common thread: drawing from belgian heritage

 

New York-based architecture studio SO – IL presents Common Thread, a textile installation for Belgium‘s 2024 Bruges Triennial. Opening on April 13th, the project revives a previously inaccessible 19th-century monastery courtyard, transforming it into an immersive pavilion that blends history, craft, and technology. Common Thread takes shape as a 3D knitted textile passage that winds its way through the secluded courtyard. This innovative structure acts as a bridge, connecting the previously hidden space to the bustling streets of Bruges. Visitors enter the playful, spiraling tunnels which culminate in a sunlit courtyard. This intervention unlocks the once-secluded space to invite exploration and unexpected encounters.

SO – IL common threadthe immersive textile passage connects a previously hidden monastery courtyard to the city | images © Filip Dujardin

 

 

SO – IL learns from bruges’ lace-making history

 

Designing its Common Thread installation, SO – IL draws from Bruges’ rich history of lace-making. The intricate, wave-like form of the installation pays homage to the Belgian city’s long-standing tradition of bobbin lace, a craft preserved in local shops and Flemish béguinages — housing complexes for religious women. The architects reimagine this centuries-old practice on a monumental scale, utilizing modern technologies to create a play of light and shadow within the woven structure. In collaboration with Dr. Mariana Popescu and her team at TU Delft, the group employed a programmable 3D knitting machine to explore the geometric possibilities of this innovative fabrication technique. The resulting fabric varies in density throughout its form, its individual threads echoing the dynamic patterns of Hokusai’s ‘The Great Wave.’

SO – IL common thread
inspired by Bruges’ lace-making tradition, the installation uses 3D knit textile to create a wave-like structure

 

 

Common Thread interweaves the historic craftsmanship of Bruges with SO – IL’s commitment to structural research. Working alongside Summum Engineering, the studio closely evaluated computational simulations and material samples to arrive at the final design. This process builds upon the firm’s ongoing exploration of form, elasticity, and pliability within standardized materials.

SO – IL common thread
the project is a collaboration between SO – IL, TU Delft, and Summum Engineering SO – IL weaves 3D knitted textile installation 'common thread' at bruges triennial
Common Thread celebrates the past while looking to the future, weaving together history, craft, and technology

 

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project info:

 

project title: Common Thread

architecture: SO – IL | @solidobjectives

location: Bruges, Belgium

opening: April 13th, 2024

event: Bruges Triennial 2024 | @triennalebrugge

photography: © Filip Dujardin | @filipdujardin

 

design team: Jing Liu, Florian Idenburg, Fabian Puller
membrane design, production: Dr. Mariana Popescu Anass Kariouh
engineering: Diederik Veenendaal, Alessio Vigorito, Anand Shah
assembly contributions: Nick Gereels, Valentin Lorenzen da Silva, Jade Verlinde, Jean-Pierre Gereels, Frieder Ringel, Robin Oval