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XTANT, organized by Kavita Parmar and Marcella Echavarria with the support of the government of Mallorca, takes place this year in Palma and will host over 60 artists, master craftspeople, designers, and journalists from all over the world with the focus being on heritage textiles. This gathering encourages all to share their work, gather information, and engage with one another in a unique and inspiring non-fair format. As someone who typically attends design fairs and markets across Europe, I’m excited to experience something different with XTANT, which combines education, community, and opportunities to meet the makers in a truly one-of-a-kind way.
XTANT is quickly becoming known as a leading gathering of global heritage textile knowledge, built on a foundation of creativity and authenticity. With expositions spread throughout Palma, as well as workshops, talks, boat trips, food tours, and the famous “Meet The Makers” market, XTANT is a sensory design feast. As someone who has been studying sensory design since 2017, and who is a textile enthusiast since childhood, I highly recommend this event to anyone interested in design, exploring further the senses and how they relate to design, fiber arts, culture, and craft. Best of all, many features of this event are free and open to the public, making it highly accessible to all.
Kavita and Marcella, whom I’m very excited to soon meet, have spent the past 20 years exploring the world of heritage textiles, pieces largely hidden from the mainstream, yet always influencing the mainstream whether people are aware of it or not. They launched and curated their first global gathering/exhibition in Mexico City in 2020 of heritage textiles, ancient techniques, master craftspeople and passionate creatives and called it TEXTO. I love this quote that I found on their website, I think either Kavita or Marcella wrote this, but I must share it because these words really touched my heart and summarize exactly how I also feel as a creative person coming back to “life” again after Corona,
“Over the past year, so much has been clarified for us– and others – about what is essential, what we can eliminate, and what we want to emerge. The global pandemic has laid bare excruciating systemic inequality and weaknesses in numerous aspects of our society; it has also reminded us of what true heroes look like. We have seen epic failures of leadership, and incredible acts of generosity. Identified what can be done well remotely while highlighting the power and beauty of community. What is clear is that this proverbial ring of fire through which we are passing leaves little doubt about what really matters: home; relationships; health – of our planet, our minds and bodies, and our loved ones-; connection; meaningful work; and what we hope is a renewed and invigorated commitment to true diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.“