Centrum pro studium populární kultury

Threads run through human civilization from myths to digital networks – they connect, break, provoke, and inspire. What was once practical craftwork and a female stereotype has become a recognized artistic discipline and a powerful metaphor for connection as well as resistance. The Year of Threads at CSPK will bring stories, workshops, and lectures that show the strands of pop culture stretch further than we might expect.

We start on October 14, 2025 🔥

 

 

Our Events

 

• 14. 10. 2025 – Hana Drštičková: Workshop ekofeministické výšivky s úvodem
• 11. 11. 2025 –
• Johana Lomová: Socialistická móda: Když se vlákno spřádá v oděv
• 9. 12. 2025 – Jacob Engelberg: Fibrous Fantasies: Bisexual and Transgender Potentialities in Screen Spectatorship (🇬🇧) + Christmas Party (🎄)
• 13. 1. 2026 – Biograf CSPK:  The Threads (1984) v Dejvické klubovně
• 10. 2. 2026 – TBA
• 10. 3. 2026 – Nicolette Makovicky: Socialist Doily (🇬🇧)
• 14. 4. 2026 – Tereza Jiroutová Kynčlová: Unweaving Silence, Weaving Feminist Voices (🇨🇿)
• 12. 5. 2026 – Lenka Vochocová: eMimino – gender v sociální síti
• 9. 6. 2026  – Kamila Schewczuková: Čepiec Kataríny Kucbelové (🇸🇰) + valná hromada CSPK (💪)

 

Where to find us

 

All lectures take place at Kavárna na Boršově, usually on the second Monday or Tuesday of the month. The only exception is January’s CSPK Cinema, which will be held at Dejvická klubovna. Lectures are not streamed.

 

Abstract

 

Threads have accompanied human civilization for thousands of years. Their significance is reflected in both material and immaterial culture: they enable the creation of countless objects, while at the same time shaping social imagination. Threads and the textiles woven from them can serve as metaphors for connection, continuity, and rupture. The most obvious images of threads come from Greek mythology and its tradition. Among the best-known figures are Arachne, the master weaver transformed into a spider by the goddess Athena as punishment; the Moirai, who spin the threads of life; and Ariadne with her red thread that helped Theseus out of the labyrinth.

Spinning and weaving were activities primarily perceived as female and tied to the characteristics imposed on women. Because of this strong gendered framing, spinning, weaving, and embroidery were not considered art for many decades. They were only recognized as full-fledged art after loud campaigns by the women’s movement in the second half of the 20th century. Historical approaches to threads have since been revised, and feminist critique has contributed to the flourishing of feminist embroidery, knitting, and lace-making.

Material and imaginary threads have also found their place in popular culture. Threads wind their way through the digital world, search engines, social networks, and most recently, artificial intelligence.

In this Year of Threads, CSPK will attempt to capture diverse perspectives on both threads themselves and their cultural representations. We will reflect on where the thin red line runs, test our practical skills in a workshop, watch an enlightening film, and explore the interactions between weaving and the feminist voice. We will also try to unravel the threads of the network of all networks—namely, eMimino. Finally, we will showcase the ways in which textile threads were reflected in history and how women engaged in (self-)expression through embroidery under state socialism.