The exhibition at the Szołayski House explores the ways in which textiles have been used to reflect the rhythm of seasonal changes in domestic interiors.
Today, as we spend most of the time in centrally heated apartments and air-conditioned offices, we have become indifferent to the circadian rhythm and nuances of nature’s changing cycles. Recalling bygone domestic rituals can help us tune in with the seasons again: cultivate our relationship with the natural world and react more attentively to its changes.
In the pre-electricity era, textiles were widely used as seasonal clothing for architecture. They helped adapt domestic spaces to the twelve phenological seasons characteristic of the Central European climate zone. The recurring appearance of textiles in domestic interiors allowed for conscious participation in the cycles of nature – in celebrating the passage of time, with an enhanced sense of immersion in the circadian rhythm and the sequence of light and darkness. As a result, ‘The Clothed Home’ functioned as a resonator, helping residents feel the pulse of the natural world..
The exhibition, organised by the Adam Mickiewicz Institute, was shown in the Polish pavilion at the London Design Biennale 2021.
