The generative loom: Tapestry in the community

This paper arises out of doctoral research into community responses to a tapestry woven on a loom in the public space of a local library. The research uncovered complex relationships between craft, making and the processes of viewing, all of which were informed by the embodied situated-ness of the people who proffered their insights at the loom. Throughout the conversations at the loom, the gestures and movements of the viewers of the tapestry came to the fore. This article explores some the embodied responses to the tapestry and situates these responses within a form of ‘dynamic’ interactive subjectivity.