Making Rope With Paula García-Masedo, Júlia Ramírez-Blanco and the esparto grass spinning community of Villarejo de Salvanés

11:30 am Conversation between Júlia Ramírez-Blanco and Paula García-Masedo

A conversation around Paula García-Masedo’s Gran Ritmo project, through which the artist has intervened in two spaces of the Canónica de Santa Maria de Vilabertran.

The conversation will explore García-Masedo’s research into the traditional spinning of esparto grass and the collaboration she has established with the esparto grass spinning community of Villarejo de Salvanés, where Júlia Ramírez-Blanco has had the opportunity to participate as an observer in some of the gatherings with the spinners. This dialogue will serve as an introduction to the workshop that this group of spinners will lead afterwards.

Júlia Ramírez-Blanco is a postdoctoral researcher at the Complutense University of Madrid. Her work brings together art history, utopian studies and activist movements. She has conducted research into the political iconography of social movements, such as the British direct-action environmental movement of the 1990s and the 15M movement; the relationship between contemporary art and utopia; and the history of artist collectives.

12:30 pm Workshop with the esparto grass spinning community of Villarejo de Salvanés

This community is one of the last groups of hand spinners of esparto grass on the Iberian Peninsula. Since 2019, they have been part of the #HabitarElEsparto programme, which has contributed to the recognition of esparto grass spinning as an Asset of Cultural Interest in the Community of Madrid and as a Representative Manifestation of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Spain.

Although esparto grass spinning fell largely into disuse in the mid-20th century with the emergence of synthetic fibres, its use is now being reclaimed as a natural and biodegradable fibre, while its cultivation has become a key aspect of ecological restoration and the prevention of desertification on the Iberian Peninsula.

In this workshop, the artisans will introduce participants to the technique of hand-spinning esparto grass and propose a series of practical exercises exploring the craft.