Autumn ReThread: Slow Encounters

Autumn ReThread: Slow Encounters
5. – 8. 11. 2026
Kranj, Tržič, Škofja Loka
Tickets: https://olaii.com/event/11358/jesenski-odmik-autumn-rethread-bien-2026

What happens when we pause in front of a museum object and, instead of moving on after just a few seconds, give it time? When, rather than immediately searching for information, we first take in its colour, material, structure, traces of the maker’s hand, a tiny detail – and allow what we notice to evoke feelings, memories, associations, and questions within us? And what happens when we respond to this encounter through our own creative process?

The autumn ReThread programme will be dedicated to Slow Looking – a practice that invites us to slow down, engage attentively with what we see, and, in a time of rapidly flowing images and information, remain curious and open. Over the course of three days, we will visit museums in the Upper Carniola/Gorenjska region (Kranj, Tržič and Škofja Loka), focusing on textiles and textile objects from cultural heritage collections.

The programme will be led by Naira Bloss, Jasmina Ferček, and Matija Samec. Art therapist Naira Bloss, who develops and facilitates her Slow Looking practice at the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, will lead the museum-based part of the programme together with Jasmina Ferček, an arts in health practitioner. The afternoon programme in nature will be led by Matija Samec, forest therapy practitioner and trainer of nature connection specialists.

The programme is intended for educators, art therapists, professionals from other care and helping professions, artists, gallery and museum professionals and others who wish to integrate new approaches into their work with participants. It is also open to anyone with a personal interest in slow looking and art response – as a way of slowing down, developing self-awareness, and discovering different ways of engaging with art, cultural heritage, and nature.

No previous knowledge of art or special artistic skills are required. What we need most is time, attention, curiosity, and a willingness to stay with an object – or in nature – a little longer and listen to what it evokes within us.
The workshops cannot be attended individually. Participation is only possible for the full programme. The workshops, and therefore the participants’ experiences, build on one another from day to day.

APPROACH: Slow Looking

We will connect Slow Looking with elements of receptive art therapy, in which an exhibited object is approached not simply as something to look at and interpret, but as something to sense, perceive and engage with – a dialogue partner and a starting point for personal response. What is it about this particular object that draws my attention? An important part of the process will be our own visual and textile art-making, through which we will respond to the objects we encounter and to what they evoke in us. Through this process, looking, sensing, perceiving, responding and creating become interconnected ways of engaging with the museum object and exploring our own experience. We will also explore how museums can become spaces for slowing down, self-exploration, connection, and wellbeing.

Slow Looking will continue as we leave the museum, with our attention shifting in the afternoons from museum spaces to nature, where the sessions will be dedicated to contact with the natural environment and the living world. Museum objects will be replaced by the forest, plants, light, sounds, scents, and textures of nature. On Saturday afternoon, artist Vita Ivičić will join Matija as a co-mentor for a relaxed and intuitive exploration of textile-making, accompanied by an investigation of the senses and of how we perceive ourselves and the world around us. Over the course of three days, we will move between different spaces, exploring slowing down, sensory awareness, and ways of attentively engaging with the world and ourselves.

PRICE

€180 – accessible price
For those for whom the standard price would be a financial barrier.

€230 – standard price
The standard contribution towards participation in the programme.

€250 – supporting price
For those who can contribute a little more and thereby help make the programme more accessible to others.

Includes: programme

Does not include: accommodation, transport and food (locations for shared lunches and public transport will be organised; accommodation options in Kranj will also be recommended to those interested) / Estimated costs for one daily lunch: 15 EUR / Estimated cost for all public transports from Kranj to workshop locations: 10 EUR

Tickets: https://olaii.com/event/11358/jesenski-odmik-autumn-rethread-bien-2026
Programme Schedule PDF: https://shorturl.at/ZQuf9

Good to know:

1. The total number of participants is limited to 15.
2. The central location of the programme is Layer House in Kranj. From Kranj, we will travel as a group to other two cities and return to Kranj. If you live more than 30 minutes away from Kranj, we recommend arranging accommodation in Kranj.
3. After registration, you will receive detailed information and instructions regarding participation (transport, lunch locations, accommodation recommendations, events, shops and restaurants, required equipment, footwear and clothing recommendations, and additional content for further learning)
4. If needed for your employer, the organiser can provide you with a certificate of participation.

Cancelation policy 

• 90% refund up to and including 20 October
• 50% refund up to and including 1 November
  No refunds will be issued after 1 November

In the event that the programme is cancelled by the organiser (force majeure), the registration fee will be refunded in full.