How Threads Turn into Demands

How can a seem­ingly quiet, every­day acti­vity like weaving take on political sig­nifi­cance? And why does its image extend from 19th-­century Silesian weavers to con­tempo­rary forms of pro­test? These questions served as the start­ing point for Christopher Daase's speech on weaving as a form of resis­tance at the Museum An­gewandte Kunst in Frank­furt.

From Heinrich Heine’s “Silesian weavers” to Penelope’s loom and today’s forms of “craftivism”: Using various examples from history, lit­erature, and art, Christopher Daase high­lighted the diverse con­nec­tions bet­ween weaving and forms of political resis­tance:

Weaving – whether as a craft or an art form – is an activity that brings people to­gether and makes resis­tance possible. Weav­ing mills served as gathering places where protests began – a prime example being the weavers' revolt of 1844 in Silesia. This revolt ad­dressed the pre­carious work­ing con­ditions that arose from indus­triali­zation, and it is the sub­ject of Heine's poem. How­ever, Daase's speech also clari­fied that resis­tance does not have to be a "loud" protest. Earlier examples from history, such as Penelope's loom, demons­trate how weaving was used as a form of "silent" resis­tance and re­fusal. Even today, weaving is used as a func­tional object that bridges the gap bet­ween every­day life and art, making in­justice and vio­lence visible. This becomes partic­ularly evident in Afghan war rugs and in forms of "craftivism," which bring political messages to un­expected spaces. 

The political scientist made it clear that resis­tance – meaning acting against an order per­ceived as il­legit­imate – is more than just in­dividual “heroic deeds.” Instead, he argued that resis­tance is based on relation­ships and struc­tures and arises pri­marily when people come to­gether. Daase sees parallels between the act of weaving and resis­tance: "Weaving means bring­ing threads to­gether and creating struc­tures." Resis­tance does not simply arise either: "It is woven."

The speech was given in con­junction with the exhi­bition Wool. Silk. Resis­tance, on view at the Museum An­gewandte Kunst in Frank­furt until June 14, 2026.