Soft waste: Notes on wool, nature and traces that linger

The publication is the result of artistic research into wool as a raw material, but also as an ecological resource. It documents practical knowledge and reflections while exploring the relationship between humans and nature, as well as the responsibility that arises from our belonging to the natural world. At the same time, it reveals the flora and fauna preserved within discarded raw wool, questioning its overlooked value.

Introduction: In the spring of 2023, I learned about a cooperative on Krk that had begun collecting raw wool from the island’s shepherds to make it available for use in sustainable gardening and agriculture, aiming to address an ecological problem - wool discarded into nature. How can such a precious natural resource become an environmental issue?

I was drawn to the idea of acquiring an almost forgotten skill, from people whose routines are dictated by the rhythm of nature, to which they surrender consciously and completely.

I gathered experiences while studying specialized literature, seeking to satisfy my own curiosity, hoping to find an idea for a new series of works. In a time when we produce artificial materials that imitate natural ones for the sake of saving time and money, despite nature continuing to produce natural materials anyway, a more or less rhetorical question arose: What about wool?

I imagine this publication as an archive of practical processing tips, lesser-known facts, intriguing reflections, and unrealized ideas; as a megaphone beside quietly posed questions; as a magnifying glass focused on a seemingly minor matter. The publication is conceived with the intent not only to educate, but to evoke a sense of belonging, and to remind us that each of us is merely a fragment of nature, to which we undeniably belong. May the following pages serve as a reminder that belonging comes with a responsibility we often forget. With the hope that the collected knowledge will not be forgotten, nor remain merely untapped potential.

In the meantime, the Agricultural Cooperative Island of Krk has ceased its collection activities.

— The Author