Until 2 November 2025: Homo Mondialis, Lucy + Jorge Orta and the British Textile Biennale

Blackburn Cathedral Crypt, Blackburn, UK.

From intricate embroidered appliqué to sculpture and immersive video, this sweeping survey of Lucy and Jorge Orta’s work spans continents from the Antarctic to the Amazo, reflecting on humanity’s impact and relationship with the planet.

At its heart lies a major new commission, House of Hair, a reimagined Bedouin tent by Lucy Orta. Combining traditional vernacular craft with advanced digital weaving, the structure is formed from nine vast tapestry panels woven at the TextielLab, Tilburg. These patterned surfaces chart a journey through time and terrain, of dense jungles, arid deserts, and imagined future worlds shaped by climate crisis, where scarcity gives rise to conflict, but also to renewal and resilience.

Set against the stark backdrop of Argentina’s Marambio Base in Antarctica, the Ortas’ dome-like shelters are stitched from repurposed textiles, flags, and recycled clothing. They speak to displacement, cultural plurality, and universal freedom of movement. Their patchwork of national emblems reinterprets Article 13.3 of the UN Declaration of Human Rights, calling for a world where people, not profit, cross borders freely.

Displayed in the atmospheric crypt of Blackburn Cathedral as part of the British Textile Biennale, the exhibition reveals textiles as both material and metaphor, and a language of survival, solidarity, and hope.

Read more about Homo Mondialis in Selvedge Issue 127, Aurora