Anni Alber's weaving tools - working with the archive 2014-15

Researching at the Joseph and Anni Albers Foundation in Connecticut, USA, with artist/weaver Ismini Samanidou, we found a box of uncatalogued enigmatic items that turned out to be weaving tools that had belonged to Anni Albers, and which had been packed away after her death and largely forgotten.

Of particular interest to us were a bundle of heddles: the part of a loom which is often made of thread, but were in this case steel, and which are. used to hold in line, and lift the warp threads as they pass through the loom.

The 'Heddle Construction', using these 600 heddles were tied with antique jacquard thread to create a hanging net like structure.