearly impossible to see or interact with the process and footprint of our everyday textiles. The fibre and cloth that make up our lives have been essential to our survival, and yet today it’s nearly impossible to understand how things are made—let alone engage with the technological, political, economic, and cultural forces at play. By engaging with tools, technologies, and embodied knowledge, we begin to unravel the depth and range of activities that have shaped where we are, so that we can explore a wider range of what’s possible, or even practical, when it comes to the cloth that we (designers and humans) surround ourselves with. The transformation of fibre into cloth requires human-made tools or methods: sowing seeds, shepherding, digitizing patterns, spinning a drop spindle, or harvesting plants for dye or fibre production (to name a few). From a whorl to a shuttle, each mechanical process calls upon a different relationship between the maker and the cloth, and the cloth to the wearer of that material. The labour of these technologies undergoes significant changes when we move from small-scale, hand methods, towards mechanized production, that can produce enough cloth to clothe a communit y. Perhaps, by engaging with the process—people, plants, tools, and methods—we can create a richer experience of the world around us. By acknowledging the presence of textiles in our lives, we uncover a multitude of world views and expressions from past and present times, in hope that it can contribute to the creation of a rich, regional connection to the land, people and processes in our fibreshed. EMILY SMITH 04. FIBRE FOR THOUGHT R EFL ECTI O N 126 tools AS COLLABORATOR in partnership As designers we are trained to use tools, to construct, to develop, make There are conventions—old ones along with new … ingenuities. They conglomerate (stratify… ) more and more AND! Ways of doing always in relation to the tools we find, make, construct, envisage. Partners that help us build and see other worlds. Draw them out and spin ….. … …. Twist, bundle Dye Dream Plan. The designers/creatives/makers of Fibreshed Field School were ones in training. Taken out of the usual scenario of engagement, offered new relations with tools, by mentors who tended, shared yarns. The students were invited (and accepted!) to make/think/make in new ways. As we watched, listened, read their words, we realized that tools (those they worked with) were no longer objective implements - to be exploited. The relationship had shifted. Tools were friends, helpers, guiders, their collaborators—tools and people / people and tools—designing/ making/ form giving—thinking together—*preparing new possibilities. Past—present—future are separated out important narratives lost. The thread that ties past/present/future cut. The loom, a rock weighted The loom, within a constructed frame The loom, connected to a system (developed—of 0’s and 1’s Punch card tickets To devise Make patterns Tell stories Collect, recollect, hold, mark out, offer up. Possibility! FI B R E FUTU R ES We tend, watch, observe, cut, care (hoe, weed, prune … ) We harvest: cut, lay out, ret, Wait We align fibre: card, smooth, pull ……….. Wait All the way through tools are with us. Sometimes we need just our hands—they are our tools for seeing and engaging with the world. Often (and for millennia) we devise tools to assist. Blades for cutting, rows of needles for aligning/sorting, rocks for weighing down, spindles for entwining, buckets, tables, combes, racks … Most often In the desire to specialize—assert expertise, contribute to efficient systems of the modern machine The designer Trained To make things with prepared units of resource (dimensional lumber, spools of thread, bolts of cloth… ) Loses sight Gains little to no access to what came before (or the tools that are used). FIBRE STORIES Prior to emergence / proposition! / the craft y maneuver of offering up cloth *Old English tōl, comes from a Germanic base meaning ‘prepare’ HÉLÈNE DAY FRASER 127 04. FIBRE FOR THOUGHT R EFL ECTI O N 128 place AS COLLABORATOR friendship weather AS COLLABORATOR in conversation We walked the land. Felt the soil beneath our cleared forest, every dried-up water source, and Heatwaves, floods, forest fires, droughts, nev- forest fire smoke, and quietly intervening when feet. Saw it becoming a little denser with each every additional degree of heat, life becomes er-ending rains. Lambing season, the time to the rains don’t come. Counting the days to step. Paving the way for us. We noticed how more difficult. Our ancestors cultivated the shear, returning salmon, spawning. Seeding, harvest and paying attention to the indicators it would accompany us softly. Supporting our land. They took only as much as they needed. flowering, pollination, fear of frosts, the harvest. of harvest time, the days getting longer and path. In life. Wherever we would go. How long it Because unlike us, they understood that land The ret and the rot, boiling, curing, tanning, warmer, then shorter and cooler. When you would take. We would smell the oils of the earth and place means not only origin but future. And extraction, transmutation and transformation. spend time outdoors, the weather teaches you rising to our nose. The soil had been nourished. to be able to envision it, the integrity and bal- Cyclical, interrupting, disrupted, informing. A to respond and adapt. From the clear rainfall and the cold streams ance of the place had to be maintained. pandemic. Adaptation. that would cross our trails. From the nutrients given by its ancestors and neighbours. Cared The students learned what it means to Most weather we are accustomed to and The Fibreshed Field School ran for one prepared for, but it is severe weather that catch- become a caretaker of place. They learned semester in Fall 2020. The program intended es us off guard. Fires, droughts, floods, heat for by the little non-human companions that call about soil degradation, regenerative farming to reconnect students to the places where waves, ice storms, and other phenomenal acts it their home. It would offer us humans a place. practices and local materials. But they also cloth was grown, soil was built, and to examine interrupting the timelines of human activity and A place to envision our future. A place we would reflected on what place means to them. While interventions to the economy that adjusted for our attempts to control and separate humans make our home, too. A place that would make us visiting outdoor studios, many of the student’s local fibres and place-based knowledge. But the from the world. The pandemic was an inter- happy. Happy, that we were on a patch of earth experiences were at home. In virtual space, rhythms of a semestered learning system and ruption, on a global scale, forcing us to adapt. in this endless universe. place becomes lost easily. Place is not just academic funding cycles do not align with earth- During the fall semester, students and mentors home, or a point on the globe. Place is also a based systems. Institutional learning is out of experienced the flexibilit y of a Fibreshed Field state of mind. It is positioning. sync with the growth cycle of plants and the School format. Being already attuned to the shifting seasons of weather. A single semester cycles of nature and patterns of weather, it was is a sliver of the whole process. able to adapt to the conditions of the pandemic, But with this place came responsibility. Responsibilit y to care for the place we would live in. To not only take but also give. How can we collaborate with Place? ”We abuse land because we regard it as a commodit y belonging to us. When we see land as community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect.”—Aldo Leopold We humans must take up our elemental task again. We have to re-embrace our role as Collaborating with place will guide us towards a safe, reciprocal and responsible future. It left me wondering, what would it look and encouraged students to connect with hu- longer see the place we live on as a commodity like for students to grapple with sustainabilit y mans and non-humans through a time of social but as a community of which we are a true part. by attuning their educational calendar to the and physical isolation. A community that we care about preserving. rhythms of the materials they are working with? Weather teaches us to notice and A communit y that we are responsible for, that What if weather was not a secondary consid- respond to events larger than ourselves, over we work for, and that we protect. Because who eration but a collaborator? Starting the school which we have no control, but which we must would not cre for their home and family? year, when the weather shifts, indicating the learn to live and work with. A future in which, as Aldo Leopold said, we no time for planting the seeds. Then watching them caretakers of our earth. Because with every grow, noting the days of rain, frost, drought, CHIARA SCHMITT FIBRE STORIES FI B R E FUTU R ES MELANIE CAMMAN 129 04. FIBRE FOR THOUGHT R EFL ECTI O N 130 heritage AS COLLABORATOR caring In January, when most of us came on as re- generations. We are resilient in our own ways, search assistants, we convened on Zoom where fighting for flexibility and opportunity to build we all quickly realized that we each had parents the futures we want for the world. Futures that or grandparents who farmed. They had land, ring reminiscent of the past, have us using our resilience and material intelligence that lives on hands more, and being mindful of our impact on now in our childhood memories. Bonding over human and non-human beings around us. My this shared connection through our respective grandmother likes to tell me that my grandfa- heritages, I realized that this was not so much ther, whom we called G-Daddy, is smiling down a coincidence, but rather a consequence of our on me, shining proud that I farm and grow just “developing” modern world. What once was a like he did his whole life—those words still bring common way of life, farming or ranching to make tears to my eyes. a living, has become increasingly commercial- It seems more and more that those who ized and privatized in the course of two gener- do not consider the past as a teacher or collab- ations. In this particular circumstance, we all orator would do well to repeat some older ways began to feel kinship with our family histories in of working, to revitalize what may be considered agriculture—as we now thirst for the opportunit y old fashioned in an increasingly industrialized to grow our own food and materials. We struggle and digital world. We are very much responsi- with the urban condition, its high cost of living ble for carrying on lessons that our ancestors and subsequent skyrocketing land and home worked hard to learn, in the spirit of progress, costs, that stifle that thirst to grow. Instead, we and in the spirit of maintaining that there are have adapted. We grow in small patches on countless right ways to be... it is in this spirit that street corners and subdivided lots, we volunteer the students of Fibreshed Field School learned. in community gardens, and we share with each They learned from mentors who had mentors other what we are grateful to have. We make do, who had mentors—they worked with that passed and in the process inspire hope for our dreams on knowledge and material intelligence. Without of having our own land someday, just like those this context, where would we be now? Our histo- that came before us—to have the agency and ries and heritage are with us in our practice—an opportunity to build more resilient, closer knit, ever present and indispensable collaborator. and self-sufficient communities for us and future CHRISTA CLAY FIBRE STORIES FI B R E FUTU R ES 131 time AS COLLABORATOR an ally The time of it all. It is possible that each person involved in Fibreshed Field School experienced time in different and unique ways. Time can move quickly and slowly and it is something we can never get back. Time builds memories and stories and skills. Time seems to move at different paces depending on how it’s spent. Time is valued in different ways. When I think of time in my own experience, the longer I’m here the faster it seems to go. The ways in which our culture values time is often disconnected from the human experience and the natural cycles and seasons. Time as an abstract concept. When we think of time in relation to our fibreshed, there are natural cycles that are in direct conflict with the academic institution. The intersection of these two different ways of existing, the construct of linear time introduced through industrialization and the cyclical nature of the natural world, in a lot of ways shaped how the field school was planned and experienced. For one short semester, each cohort was able to dip into their mentors' processes, be fully present in their experience and take away those lessons to bring into their own practice. They learned that the process of designing and making, growing and harvesting is never really finished. There is no beginning and end, there is only the journey, and to be present in that journey is to slow down. Time as protest. Slowing down our practices and our lives is an act of defiance. Slowing down brings care, focus, consideration, compassion and empathy. We're better able to take notice of the details, the human and non human collaborators, sentient and non sentient. The field school provided an opportunity for the students to engage with fibre systems at a pace that is not common practice in the globalized textile industry. Many of the students reflected on slowing down their practice and finding a more mindful approach to making. This initially caused some discomfort from their familiar pace but the process of learning patience is not always easy. In my own youth I thought there was virtue in finishing first. As time went on with more experience, failure and success, I started to see the value in slowing down my pace and have 04. FIBRE FOR THOUGHT brought those values into my own practice. However our culture, industries and economies carry a different set of values. Like many others, I'm tired of trying to keep up in a world that is imploding. The way that our culture values time doesn't consider all of the stakeholders, only the shareholders. Presently there is no balance in making a living and caring for the environment. Though, programs such as Fibreshed Field School bring hope for a just future. There's so much strength in bringing communities together to rethink and recalibrate our understanding of time. By working together to deconstruct the concept of linear time, we can begin to see time as a collaborator. Time as protest. Slowing down our practices and our lives is an act of defiance. Slowing down brings care, focus, consideration, compassion and empathy. We're better able to take notice of the details, the human and non human collaborators, sentient and non sentient. The field school provided an opportunity for the students to engage with fibre systems at a pace that is not common practice in the globalized textile industry. Many of the students reflected on slowing down their practice and finding a more mindful approach to making. This initially caused some discomfort from their familiar pace but the process of learning patience is not always easy. In my own youth I thought there was virtue in finishing first. As time went on with more experience, failure and success, I started to see the value in slowing down my pace and have brought those values into my own practice. However our culture, industries and economies carry a different set of values. Like many others, I'm tired of trying to keep up in a world that is imploding. The way that our culture values time doesn't consider all of the stakeholders, only the shareholders. Presently there is no balance in making a living and caring for the environment. Though, programs such as Fibreshed Field School bring hope for a just future. There's so much strength in bringing communities together to rethink and recalibrate our understanding of time. By working together to deconstruct the concept of linear time, we can begin to see time as a collaborator. ASH LOGAN R EFL ECTI O N 132 stories AS COLLABORATOR drawing us together Everything started with a story. Story as Fibreshed as the seed, the Field School as the fertile soil have fought against the single story narrative we have it in mind has a framework, a beginning, that masks the key issue with stereotypes. a middle and an end. Rebecca Burgess started As said by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, “the a new story. She understood that people play problem with stereotypes is not that they are a big role in it and that those relationships are not true, but they are incomplete. They make missing in the future of the fibre stories. The ‘one story’ become the only story” (Adichie as beauty of stories is that they tend to generate cited in Bertolotti et al., 2016). Fibreshed stories other stories. Such was the case of Rebecca’s were generated not only by multiple voices, but story which was the beginning of many other by many different means of communication. It is stories. One of them being Fibreshed Field a radically different approach in comparison to School - which gave threads to many other the commercialized and Western fashion system voices. Creating voices for not only the future that only gives certain people a voice by making but also linking back to the voices which sang a some communities visible and neglecting others. song like knotting threads on a Persian carpet. What Fibreshed Field School embraced is similar Over the past year, many people have entered and engaged in this project. Reading the students’ contributions to a storytelling practice that is discussed in the opened up a whole new world for me. The beau- DESIS network’s “The pearl diver: the designer ty of their writing was that it was so real. It was as storyteller” that sees diversity as an asset not building off of any one person’s story but for the sustainability among cultures, acting as around connection - not only to humans, but to more of a tool for exploration than a mode of ex- more than humans. To the stories that seem to pression. When I come back to this project, I see be taken from us - the stories of our grandpar- the importance of shifting the designer’s role ents and our land. It is so unique how the pro- from that of a storyteller to an enabler of multiple cess of creating materials by hand can create stories. This publication and podcast are not conversations that could never have happened made by one single author/voice/perspective, otherwise. but rather a multitude of authors. The stories Fibershed reads like an endless book, themselves act as mediators that allow different with every chapter generating more chapters stories to emerge and enter in dialogic discus- like threads woven into each other to create sion with each other. We have each thought about and found strategies for making in new and meaningful ways as we have done so. By collaborating with fibre, tools, place, weather, our diverse heritages, time and the stories we share, we have grown and begun to recognize many new ways that we can contribute and make a difference towards the care of our planet and each other. This site of collective action has propagated so many new sets of possibilities! We await in eager anticipation to see what will unfurl! With gratitude, Ash, Emily, Hélène, Christa, Elham, Chiara, and Mel 1  Leopold, A., & Meine, C. (2013). Aldo Leopold: A Sand County Almanac & Other Writings on Conservation and Ecology (LOA #238) (Library of America) (Reprint ed.). Library of America. 2  Adichie as cited in Bertolotti, E., Daam, H., Piredda, F., & Tassinari, V. (2016). 3. The pearl diver: the designer as storyteller DESIS Network Association-Dipartimento di Design, Politecnico di Milano patterns for future works. Fibreshed Field School and the subsequent research phase FIBRE STORIES ELHAM ATIGHI LORESTANI FI B R E FUTU R ES 133 04. FIBRE FOR THOUGHT R EFL ECTI O N 134 Fibreshed as the seed, the Field School as the fertile soil. Inspired by and in collaboration with Fibershed, an international network founded by Rebecca Burgess, the Field School was a proposition to go places, meet people, and learn about regional and regenerative fibre systems. In the Fibre Stories publication and podcast we share stories about Fibreshed Field School, our local fibreshed, regional textiles, industry, education, soil and the tensions that arise when we examine fibre and cloth through the lens of sustainability and decolonization.