Kulturista - Cultural Experiences in West Sweden

C U LT U R E E X P E R I E N C E S I N W E S T S W E D E N 10 When you step into the Textile Fashion Center in Borås you enter a vibrant creative world – a sort of cultural Narnia. Once upon a time these spaces were home to spinning and weaving mills, die works and sewing fac- tories. And although the factory sounds faded out long ago, the pace hasn’t slowed. Here the future is taking form! Here, in Europe’s foremost science park for textiles and fashion, you’re welcomed to an open industrial precinct with large windows that let the light flow in, while also giving a view of the Viskan River, which flows directly outside. From the in-house restaurant the Food Company you hear the happy buzz of dinner guests, while students from the Swedish School of Textiles socialize in the lounge groups in the adjacent lounge. You can’t help notice the colourful entrance to the Textile Museum of Sweden, as well as William Sweetlove’s sculpture “Cloned Frogs on Gala Dress”, a wedding present from the city of Borås to the Swedish Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel in 2010. A R E G I O N W I T H T E X T I L E D N A As early as the 16th century, pedlars went from farm to farm in the area around Borås, selling fabrics and other craft products. With time these businesses ex- panded; there was a greater need of organization, and so the putting-out system developed. Most work was still done by hand, and it wasn’t until 1835 that Sweden’s first mechanized cotton-weaving mill ope- ned outside Borås. At that time virtually the entire population of Borås worked in textiles and the mail-order business that emerged from it. In the Borås region you’ll also find Sweden’s oldest linen weavers – the family business Ekelund. Since the late 17th century they have provided Swedish ho- mes with sustainably manufactured towels, tablecloths and rugs. You have probably also walked on rugs made by Kasthall and Bolon, companies that export to hotels and offices worldwide. Bolon’s success came from seeing opportunities where no one else did. Since 1949 they have turned textile waste into rag rugs – a recipe that has led to considerable success. The desire to find new solutions is still a huge mo- tivator in the Borås region, and the Swedish School of Textiles trains tomorrow’s textile innovators and crea- tors. S M A R T T E X T I L E S – C R E AT I N G H I G H -T E C H T E X T I L E S F O R T H E F U T U R E Today’s textile industry is about much more than fa- brics and clothes. For instance, did you know that there are clothes that measure your pulse or reduce the greenhouse effect, or knitted blood vessels that are used in heart bypasses? How about socks that analyze your running stride or fabrics that change colour? In close collaboration with the Swedish School of Textiles and the business sector, Smart Textiles is tur- ning textile traditions inside out, developing products for healthcare, architecture and interior design. They are the Nordic region’s largest research resource in the field of advanced textiles. In the project Design for recycling, a dress has been developed made solely from the timber industry; Swedish forestry materials have been processed to paper, which is then spun into BORÅS T E X T J O H A N T Ö R N R O T H In the town of Borås, creativity flows like never before. Streets and squares have been transformed into enormous outdoor galleries that inject art into the daily lives of the local residents. Swedish design is famous worldwide for its innovation and creativity, where function is often integrated into the design. And here, where textiles have been produced for centuries, the eternal question is whether there’s a limit to what we can create using textile materials. Borås – world leader in inn design and street art