MARGHERITA SOLDATI
ALCHEMY OF RESILIENCE
Exhaustion, rehabilitation, transformation, and repair: words that Margherita Soldati encountered during her recovery from burnout a few years ago.
These were familiar terms from her work in textile waste recovery, and the resonance intrigued her. I thought: if I spend all of my time working on projects that tackle sustainability in textiles, why can’t I do the same for the sustainability of my own brain?
From a beloved but worn-out sweater emerged the project 'Alchemy of Resilience'. Unraveling the sweater's body while preserving the cuffs and collar, she used contrasting yarn made from textile waste in Prato's recycling district to knit the pieces back together. This metamorphosis birthed not just something new, but also a sort of self-portrait, where she emphasizes transformation over repair, viewing healing not as a regression, but as a powerful evolution.
Text by Victoria Anastasyadis for Stimuleringsfonds Creative Industries.
Margherita Soldati (Italy/Holland, 1991) studied Industrial Design at IAAD in Turin and Art and Design at the Gerrit Rietveld Academy in Amsterdam.
In her practice she has developed a strong interest in tactile perception, at the intersection of art and sensory well-being. Often starting from research that strays into scientific fields, her work is a translation of stories and emotional content through unconventional ways of using materials.
In February 2023, Margherita spent a month-long residency at Lottozero, developing research focused on the healing processes that are triggered after the psychophysical collapse of burnout. Conceived essentially as an 'act of transformation', the process was explored by the artist through the three dimensional possibilities of knitwear, with yarns obtained from reused material found in the district.
Lottozero is a center for textile design, art and culture, with an open laboratory for textile experimentation. Based in Prato (Italy), one of the most important textile and fashion production districts in the world, Lottozero operates both as a creative hub and design studio, working with designers, artists, brands and institutions and providing personalized services to anyone operating in the world of textiles, textile art and fashion. With its residency program, Lottozero offers the opportunity to discover the Prato textile district, its heritage and companies.
“Alchemy of Resilience” project was supported by Stimuleringsfonds.
In her practice she has developed a strong interest in tactile perception, at the intersection of art and sensory well-being. Often starting from research that strays into scientific fields, her work is a translation of stories and emotional content through unconventional ways of using materials.
In February 2023, Margherita spent a month-long residency at Lottozero, developing research focused on the healing processes that are triggered after the psychophysical collapse of burnout. Conceived essentially as an 'act of transformation', the process was explored by the artist through the three dimensional possibilities of knitwear, with yarns obtained from reused material found in the district.
Lottozero is a center for textile design, art and culture, with an open laboratory for textile experimentation. Based in Prato (Italy), one of the most important textile and fashion production districts in the world, Lottozero operates both as a creative hub and design studio, working with designers, artists, brands and institutions and providing personalized services to anyone operating in the world of textiles, textile art and fashion. With its residency program, Lottozero offers the opportunity to discover the Prato textile district, its heritage and companies.
“Alchemy of Resilience” project was supported by Stimuleringsfonds.