In this masterclass, you will discover how to manipulate and recycle textile using several playful ways to experiment with materials and tools. After practising with various techniques you have created your own library of 3D textile samples. The masterclass is led by Italian maker Margherita Soldati and will be held in English.

Are you curious to experiment with new ways to manipulate and recycle textile? Join this masterclass with Margherita Soldati and learn how to create repetitive and organic patterns and structures from textile waste.

During the masterclass, you will work with various techniques:

• Learn traditional techniques with smocking
• Discover the use of the heat-gun and metal tools to create patterns with textile waste
• Learn how to make bioplastic and how to use textile as a mould for casting and creating new 3D shapes
• Discover other ways to create textures (such as exploiting the elasticity of the fabric and by substituting traditional stitchings with glue)

What will you bring home after the masterclass?

• A set of 20 different technical patterns (based on smocking technique)
• A list of recipes to make bioplastics
• At least 2-3 samples for each new technique that you have learned (about 10 pieces per person)

The goal of the masterclass

The goal of the masterclass is not only to learn new techniques to use in your own design/art practice but especially to introduce you to a different conceptual approach: discovering through playful, open and experimental research.

About Margherita Soldati

The Italian Margherita Soldati lives and works in Amsterdam. Next to her own design practice she’s currently working for Waag&TextileLab in Amsterdam. With her work, Margherita wants to generate awareness of the fact that our body is a lively sensory system that interacts with the world to produce a personalised habitat. In the past years, she has been researching how stimulating tactility can benefit our lives: she studied tactile benefits on people suffering from Alzheimer and Dementia, and explored how this research can be beneficial for a larger public. To show this vision she researches specific materials and textures that enhance sensorial effect and work them into new objects, structures, surfaces that can be applied on small scale objects or can alter standard architectural elements.

Measures against coronavirus 

At every masterclass, participants have to keep 1.5 metres distance from others. We have limited the maximum number of participants or reserved several rooms for the activity so that we can offer each masterclass in a pleasant and safe way. Additionally, the same measures against coronavirus apply as for a museum visit, including wearing a face mask and showing a coronavirus certificate (QR code) and proof of identity upon entering the museum.

Practical information:

• The masterclass will be held in English
• This masterclass is accessible to everyone
• Further information will be sent via email 14 days prior to the masterclass