Maker Space for Textile Heritage

The Centre for Textile Research (CTR) is establishing a Maker Space for Textile Heritage for cutting-edge digital investigation into raw materials, tools, techniques and production methods in the past. The Maker Space for Textile Heritage will offer state-of-the-art technology and expertise in traditional textile crafts to link analysis of material evidence, written sources and physical skills.

The Maker Space for Textile Heritage will offer a forum for discussion about the application of digital techniques and technology, showcase projects that are already underway and facilitate the sharing of expertise. Work in the the Maker Space will highlight introduce and critique new methodologies for the study of textile heritage.

We will encourage new ways of:

  • Mining data
  • Mapping data
  • Modelling data
  • Modelling motion
  • Mediating meaning

 We aim to:

  • Facilitate a pan-historical approach to evidence about textiles with the capacity to track traditions and trends
  • Offer scholars and students the opportunity to develop expertise and explore new digital tools for textile research. The Maker Space for Textile Heritage will establish good practice in applying this technology to textile heritage in all its forms – archaeological, pictorial and documentary
  • Build an infrastructure for investigating textiles with geographical information systems, word and image-based databases, motion capture systems, 3D scanning and printing, polynomial texture mapping, and photogrammetry, using high-performance computer hardware and high-capacity file storage
  • Develop bespoke digital systems (hardware, software and web-based programmes) for studying textile heritage
  • Collaborate with open initiatives in the heritage community to include open data, open source and open access principles
  • Recreating sensory experiences of textile heritage, including the texture and visual impact of degraded archaeological and historical material, and the experience of using textile tools
  • Prompt textile research to play a dynamic role in a wide range of communities interested in textile heritage and mirror the presence of textiles in all parts of life

 The intended outcomes are:

  • New and innovative insights into textile heritage
  • Creative and inspiring knowledge visualisation and dissemination;
  • Capacity to cross-reference different sources of data
  • Cross-disciplinary development of methodologies
  • Integration of results from textile research into other disciplines
  • Quicker, easier and more imaginative analysis of diverse data


In Spring 2018 the Maker Space for Textile Heritage will run a bi-weekly, focused afternoon workshops on (e.g.) database construction, mapping, and 3D modeling to share expertise and to publish the activities of the group.

For a full program of planned meetings, please contact Eva Andersson Strand, CTR/Saxo Institute, email: evaandersson@hum.ku.dk