Care x Wools: Premiere Video Screening & Open Talk

What if we learn from the sheep? Care x Wools is a public program as parts of the Feral Wool research project within iNEST, aimed at shedding light on the precarious status of local wool and ‘shifting’ our human perspectives to notice other ecologies that are connected to wool, starting from the sheep’s point of view. Sheep (Ovis aries) were among the first animals to be domesticated by human beings about 11,000 years ago. Not only humans, but also sheep decided to participate in this interaction. Through this reciprocal relationship, sheep provided humans with their meat, milk, and wool as well as transforming landscapes; humans in return provided them with care and protection. Nevertheless, today, tonnes of precious local wool are wasted due to globalization and industrial market standards.

This is also a local reality in Südtirol/Alto Adige. How can we change the story? Through our programme, we invite key actors from the region to uncover insights about local wool considering the aspect of care and fostering new imaginations to create preferable future narratives, bridging the rural and urban landscapes.

What lessons can we learn from the sheep? What if the sheep tell us how to care for wool in tune with the cyclical rhythms of nature? What if we imagine new care practices for and with sheep? The series of videos, podcasts and public discussions with experts ranging from traditional crafts to design, from production to pastoralism, will explore the currently neglected status of wool, its ferality, and guide us to discover new horizons based on care.

✹ The first event of the public program will feature Waltraud Schwienbacher, an entrepreneur of wool (founder of Winterschule Ulten – a school for mountain crafts and initiator of the Bergauf wool manufacture), who will tell the story of local wool, starting from her own story and moving towards the contemporary wool futures. This will also be the occasion for the premiere of the video Con Calma – Mit Ruhe – Calmly, created as part of the project.

☞ Admission to the event is free and open to the public. This event will be held in Italian.

The public program Care x Wools is a satellite event of the Fashion for Future Bolzano 2025 program.