Publication in special issue
9/8 2026
by Thomas Laurien and Martin Hultman
(Holding) the Thin Layer
In this essay we unfold the textile artefact (Holding) the Thin Layer which was piloted in the second Confluence of European Water Bodies, in Venice 2024. A month later, it was part of a ceremony with environmental defenders from various advocacy groups around Lake Vättern in Sweden. The essay presents the origin story of the textile and the ceremony’s setup, reflecting on its realisation in conversation with concepts such as un/learning, the overview effect, decolonisation, and affects as pedagogical companions.
Keywords: Textile, Overview effect, Unlearning, Ceremony, Decolonisation, Representation, Making, Lake Vättern, Affective pedagogy, Subjectification
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Table of Contents
Read more about Confluence of European Water Bodies here