In the golden age of early 20th century industrialised production, there were thousands of different types of textile. A new special exhibition at the German museum of technology in Berlin (Deutsches Technikmuseum) has set out to shed light on just a few of them. The museum is running the exhibition – “Hidden Structures. A photographic journey into the world of textiles” (“Verborgene Strukturen. Eine fotografische Reise in die Welt der Textilien“) until 10 May 2020. It highlights a selection of historical fabric samples from the collection belonging to Wieland Poser. These were woven on an industrial scale between 1880 and 1937 and can largely no longer be produced.

Besides the more common names such as Gobelin, poplin and calico, many textiles on show are completely unknown today. The original creations are impressive in their varied materials, their often complex structures and colourways: The exhibition traces an arc from sheer textured fabrics made from wool or linen through to silk ribbon featuring a colour gradient with the finest nuances and a modern-looking fabric from purple elastic band. Several textiles look as though they have been embroidered or adorned in other ways, but the designs were all created using different weaving techniques.

„Verborgene Strukturen – Eine fotografische Reise in die Welt der Textilien“

German Museum of Technology (Deutsches Technikmuseum)

Kleine Galerie, Fototechnik, Beamtenhaus, 2nd floor

From 13 November 2019 until 10 May 2020

A first impression of the special exhibition is given by this VIDEO.