The project explores the current value and uses of local sheep’s wool immediately after shearing on the farm, also known as ‘raw wool’ or ‘sweat wool’. The research included interviews and workshops with shepherds, active wool enthusiasts, and other experts in Germany. It turned out that local raw wool has lost value over the past few decades. It is considered dirty and potentially contaminated. Along with this, health and safety regulations have made its further processing more difficult and expensive, and the local infrastructure necessary for this has been dismantled.
»Raw Wool« aims to illustrate these identified issues in order to facili- tate general access to this valuable raw material. As a result, relevant topics are highlighted: the variety of local sheep breeds, a method for sorting raw wool, and possible processing steps.
Reference samples of local wool are on display and can be experienced through the senses – through sight, smell, and touch. The goal is to bring the raw material back into active awareness and make it relevant for design purposes.
Cooperation partner:
- Faserexperimente ; Kathrin Toepffer; faserexperimente.de
- Fullewolle Wollmühle; Dipl.-Ing. Astrid Nolte; www.fullewolle.de
- Fibershed DACH; fibershed-dach.org
- Schäferei Schöne Schafe; schaeferei-schoene-schafe.de
- Stiftung Domäne Dahlem – Landgut und Museum; domaene-dahlem.de
- Sheepshearer Stefanie Kauschus
Supervisor(s)
Prof. Barbara Schmidt, Prof. Dr. Zane Berzina, Prof. Dr. Lucy Norris, Mareen BaumeisterRelated projects
Related news
RE:LOKAL – von Manufaktur zu Manufaktur
Introduction to Data Visualization: Making Data Visible and Understandable – Workshop
Circular Futures – Workshop
Moorpflanzen: Erprobung von Flechttechniken mit nachhaltigen Materialien aus Paludikultur – Workshop
Soft Matter: Wool Between Craft and Robotic Fabrication – Workshop
Fermentation – Workshop
Wachsende Materialien: Experimentieren mit Mycelium – Workshop
Beyond the Loop: Growing a Future from Today’s Lunch – Workshop
