TEXTILE+ /Innovative Approaches in Textile Design and Education
The Studio of Textile Design in Space at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Bratislava presents student research in the field of innovative and traditional approaches to textile art.
ALFA Gallery
Kulturpark Košice
Tue – Sun: 13:00 – 19:00
- opening: 9 July 2026, 17:00
- duration: 10 July – 27 August 2026
Annotation
Textile production today stands at the intersection of tradition and innovation, where sustainability, craftsmanship and technological progress jointly shape its future form. Current transformations redefine not only the aesthetics of textiles, but also their function and relationship to the environment, with increasing emphasis placed on material quality, sensory experience and timelessness. In this dynamic context, a new language of textiles is emerging — moving between nostalgia and futurism, between nature and innovation.
Textile design is a space where proven natural materials meet new, technologically advanced solutions. Current developments reflect a growing emphasis on sustainability and quality, while traditional fibres such as linen, wool and cotton acquire new meanings in dialogue with innovative materials. These include bioengineered fibres, recycled synthetic materials and alternative plant-based raw materials, which bring both ecological and aesthetic benefits.
This synthesis of the traditional and the new opens up space for experimentation with texture, functionality and visual expression. Combining natural and technological materials makes it possible to create hybrid structures that respond to the needs of contemporary lifestyles — from variability of use to environmental responsibility. Textile thus becomes not only a carrier of aesthetics, but also a means of communicating values in which craft continuity is connected with a vision of the future.
These principles of approaching the creation of textile materials, structures and surfaces became the key starting point of the TEXTILE+ project, which we have been developing since 2023 at the Department of Textile Design of the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Bratislava.
As part of the educational process, this research was included with the understanding that comprehensive knowledge of materials and technologies, in the context of their current and future applications, is essential for future textile creators.
The exhibition presents works by students of the Department of Textile Design at AFAD, who created their projects based on the principles outlined above. They used both innovative and traditional materials and worked with techniques such as hand weaving, laser cutting, knitting, 3D printing, felting, handmade paper production, digital printing, reactive dye printing and Jacquard weaving on digital looms.
The project is developed in cooperation with creative departments and institutions: the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Bratislava, the Slovak Academy of Sciences, the Technical University of Liberec (Czech Republic), Atria IT Čadca and the Strzemiński Academy of Fine Arts Łódź (Poland).
Project leaders:
doc. M. A. Blanka Cepková, Mgr. art. Beáta Gerbócová, ArtD.
Mgr. art. Vlasta Žáková, ArtD., Mgr. art. Ingrid Ondrejičková Soboslayová, ArtD., Mgr. art. Veronika Pátrovič Kočáriková, Mgr. art. Broňa Brůčková, ArtD., Mgr. art. Zuzana Ondrejková, Mgr. art. Ilarii Omelchenko
Students:
Alexandra Habalová, Júlia Benkovská, Paulína Bačová, Sofia Novodolská, Katarína Beňusková, Viera Zubalová, Miroslava Antolíková, Nela Kakalejčíková, Alexandra Turaeva, Denisa Horvajová, Monika Dobrovičová, Viktória Barniaková, Henrieta Džamová, Vanesa Balúchová, Diana Bilischenko
