SIRGO
2025

Ongoing research in partnership with Associação Entornos and invited artists

Silk production in Portugal was once a major industry that had a significant impact on the landscape. Notable examples include, among others: in Lisbon, the construction of the Royal Silk Factory(now the Arpad Szenes Museum) and the creation of the Mulberry Garden ( Jardim das Amoreiras). In the Trás-os-Montes region, the establishment of mulberry plantations, silkworm rearing, and spinning. Today, it is primarily a craft-based practice, with production centers in the Castelo Branco and Freixo de Espada à Cinta regions.

Silk embodies a rich historical, socioeconomic, and cultural heritage with interconnections both within and beyond its ecosystem, encompassing the cycles of nature (the creation and metamorphosis of the silkworm), the land (mulberry plantations that feed the silkworm), and the communities that process and work with the thread.

Its materiality speaks its own language, possessing a symbolism associated with the silkworm’s capacity for metamorphosis, and vast properties that make it unique and suitable for multiple applications: as a natural textile fiber, it is biodegradable, with a low environmental impact; its thermoregulatory properties make it cool in summer and warm in winter; its absorbency and durability allow dyes (including those of natural origin) to take effectively, resulting in vibrant colors combined with the fiber’s luster; its strength has allowed it to be used for fishing lines and instrument strings; its purely protein-based composition allows it to be used for medical sutures, minimizing the risk of rejection by the body; and in some cultures, it is an excellent source of dietary protein.

Through this project, we aim to understand the various dimensions that make up the silk ecosystem—which includes other natural materials—by promoting the local circular use of these resources through research and the appreciation of their heritage, alongside the development of artistic practices that reflect on and question the relationship between humans and nature, and the revival of silk production in Portugal.