“Carrier Bag Fictions” is an exhibition by CSNI researcher Mateus Domingos, and runs from 2 September to 28 October 2023, at Modern Painters, New Decorators, Loughborough, UK.
“Carrier Bag Fictions” features textiles, drawings and text inspired by Loughborough’s Luddite history. In the 19th Century, technology transformed the work of textile workers. The Luddites were a group of workers who resisted these changes through refusal, sabotage and threatening letters. Through workshops, Mateus hosted conversations about today’s digital technologies. Working with young people, a zine was constructed using Luddite letters and computer magazines. A collective net was made with families, gently weaving together histories of textiles, automation and social networks. These sessions have developed and informed the exhibition, drawing on communication and technology themes alongside Loughborough’s unique history. The show’s title is inspired by the writing of Ursula K. Le Guin, who redefined technology as a cultural carrier bag rather than a weapon of domination.
The project is funded by Arts Council England and Leicestershire County Council.