At væve er at gå i dialog med en maskine

Interview med Amalie Smith

Resumé

The writer and artist Amalie Smith reflects on her experience with weaving as an artistic practice. Smith had no experience with weaving before she was commissioned to create a digital work of art, but she was fascinated by the complex connections between weaving and digitality and suggested that the commissioned work be a series of tapestries. During the conversation, she describes how the encounter with weaving technology both inspired and challenged her. She explains how weaving provided new perspectives on the digital technologies of today: Through the comparison of weaving and computer technology the material components and principles of the digital could be more easily detected, understood, and conveyed. In the interview, she further describes her experiences of interacting artistically with different technologies and emphasises how she and the technologies interlinked and how they, through this close connection, both influenced and made use of each other. Smith concludes that she is not sure if she will engage with weaving again. Although being an admirer of artists who master a craft, she prefers exploring new materials and practices and is greatly inspired by approaching things as a newcomer.