Advocating the role of silk art and cultural heritage at national and European scale

This task will be aimed at the implementation of new technological solutions, in the sense of researching fashion trends for the development of materials, taking into account the principles of circular economy and recycling and expanding the traditional use of silk products. The planning, development and production of new materials from silk and waste from mulberry cultivation and silk processing will be carried out using several advanced techniques, such as electrospinning and 3D printing, which will transform the dissolved components of silk (fibroin and sericin) into structured materials, i.e. a network of nano-fibers or 3D objects. Special emphasis will be placed on the use of fibroin filaments and sericin ('seri-waste'), which will either be dissolved or processed into submicron particles by a spray drying technique and used to prepare spinning solutions and printing formulations that fit the green chemistry paradigm (eg green solvents). Identification of old local mulberry genotypes scattered in different collections of European countries, sampling of historical local mulberries in the silk producing regions of the partner countries and genetic analysis of their relatedness to trace the historical expansion of mulberries from Asia to Western Europe. Preservation and replanting of mulberries in the landscape as a characteristic element of the natural and cultural heritage associated with sericulture and with the aim of increasing ecosystem services. The University of Athens, within task 1.3, is focused on the phylogeny of old silkworm races based on still-preserved cocoons in museums and private collections with the aim of re-introducing the cultivation of old local races in the sericulture regions of the partner countries. Various designs and fashionable silk solutions will be co-created with the help of innovative techniques and digital technologies.

ARACNE project focuses on the cultural heritage of the European silk production and its preservation, protection and valorisation; it aims at revigorating traditional skills through the adaptive reuse of the common cultural and artistic legacy and at shaping a silk-linked European cultural identity. Literally and metaphorically a thread that has woven the European culture, silk greatly contributed to the development of the European economy and arts. The production and the past and present development of the silk sector can be again the common basis for a future European Silk Route intended as a cultural itinerary across Europe. To create a wide and well-connected network that, starting from the historical path followed by Marco Polo in his travels to East, even includes the routes of production and commercialization of silk in Europe in the following centuries, we aim to: • Bring back silk production in vogue by reconstructing a resilient and innovative silk ecosystem that retraces the concerned European countries and promotes traditions, architecture, and both tangible and intangible heritages. The consolidation of an European Silk Route will encourage links and shared activities among European cities and regions, specifically among museums, study and research centres to strengthen the preservation and protection of their culture and promote innovations in production and trade; • Contribute to improve skills and competitiveness of silk-related European Cultural and Creative Industries through the renewal, co-development and the implementation of human-centered and place-specific silk-based cultural products, processes and service innovations, leveraging on digital applications and cutting-edge technologies, to foster the transition to more sustainable business models, and promote economic and social growth, and strengthen the reputation of European countries abroad. The project will also meet the Green Deal and New European Bauhaus macro-objectives.