The nettle dress / Das Nesselkleid
(de) Schon auf dem Sprung und in Gedanken dabei, alles in Kisten und Kästen zu packen, und wohl wissend, dass in den kommenden Tagen viel Neues auf mich und das KUKUmobil wartet, noch ganz schnell ein kleiner Nachtrag. Zusammen mit Margarida und Isabel habe ich vor ein paar Tagen einen wunderbaren Film gesehen. Er ist nicht neu, mir war er es, aber vielleicht habt ihr ihn schon gesehen. Falls nicht, möchte ich euch dazu einladen.
Isabel hat die DVD gekauft und so haben wir es uns einen Nachmittag bei ihr zuhause gemütlich gemacht und uns „umgarnen“ lassen. Manchmal gibt es „public viewings“, sie sind auf der Website aufgeführt.
(es) Ya casi en marcha,y con la mente puesta en los preparativos prácticos, y sabiendo que nos esperan muchas novedades a mí y al KUKUmobil en los próximos días, quiero dejaros una breve entrada con una recomendación. Hace unos días, Margarida, Isabel y yo vimos una película maravillosa. No es nueva, pero para mí sí lo fue, y quizás ya la hayaís visto. Si no, me gustaría invitaros a verla.
Isabel compró el DVD, así que pasamos una tarde tranquila en su casa, disfrutando de la película. A veces hay „public viewings“ que se anuncian en la página web del proyecto.
Link / Enlace
(de) Ich habe bei meiner Suche nach Information über den Film diesen Podcast gefunden, ja, auf Englisch, aber so wunderbar, dass ich denke, es lohnt sich, sich diese Stunde Zeit zu nehmen und dem Filmemacher und dem Textilkünstler zuzuhören.
(es) Buscando información sobre la película, encontré este podcast, sí, en inglés, pero tan maravilloso que creo que vale la pena tomarse el tiempo para escuchar al cineasta y al artista textil.
Link / Enlace
This week is our one hundred and ninety ninth episode of the Accidental Gods podcast. It’s been quite a ride, and to celebrate the end of our second century, my partner, Faith, has come to join me as host, and we have two guests, textile designer Allan Brown and Dylan Hewitt who is a filmmaker with over 20 years of making documentaries and features for the BBC, Netflix, Sky, Discovery – if you’ve heard of them, Dylan’s worked with them.
Allan was exploring how we could feed and clothe ourselves as we head towards a world of localism and increasing self reliance. A journey that began with a simple question – namely ‚how can we clothes ourselves?‘ – led to his spending seven years of his life making a a dress from the fibres of the nettles that grew locally. He harvested them in his local wood, made the fibre, spun over fourteen thousand feet of it, hand wove it, and then made it into a truly beautiful dress for his daughter.
It was an extraordinary process of experimentation, discovery and ensoulment – a journey into possibility that would be hard to match in our current, frenetic world. And we know about this: the patience of it, the wonder, the loss, the grief, the resilience, the alchemy… the sheer magic, because Dylan made a film, ‚The Nettle Dress‘ which also took 7 years and is also a process of emergence and ensoulment and magic and discovery.
The film is one of the most profoundly moving I’ve seen in a long time: it’s deep time brought into being, it offers connection and profound attention and intention as it follows Al’s profound intention and attention. It’s so, so different from what we normally see, so centering, so grounding – and when we had the chance to talk to Al and Dylan, it made sense for Faith to join me: she’s the maker in our partnership, she’s been a textile maker and designer and she thinks differently than I do in many ways. So this is a joint endeavour and all the stronger for it. People of the podcast, please welcome Allan Brown and Dylan Hewitt as guests, and Faith Tilleray as co-host, exploring the making and filming of The Nettle Dress.
„‚Grasping the Nettle‘ is at the heart of the film. Making a dress this way is a mad act of will and artistry but also devotional, with every nettle thread representing hours of mindful craft. Over seven years Allan is transformed by the process just as the nettles are. It’s a kind of alchemy: transforming nettles into cloth, grief into beauty, protection and renewal. A labour of love, in the truest sense of the phrase, The Nettle Dress is a modern-day fairytale and hymn to the healing power of nature and slow craft.“
Dylan Howitt Bio
Dylan Howitt is a filmmaker with many years of experience telling compelling stories from all around the world, personal and political, always from the heart. Twice BAFTA-nominated he’s produced and directed for BBC, Netflix, ITV and Channel 4 amongst many others. His latest feature documentary, The Nettle Dress, follows textile artist Allan Brown on a seven-year odyssey making a dress from the fibre of locally foraged stinging nettles.
Allan Brown Bio
Allan Brown (Hedgerow Couture) is a textile artist from Brighton, East Sussex, in the UK. Working primarily with sustainable natural fibres like nettles, flax, hemp and wool, Allan takes these raw materials and transforms them into beautiful cloth with the aim of creating functional, durable clothing that draws lightly from the land, reflecting the fibres and colours of the landscape he lives and works in.
Enjoy the full episode here or head over to https://accidentalgods.life/making-th… to read the transcript and find out more.
