Softwear: Weaving the Hidden History of Computing in London
The exhibition titled 'Softwear: Intertwined Histories of Textiles, Computing, Code and Gendered Labour' will commence at No Show Space in London on 18 September 2026, concluding on 17 October 2026. Curated by Kira Wainstein, the show showcases five artists who delve into the links between textile creation and digital technology, highlighting the often-ignored contributions of manual and female labor in the early days of computing. Notable pieces include Charlotte Johannesson's 'Guardian?' (1984), Crystal Bennes's 'When Computers Were Women' (2021), daniela brill estrada and Monica C. LoCascio's 'Phantom Fields' (2026), Shannon Swinburn's 'IBM 1401' (2025), and Steph Linn's 'History Keeps Me Awake at Night' (2024). The exhibition also nods to Ada Lovelace's 1843 program and the all-female ENIAC team. A preview will take place on 17 September from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM.
Key facts
- Exhibition 'Softwear' opens at No Show Space in London on 18 September 2026, runs to 17 October 2026.
- Curated by Kira Wainstein, who previously worked at Tate Modern and Tate Britain.
- Features works by Crystal Bennes, daniela brill estrada & Monica C. LoCascio, Charlotte Johannesson, Steph Linn, and Shannon Swinburn.
- The Jacquard loom (1804) used punched cards to programme fabric patterns, predating computers.
- Charlotte Johannesson's 'Guardian?' (1984) was made after she traded her loom for a computer.
- Crystal Bennes's 'When Computers Were Women' (2021) translates 2,131 punch cards from CERN into woven textiles.
- The exhibition highlights the role of women in computing, including Ada Lovelace and the ENIAC programmers.
- Preview on 17 September, 6:30 PM–8:30 PM.
- The exhibition is an apexart Open Call Exhibition 2026–27.
Entities
Artists
- Kira Wainstein
- Crystal Bennes
- daniela brill estrada
- Monica C. LoCascio
- Charlotte Johannesson
- Steph Linn
- Shannon Swinburn
- Ada Lovelace
Institutions
- No Show Space
- Tate Modern
- Tate Britain
- Digital Theatre
- CERN
- apexart
Locations
- London
- United Kingdom
- Malmö
- Sweden