Man <3 Machine - 25 years of TextielLab

For 25 years, the TextielLab has been the beating heart of the TextielMuseum: a place where ideas are tested, boundaries are pushed, and craftsmanship and technology go hand in hand. In this anniversary exhibition, you will encounter eleven remarkable works created here — each one the result of close collaboration between artists, designers and weaving specialists.

You don’t just see the finished works; you gain a rare insight into the making process itself. Video portraits bring the stories behind the textiles to life, revealing how experimentation, boldness and collaboration lead to ground-breaking textile innovation.

Peter Struycken, Koen Taselaar, Aiko Tezuka, Jan Taminiau, Aleksandra Gaca, Bertjan Pot, Van Eijk & Van der Lubbe, Fransje Gimbrère, Samira Boon, Ursula Wagner en Mae Engelgeer.

Man <3 Machine - 25 years of TextielLab brings together eleven impressive artworks realised at the TextielLab over the past decades. The exhibition’s spatial design is by Studio Parade and is further enriched by video portraits of weaving specialists, artists and designers. These offer a unique insight into the making process and the intensive behind-the-scenes collaboration.

At the heart of the exhibition is computer-controlled weaving—the technique that earned the TextielLab its international reputation. Thanks to speed and exceptional precision, complex structures can be built up layer by layer. This gives rise to new possibilities in form, colour and material, in which digital technology and human intuition are inextricably intertwined.

In 2002, Peter Struycken was the first artist to be invited to realise a work on the new computer-controlled weaving machine, in collaboration with TextielLab weaving specialist Stef Miero. Struycken was already internationally renowned for his systematic approach to colour, in which carefully composed colour palettes form the point of departure for his work. For this wall hanging, however, he faced a new challenge: this time, the colour palette depended on the blending of different yarns. To arrive at a harmonious combination of colours, Miero experimented with a variety of weave structures, while the advanced weaving machine—thanks to its speed and precision—made an almost infinite range of structures possible. The result is a colour palette that emerges directly from the artist’s intuitive choices, in which technology and creativity come together seamlessly.

The same synergy between technology and creativity is expressed in the groundbreaking 3D weaving techniques presented in Man <3 Machine - 25 years TextielLab. Designers such as Aleksandra Gaca, Fransje Gimbrère and Jan Taminiau deliberately create space within the woven structure, developing textiles that are no longer flat but acquire volume, scale and form. This sculptural approach opens the door to new applications in product design, fashion and material innovation.

At the same time, a new generation of makers is given a voice here. Young talents—unburdened by established rules or assumed limitations—approach the machines with open curiosity. This attitude works both ways: they inspire experienced specialists to re-examine familiar techniques. What takes shape on the weaving machines in Tilburg subsequently travels the world—from presentations in Shanghai to museums in New York—demonstrating how local craftsmanship can grow into Art with a capital A, with international impact.

This exhibition has been made possible through the generous support of: the Municipality of Tilburg, the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OCW), the Province of North Brabant, and the VriendenLoterij.