Itinerarios XXIX, Fundación Botín Art Grant 2022, Centro Botín, Santander (Spain)

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Belén Rodríguez's practice advocates for a simple lifestyle, emphasising the importance of reconnecting with traditional techniques and values lost in the bustle of modern life. The artist makes sculptural pieces and installations using mainly textile materials that she weaves, assembles or dyes in her studio located in a rural area of Cantabria. Over the last few years, the artist has insisted on the need for sustainability in textile production, promoting practices that respect the environment–such as the use of locally-found dyes–and the preservation of resources, such as the recycling of working materials.

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This project, Farmer's Jacket, is the result of her research for the grant. It is an exhaustive study of different handcrafted textiles from the Japanese tradition from a time when the archipelago was self-sufficient and had a more proportionate and symbiotic relationship with nature. These fabrics were patiently created with the materials found around them, banana or nettle fibre, for example, and colours extracted from local vegetation. They were able to produce a labour-intensive, elegant garment for their own daily use, valuable but not luxurious, such as the Bashofu, which was also a perfect and apt response to their climate.

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The wooden cross-shaped structure in this room contains a series of elements that reflect Belén's intention to assimilate and learn this work-life philosophy. The jumpsuit is woven by the artist from textile material reused from previous works, dyed with vegetation from a local forest, such as oak or birch. The woodcut displays the implements and materials she has used to create the garment. The video shows a collaboration with the musician Tatematsu Masahiro, who has produced 22 musical pieces for the xylophone stemming from his interpretation of the Ikat textile technique. The installation that covers the walls and floor is composed of fabrics discarded by the industry for visible flaws.

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'In manual work I find peace. There are no shortcuts. You have to gather every leaf, weave every strand. And it is difficult to defend this slow tempo in a world intransigent with slowness’. Belén Rodríguez

The artist is especially grateful to Textil Santanderina and Belén González for their collaboration on this project.

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See the catalogue for more

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