Fig. 7 Bottles of glass containing dried cochineal insects, a mixture of vinegar and cochineal powder and dyed yarn
While visiting Hannele Köngäs’ studio in Turku, I spotted a jar full of cochineal insects in her workshop. After learning that she applied the ancient cochineal dyeing technique to her work, I became intrigued by her work process. She described to me how she uses them to dye pink to purple shades and deep red colours. All the time, I wondered how a bunch of dried insects from Mexico ended up in her studio in Finland. According to her, they were imported from the Canary Islands by a Finnish shop. The centuries of cochineal trading history were familiar to me. An ancient treasure that was once transported by tonnes in boats can now be delivered to your doorstep with just one click. (Cervantes, research diary)
My artistic research is focused on topics that emerged from my relationship with the places in which I have lived (Mexico, Hungary, Spain and Finland). My aim is to develop and continue understanding the relationship between traditional textile crafts and contemporary design fields. I am interested in a transdisciplinary collaboration in the province of Lapland in Finland and the context of Arctic studies. One of the main aspects of my research is to revalue the identity of artisanal manufacturing, helping to preserve Indigenous knowledge, develop sustainable materials, concepts and a series of practices, tools and methods of cooperation between artisans and designers. (Cervantes, research diary)
While photographing cochineal bugs (figure 7 & 19), I have started to wonder if they can sense that they are being used by humans. Is there evidence of consciousness in them? Do they know that they carry in their bodies a chemical matter that we have valued for centuries? Do they have thoughts and feelings? Do they know about us like we know about them? This study has made me question the sense of connectedness between all living entities, inter-species relationships, and human behaviour towards species that we have domesticated, utilised and exploited over time.- Cervantes, research diary
Within the Embroidered Stances project, Cervantes’s approach as a researcher and emerging textile craft practitioner is integrated into her long-term inquiry about sustainable textile materials, the concepts of territory and identity, and collaborative and innovative practices within the craft field in the province of Lapland (figure 6). The research follows the approach of ABAR. This approach aims to develop the professional methods and working approaches of the artist-researcher, as well as seek solutions to identified problems and future visions (Jokela & Huhmarniemi, 2018; Jokela, 2019; Jokela et al., 2019). ABAR shares some common features with artistic research in general, as well as action research: practical and theoretical parts of research are conducted partly simultaneously, partly in turns, and research topics have relevance for artists, designers and crafters as well as for wider societies.
ABAR is a cyclic process that includes setting aims, conducting artistic and art-based interventions and analysing and presenting results in research publications and art exhibitions (Jokela & Huhmarniemi, 2018; Jokela, 2019; Jokela et al., 2019). Typical of action research, ABAR is commonly collaborative in all parts of the process. Artistic practice is often somehow participatory, and reflection and theorising are often jointly conducted. In this case, the artistic practice involves collaboration with the embroiderers collective. Wool dying and wool embroidering sessions include discussions on sustainability, traditions and materials. The collaboration in this research included discussions and co-written essays by the researcher artists. The collaboration with Cervantes has also included studio visits and interviews with crafters and sheep farmers (Cervantes, forthcoming). During one of these studio visits, Cervantes came into contact with cochineal insects in Finland:
Often, research topics that are tackled through ABAR have both a global and a local dimension, while issues of sustainability are global phenomena but actualise in communities (e.g., Jokela, & Huhmarniemi, 2021; Härkönen, 2021). This exposition tackles the exchange of objects, ideas and concepts, historical world trade and the relationship between global and local phenomena. Nation-states and cultural areas are considered a result of global entanglements (De Lima Grecco & Schuster, 2020).
As an example, the members of the Embroidery Stances collective have met in Rovaniemi but have arrived from many different cultural regions, some from Finland and some from Eastern Europe and Latin America. By having people from different parts of the world in the collective, the discussions are influenced by the perceptions and world views of each member, challenging stereotypes. Topics of crafts include queer rights, loss of biodiversity, conflicts in land use and the craft itself. For example, Huhmarniemi presented tree roots in her embroidery and described craft heritage as her cultural roots.
