Employing photography, writing, sound and sculpture as tools for exploration, Emilia invites us to look closer, again and deeper, to question preconceived notions of truth and fiction. In her work, she often focuses on oral storytelling, legends and rituals, reflecting on their roles in forming and sustaining systems, and on the ways we relate to one another and to the more-than-human worlds.

With this project, The Serpent's Thread, Emilia traces points of connection between personal and collective stories, investigating how myths and folklore, but also broader societal structures, shape and influence what we see and believe.

Weaving is an ancient practice. For centuries, women have woven textiles, creating unique, layered and at times deeply symbolic stories with their hands, then passing their knowledge on to the next generation. This seemingly silent practice was, in reality, the custodian of many voices, through which, in the words of the Italian philosopher Adriana Cavarero, a tale (becomes) existence, relation and attention*.

The Serpent's Thread cherishes these stories, but actively creates a political and relational public space for them, even when they were lost, concealed or destroyed. It does so through a meticulous process of collecting, archiving and juxtaposing elements, sometimes apparently distant from one another, to show us how stories that seem far apart are often closer to each other, and to us, than we might think. In this way, the gestures join those of the many other hands, voices and knowledge(s) that came before, forming a unified, extended and shared form of making.

Existence, relation and attention (from the words of Cavarero): these elements are also very much evident in the way Emilia works. And she has not worked alone: other women have joined this remarkable convergence of gazes, hands and voices, giving rise to the exhibition you can experience here today.

One of them is Isobel Anderson, sound artist, composer and experimental performer, whose work explores voice, listening and the poetics of sound. With over twenty years of experience in music-making, performing and producing, and a PhD in Sonic Arts, her practice embraces curiosity, independence and experimentation.

Won't You Put A Needle On? is her accompanying sound work to Martin’s The Serpent's Thread: a layered sonic tapestry of singing voice, audio processing, spinning wheels and sewing. Meditative textile loops, evolving drones and serpent-like hissing textures evoke the quiet magic and embodied knowledge embedded within textile practices, drawing our attention to the many unseen hands and wisdoms woven into needlework traditions.

In all its layeredness, The Serpent's Thread proposes an unprecedented coexistence of the mythological, archival, and speculative that transcend the binary of truth and fiction, calling for historical recognition while preserving a space for imagination.

Written by Eleonora Schianchi, the curator of “The Serpent’s Thread” as presented at Fotografia Europea (2026)

*Adriana Cavarero, Relating Narratives: Storytelling and Selfhood (London: Routledge, 2000), 54.