Discover the MAK Collection of Textiles and Carpets

The MAK Textiles and Carpets Collection contains objects dating from Late Antiquity to the present, ranging from European to East Asian textiles. With a focus on unique Persian and Mumluk carpets from the 16th and 17th centuries, the exquisite carpet collection is one of the most splendid areas of this part of the collection.
 
Explore the Permanent Collection Textiles and Carpets, redesigned by the Italian design studio Formafantasma, on a guided tour and delve into the collection history of the museum based on individual object biographies. The further program will also provide you with wonderful opportunities to do so.

Program at the MAK

5–8 pm
Scan the Night
Info Desk with Spotlight Talks on 3D Digitization at the MAK
How does a museum object become a digital 3D model? At the “Scan the Night” info desk, we will offer insights into the methods of 3D digitization at the MAK. Our in-house expert will explain the processes and applications and demonstrate how real objects are transformed into digital twins. Based on already digitized textiles, carpets, and other objects from the collection, we will illustrate the potential of 3D digitization for research, documentation, and education.

5–8.30 pm
Live Conservation: The Leather Stamps of the Wiener Werkstätte
with conservator Anna-Maria Pfanner; Anne Biber, Head of MAK Conservation and Workshops; and Anne-Katrin Rossberg, Curator of the MAK Metal Collection and Wiener Werkstätte Archive
Experience unique objects from the MAK Depot close up. Watch over the conservator’s shoulder as she works on the preservation of original leather stamps of the Wiener Werkstätte. These original tools were used to emboss enchanting gold motifs onto leather, which was then crafted into bags or book covers at the Wiener Werkstätte. Additionally, we will provide a live demonstration of the historical technique of gold embossing using leather stamps from the MAK’s bookbindery. Finally, we will showcase exclusive leather objects by Mathilde Flögl, Josef Hoffmann, and Dagobert Peche.

5–7 pm
MAK Design Kids: MAKING AN IMPRESSION!
Using special printing blocks (“Model”), we will print patterns by the Wiener Werkstätte onto textiles and turn dull tea towels into a “Vienna Top Model” collection. In doing so, we will playfully discover how a pattern repeat works and create imaginative pattern worlds.
Workshop for children ages 8 to 12 (with or without accompanying adult)
Secure your spot by registering (limited spots available) 

6.30 pm
Curator-Guided Tour of the Redesigned Permanent Collection Textiles and Carpets
with Lara Steinhäußer, Curator, MAK Textiles and Carpets Collection
The MAK Permanent Collection Textiles and Carpets, redesigned by Formafantasma, presents a cross-section of this multifaceted area of the collection. The guided tour with Lara Steinhäußer, Curator of the MAK Textiles and Carpets Collection, will highlight the object biographies of individual pieces and place them within the context of the history of the collection. The focus will be, among other objects, on the antependium of the Göss vestments, a medieval knitwear fragment by Franz Bock, a so-called “Tintoretto” carpet, textile appliques from the 18th century, and a carpet by Eduard Josef Wimmer-Wisgrill.
Secure your spot by registering (limited spots available) 
 
7.30 pm
Guided Tour of the Redesigned Permanent Collection Textiles and Carpets
Secure your spot by registering (limited spots available) 

9 pm
Insights into the Preservation of the Silk Mamluk Carpet
with textile restorer Edith Oberhumer
In its world-famous collection of oriental knotted carpets, the MAK also houses several Mamluk carpets. A special piece in this group is the so-called silk Mamluk carpet, the only surviving object of its kind worldwide. It is of imperial provenance and can be clearly identified in two paintings in the Kunsthistorisches Museum—this, too, is a rarity. Its use over many years at the former imperial court and the resulting damage led to countless repairs carried out with very coarse materials. The carpet’s poor state of preservation, also caused by damaging past restorations, made extensive conservation measures necessary. Through years of meticulous work, the object was conserved, improper repairs removed, and the original substance stabilized. Challenges regarding carpet conservation and the methods applied are discussed directly in front of the knotted carpet in the redesigned permanent collection.
Secure your spot by registering (limited spots available)
 
10 pm
Guided Tour of the Redesigned Permanent Collection Textiles and Carpets
Secure your spot by registering (limited spots available) 

Practical information

Admission and participation in all program events are free.
Registration is required for some events (see above).
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During our exhibition openings or events, photographs and videos are regularly taken and recorded by the MAK and other parties and published i.a. on the website and social media channels (Facebook, Instagram, etc.) of the MAK and other parties. Persons participating in exhibition openings and events or entering the MAK’s premises thereby give their consent to the publication of such photographs and videos, without remuneration and without the persons concerned expressly granting such permission.