Advanced equipment and straightforward conversations – Maja and Myrto were accepted to a talent program for alumni

The Textile Movement Talent Programme is aimed at recent graduates in textiles, fashion and design and gives participants the opportunity to develop their practices through mentoring, networking and access to technical skills and equipment. 

Participants will have the opportunity to work in HDK-Valand's premises with access to, for example, knitting machines, electronic looms, chemistry laboratories and dyeing rooms. But for Maja Delborn, an alumnus from Textiles, Body, Rooms at HDK-Valand campus Steneby, one of the most important parts has still been the community with the other participants who are in a similar phase of their professional lives.

– It has felt valuable to become part of a group where everyone is working towards the goal of being able to make a living from what we have been trained in. It is also unexpectedly refreshing that people talk about money in a very straightforward way: that we need to make money, and how we can relate to it, she says. 

Create a livelihood

The talent program has challenged Maja's view of how artistic work can be combined with ways to create a livelihood. In her work, she investigates how artistic work can interact with, for example, the sale of patterns and instructions, and what it takes for more people to want to create with their hands. Within the program, she has, among other things, worked with embroidery machines for an exhibition that revolves around instructions. 

– You are presented with a number of opportunities that would have been difficult to find without the program. Everything from how you can find and get hold of materials to using premises and machines or getting guidance from new people who help you move forward.  

Care, generosity and interest

For Myrto Patramani, a graduate from the Master's Programme in Crafts at HDK-Valand, access to resources and technical expertise has also been important. Myrto works with biotextiles of algae and gelatin, which she combines with natural materials collected on Brännö, where she lives. A practice that just got her nominated for the Dorothy Waxman International Textile Design Prize 2026. But the most important thing is the people, she says. 

– There is so much care, generosity, and genuine interest in one's work, while at the same time getting the opportunity to learn from professionals with important knowledge and experience in the field. It's an incredibly valuable opportunity for artists at the beginning of their professional lives. So don't miss out on this opportunity!