BIEN Artist Talk: Halla Armanns, presentation of Icelandic textile design and the Icelandic Textile Center

Alongside the Oloop collective's retrospective exhibition, we invite you to a conversation with Icelandic textile designer Halla Armanns, who we are hosting in residence at the Center Rog from July 19 to 28, 2024. In a discussion with Zala Orel, the program director of the BIEN Biennial of Textile Art, she will present her work and the Icelandic Textile Center, where she worked as an associate.

Halla Armanns is a knitwear designer and textile artist who graduated from the London College of Fashion in 2021. She currently lives in Iceland, where she actively contributes to the local design scene and showcases her work at events such as Design March, Handverk og Hönnun, and Knitfest in Blönduos. Her designs reflect her personal experiences, heritage, and environment, allowing her to communicate as a contemporary storyteller. Halla is rooted in the values and respect for craftsmanship, placing great emphasis on the tradition of hand knitting. She is known for using traditional techniques to create innovative and individual pieces.

The Icelandic Textile Center in Blönduós, northwest Iceland, operates as a manufacturing, educational, and residential space in the field of textiles, textile art, and design.

Zala Orel holds a Master's degree in Communication Studies and is a doctoral candidate in Social Geography and Regional Development at Charles University in Prague. Since 2014, she has been responsible for the artistic vision and development of cultural programs at Zavod Carnica and Layer House. In 2019, she founded BIEN, the Biennial of Textile Art, which takes place in Kranj, Škofja Loka, Jesenice, and Nova Gorica. BIEN is becoming a central platform for presenting contemporary textile art and a space for exploring the social impacts of textile creation.

The event is free of charge; however, registration is recommended for easier coordination.

The O2OOP exhibition and accompanying events were created in co-production with the Rog Center and the Biennial of Textile Art BIEN (Zavod Carnica) and with financial support from the Municipality of Ljubljana (MOL) and the ACF Program (in Slovenia 2014-2021).