The Textile Studio of UMPRUM in Prague received significant attention with its projects at Fuji Textile Week in Japan. The studio presented a large-scale tapestry made from Czech sheep’s wool designed for a public space, a collaborative work created by all students of the studio over the course of an entire semester. In addition, the studio organized public workshops on wool processing using the felting technique, which attracted great interest from visitors as well as local media — including the Japanese edition of Harper’s Bazaar.
Excerpt from the Harper’s Bazaar article dedicated to the UMPRUM Textile Studio project:
Finally, there is one more work I would like to introduce. UMPRUM is the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague, Czech Republic, one of Europe's leading art schools with a 140-year history. Its Textile Studio bridges traditional techniques with contemporary perspectives in its creations, and this piece was born during the school's exhibition “ARTESEMESTR 2025.”
The venue, Fukugenji Temple, is home to the city's Important Cultural Property, the Hexagonal Prince Shōtoku Hall, and the “Crane Mound” associated with textile traditions. The area's deep connection to textile culture is striking. Seeing UMPRUM students' textile works displayed in this location created a sense of quiet resonance between the region's history and foreign learning.
A punch needle workshop using wool.
During the workshop held in the annex, where participants were creating patterns by punching wool with needles, one student shared this insight:
“In the Czech Republic, sheep are primarily raised for meat, so the wool is coarse and commercial distribution is virtually nonexistent. By focusing on this material, which is difficult to treat as an industry, I wanted to explore expressive possibilities beyond existing values.”
