Arts Thread

Henrietta Elfström Berg
CRAFT MA

Konstfack University Of Arts Crafts and Design

Specialisms: Textiles - Weave / Sustainable Design / Contemporary Craft

Location: Stockholm, Sweden

henrietta-elfstrm-berg ArtsThread Profile
Konstfack University Of Arts Crafts and Design

Henrietta Elfström Berg

Henrietta Elfström Berg ArtsThread Profile

First Name: Henrietta

Last Name: Elfström Berg

Specialisms: Textiles - Weave / Sustainable Design / Contemporary Craft

Sectors:

My Location: Stockholm, Sweden

University / College: Konstfack University Of Arts Crafts and Design

Course / Program Title: CRAFT MA

About

I am a Swedish textile artist focusing on weaving and sustainability. I hold a MFA i Craft from Konstfack and a BA in human ecology from Lund University.

In my work i aim to give waste new life and use the work to talk about the dark emotions connected to climate change. Through natural dyeing and weaving the material goes from trash to something valued. It reminds us of the labour, energy and material wasted in the current textile industrial production.

I use the zombie as a metaphor for the weaves, since I bring back to life what has been considered dead by the logic of industrial production. The zombie returns to haunt us, a monster that reminds us of labour and resources wasted. By giving the waste many lives in different forms, I can explore the undead nature of waste and give back agency, respect and value to the material through her hands. The masters project presented uses industrial waste, natural dyeing, and hand weaving to discuss the dark emotions, such as grief, anger and sadness regarding rapid industrial overproduction of textiles and climate change. The linen scraps are extremely labor-intensive to work with and days have been spent untangling and sorting the thin threads. It’s not a solution for the enormous mountains of waste created by the textile industry but rather a material exploration of its qualities and possibilities. The weaves explore different ways of using the material and its tactility. The scrap yarn received is white, and a large part of the artistic practice has involved dyeing it darker and darker. The gray is achieved from a combination of indigo, acorns, pomegranate rinds, and iron. Presented as an installation, the four weaves sets a mood. They become characters with an almost skin like texture, carrying both beauty and fright.