Kapitel 4- Epilogue
TEXTILE FREQUENZEN:
2026
Tonaufnahme zur Audioinstallation im Ausstellungsraum
Produktion und Konzeption:
Velina Taskova
Lisa Maria Kocher
Die forschungsbasierte Audioinstallation «Textile Frequenzen» besteht aus einer sorgfältig kuratierten Sammlung von Interviewausschnitten, die einen vielfältigen Einblick in lokale sowie nationale Textilgeschichten wiedergeben. Rapperswil-Jona bildet dabei den zentralen Ausgangspunkt, wobei das auditive Erlebnis auch über die Stadtgrenzen hinaus diesen textilen Verstrickungen nachspürt. Thematisch werden unter anderem die schweizerische Textilindustrie, die sozialpolitischen Bedeutungen und womögliche Leerstellen im historiografischen Diskurs beleuchtet. Entlang der Gewässer spinnen sich die Erzählungen der drei interviewten Expert*innen und werden letztlich in einen globalen Kontext verwoben.
[EN]
The research-based audio installation “Textile Diaries” consists of a carefully curated collection of interview excerpts that offer a multifaceted insight into local and national textile histories. Rapperswil-Jona serves as the central starting point, though the auditive experience traces these textile entanglements and reaches beyond the town’s borders. Thematically, the project sheds light on topics such as the Swiss textile industry, its socio-political meaning, and potential gaps in historiographical discourses. The narratives of the three interviewed experts unfold along the waterways and are ultimately woven and embedded into a global context.
Expert*innen/Experts:
- Marianne Burki (Kunst- und Architekturhistorikerin, Leiterin TaDa)
- Peter Röllin (Kultur- und Kunstwissenschaftler)
- Nora Baur (Kunsthistorikerin, Restauratorin, Leiterin Museum Neuthal)
Transcript in EN:
EPILOGUE – what remains?
How can these historical threads be woven into a contemporary fabric?
Marianne Burki
I think everyone has realized that there’s a problem when it comes to textiles and our consumption of them. And I think that’s precisely what may have led people to take a closer look at textile production again and ask: What are the positive and negative impacts of textile production?
And also: how global these issues are. Because probably none of the garments we’re wearing here right now were made exclusively in Switzerland. You’d have to try really hard to find one. And this global interdependence is also something that’s so fascinating.
We could talk for an hour about how important the African market is to Switzerland’s wealth in the textile sector. Even today: If the African market collapses, companies in Switzerland collapse too. Some of our assumptions are simply a bit naive; who has contributed to Switzerland’s wealth? I don’t think many people would say, “Above all, the African market has contributed to that”. These entanglements and these interactions with the second-hand market – it’s all just very complex – but that also makes it extremely interesting.
Peter Röllin
This is a situation that has become very abstract to us. When companies from Switzerland or the region set up production facilities in distant countries, we don’t see what the social conditions are like in those factories.
When we talk about textiles, we’re also talking about cotton: [We must] consider that in northeastern China, where the Uyghurs live, forced labor [in cotton fields] exists. And this cotton makes its way to Europe through channels we don’t see and don’t think about. So, what we wear, especially in mass-produced goods, and what the production processes there look like – we don’t know – or we’re not allowed to know.
Nora Baur
Movement is actually a kind of recurring theme that we’ve also highlighted here in the museum’s mediation program: It’s like an organism that’s always in motion. Take, for example, the journey of the cotton that comes from the subtropics to the Zurich Oberland – I mean, what is a subtropical plant doing here in a place like this?
This movement – the movement of goods, but also the movement of people. If, for example, a worker came from Aargau, he was perceived as a stranger here when he arrived. Later, people came from Italy, or wherever they came from, to find work. [The movements of] People, goods, but also knowledge. In the beginning, there was knowledge of textile machinery in England – that’s where the early spinning machines came from. This knowledge was somehow acquired through industrial espionage. At first, we were dependent on importing English machines; later, that was no longer possible. As a result, a (machine) industry developed here almost out of necessity. So, all of this movement – it never stands still. Whether you look at the small things or the very big picture: there’s movement everywhere!
Marianne Burki
There simply has to be an awareness of sustainability. But yes, it’s still a huge challenge. However, the challenge really became significant with the rise of fast fashion: Zara and H&M actually had good intentions – in the sense of democratizing design – so that great designs aren’t just affordable to a selected few. H&M, in particular, was very high-quality in the beginning; high-quality design and high-quality fabrics – that later changed over time. But this incredible consumerist attitude toward clothing is a relatively recent phenomenon. And we all know that we could stop producing all textiles right now and still have enough to last for decades. But the awareness of what this means for the environment, or even those piles of clothes we see in Africa [respectively on the African continent] – many textiles that are then used a second time in Africa – has also nearly shut down the fashion industry in Africa. At the same time, there are now entirely new initiatives; people are much more aware of this. But I think that for a long time, many people weren’t very aware of the fact that if I bring everything to the clothing recycling centre now, most of it will end up being burnt.
The most important thing is actually to have clothing or textiles made from a single material. But often – for example, our kitchen towels or our clothes – the thread might contain polyester because cotton isn’t as resistant. That means many of our clothes are completely non-recyclable, or it’s very difficult to separate them. How am I supposed to recycle a cotton-polyester blend?
I see how significant this issue has become for society. And this social relevance [of textiles] is something I find truly fascinating. And I think that’s also why this topic of textiles [resonates so strongly]: Because it affects us all – we’re all surrounded by textiles.