Weaving DNA: An Exploration of Notions of Identity and the Re-appropriation of Textiles

This paper reports on the collaborative project Weaving DNA, between Icelandic product designer Hanna Dís Whitehead and Scottish textile designer Claire Anderson. Together the designers research traditional Nordic and Scottish textiles, examining the ways in which these represent and shape aspects of national identity

Weaving DNA

Weaving DNA is an immersive textile exhibition borne from a collaboration between Icelandic product designer Hanna Dís Whitehead and Scottish textile designer Claire Anderson. Together they re-appropriate traditional Nordic and Scottish textiles, examining the ways in which these represent and shape aspects of national identity. Layers of textiles describe the cultural fusion of a speculative Nordic Scottish tribe and the complexity of definitions of identity. The exhibition presents a multivalent view of national identity by embracing individuality and provoking possibilities in interpretation. Significantly, the protagonist of the exhibition was a ‘Normcore Tribesman’, which is digitally printed on a silk organza alongside two Nordic Scottish totems made from a combination of Icelandic and Scottish wool. The exhibition also included an Icelandic wool infinity sweater, constructed using the infinity knotting technique associated with Viking folklore. Driven by a desire to create a common material identity drawing on the Nordic and Scottish region’s shared cultural, historical and geographical roots, Weaving DNA combines innovative design approaches with the experience of cultural and social hybridity from the perspective of both designers’ influences

Weaving DNA: A study on overcoming disconnections between textile heritages and futures for improved sustainability

‘I see on your web page a nice photo with futuristic things, I like the future!’ [Hanna Dís Whitehead in reply to Claire Anderson, January 2014]. In 2014 the Icelandic product designer Hanna Dís Whitehead and Scottish textile designer Claire Anderson began working on their international collaboration Weaving DNA. This paper reports on their ongoing project and the connectivity of their imagination with the traditional craft skills and materials of partner Icelandic and Scottish heritage textile manufacturers. Through the exchange and sharing of knowledge and ideas toward purposeful combinations of traditional textile heritages with the contemporary and with the future this project is rooted in a desire for improved sustainability. As explained by Professor of Design Daniel Charny, Kingston University, ‘One of the biggest problems we have is that there’s a wall in perception: traditional crafts are not seen as part of our future’ [Franklin 2018: 115]. In 2016 the designers collaborated with historic Knockando Woolmill in the Spey Valley and designed the ‘Esja’ herringbone cloth, named after the Volcanic mountain range which can be seen from Reykjavík. The colours of the cloth are inspired by the buildings and landmarks of the city and surrounding areas of Reykjavík and imagine the possibilities of tribal camouflage for Weaving DNA’s futuristic Nordic-Scottish tribe in this urban environment. The Esja cloth was first shown at The Hiding Colour exhibition at Hverfisgallerí, Reykjavík as part of Iceland’s design festival ‘Design March 2016’ and challenged audiences perceived notions of traditional textiles and their applications through a futures facing narrative and interactive display. New work in this regard can only help inform and enhance our understanding of the role which our textile heritages can play in reevaluating what we already have and how this can help overcome disconnections between past and futur