The Fabric of the Silence

The Fabric of Silence was created in 2013 as a social art project at the Institute of Performance Arts in San Francisco, in collaboration with Collected Works, a collective of artists dedicated to experimental theatrical performances. This project was part of the staging of Princess Ivona by Witold Gombrowicz, exploring the visual and participatory dimensions of the performance.

Actors, team members, the institute’s community, and the general public were invited to actively contribute to the creation of this artwork by crafting individual fabric fragments and then posing for a portrait beside the evolving piece. This collective process aimed to weave a connection between art and social engagement, placing participation at the core of the creative experience.

The final textile sculpture, flexible and ever-evolving, became a central element of the performance, symbolizing both the fragility and strength of social bonds. Since then, The Fabric of Silence has been reinterpreted and incorporated into various installations, adapting to different contexts linked to social and environmental projects, reaffirming its role as an artistic and collective testimony.