photo by Nicole Marnati

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To Read a Pattern



What happens to a non-western craft when integrated into European production standards?

Guided by this question, ‘To Read a Pattern’ is a textile installation exploring how Laotian patterns might persist in new geographical, technological and cultural contexts. In Laos, weaving is a living tradition — patterns are continually created and traditionally passed down from mother to daughter. Orientalist depictions and cultural biases have led to very little authentic or contemporary representation of Laotian textiles in Western spaces. Yet in Laos, the craft remains largely unchanged by its colonial past, creating a dissonance in how the patterns are read between cultures.

Could an alternative perspective emerge from this gap? Using patterns collected from field research in Laos and the industrial production methods at her disposal, Marie Vilay developed new patterns in an attempt to perpetuate the Lao weavers’ rich tradition in a different context.

Made in cooperation with TextielLab.
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