Funded by: Icelandic Center for Research (RannÍs)
Fabric remnants
A multi-disciplinary investigation, led by Karl Aspelund and Terry Gunnell, into the intense and focused efforts toward culture creation in Iceland in the latter part of the 19th century by the cohort known as “the Evening Society” and its de facto leader the painter and designer Sigurður Guðmundsson. This work revolved around Dress, Textiles, and National Identity and involved textiles and dress, theater, literature, music, and the founding of a library and museum, along with the society´s discussions on philosophy, art, and interpretations of history, molding Iceland´s culture into a form it maintains still today. This research of cultures and textiles in extreme environments, like Karl’s work with space travel textiles, will greatly inform the future sustainability in textiles — the material technology, constraints, and the environmental concerns, including how to dispose of clothing, along with the cultural behaviors and adaptation to textiles.