When examining how writers, designers, musicians, and weavers describe the elements and tools of their craft, similarities emerge in their use of keywords such as rhythm, melody, texture, and perception. Texture in writing, for example, can be expressed as the richness of text or the tactile qualities of words, as emphasized by writer and artist Jonathan Miles. Weavers convey the same sensorial aspects of touch and feel, but that of the cloth. The disciplines of craft, design and the arts thus share a strong engagement with the human senses.

Otti Berger (1898–1944) exemplified the use of these keywords and sensorial aspects in her textile work and writings. As one of the most important textile designers of the Bauhaus, alongside Anni Albers and Gunta Stölzl, Berger's contributions were significant. However, as a Hungarian-Jewish woman, she faced severe restrictions, work bans, and ultimately deportation by the National Socialists, culminating in her death at Auschwitz in 1944.

Berger's writings, such as her 1930 manifesto "Stoffe im Raum" ("Textiles in Space"), underscore the importance of sensorial considerations in textile design. While her writing is not poetry, the way she writes about textiles and their sensory significance possess poetic qualities: "[…] a fabric needs to be grasped […] for one must listen to the fabric's secrets, track down the sounds of materials," she advises, emphasizing the importance of material choice, color, and function.

By examining Otti Berger’s work and writings through archival research, my contribution also incorporates insights from interviews with contemporary weavers. These interviews confirm that Berger's thesis on the sensuality of textiles remains relevant today. The weaver’s perspectives, too, highlight the serendipitous intersections between the different practices and the shared sensorial engagement that underpins these diverse forms of creative expression.