Bodies of Work. Knowing Cotton Otherwise

Fashion, art and social change

Built around different themes telling the story of cotton, the exhibition highlights the relationship between cotton and the fashion industry, the role of cotton in an increasingly intertwined web of global cultures, and the sustainable innovations driving its circular transformation. The exhibition provides questions such as where does cotton come from? How is it grown? What is the future of cotton and the role of innovation? How should we relate to the more questionable aspects of cotton, from its history of forced migration to more modern-day challenges? And how can we celebrate cotton, the connections it creates and the opportunities around it?

Bodies of Work

Last year the museum introduced Knowing Cotton Otherwise, a multidisciplinary exhibition, covering various aspects of this versatile fibre — from its burdened history to sustainable initiatives and innovative implementations worldwide. Through this new chapter, Bodies of Work, the experience of human bodies entangled in (forced) labour in the story of cotton are amplified. With the addition of works by Sha’Mira Covington and Tricia Nganga Mokosi, the exhibition explores some of the complex issues related to cotton's history and the use and re-use of this fabric in fashion and tech. The exhibition also showcases innovative technologies in material traceability and natural fibre recycling from Fashion for Good Innovators Oritain and Natural Fiber Welding. The continuation of the exhibition invites you to consider your own body as you move through space as a spectator in the narrative. How do you position yourself within the community of stories presented here?