Soft Systems: Generative Art & Embroidery
As part of the CraftWork 4.0 All framework, we invite you to join Soft Systems, an intensive interdisciplinary workshop that explores the intersection of code and cloth.
4 Mar
Start Date
4/03/2026
Location
Nova Iskra and Goethe – Institut Beograd
14 Mar
End Date
14/03/2026
Duration
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Program Language
serbian
Program Slots
/
Fee
Free with registration
What is it about?
Led by mentors Aleksandra Jovanić (artist and programer) and Katarina/Kezvez (Embroidery), this 16-hour program follows a progressive methodology: Code → Pattern → Material → Object → Reflection.
Participants will learn to treat digital algorithms as a personal “digital signature” that can be woven into physical artifacts. You will build generative systems using Processing and materialize those designs through both manual and machine embroidery.
No prior coding or embroidery experience is required, though basic knowledge is welcomed.
Who is it for?
- Generative Art Mastery: Understand variables, loops, and randomness to create infinite design variations.
- Technical Translation: Learn how to export digital code into vector formats suitable for textile production.
- Contemporary Craft Skills: Explore traditional hand-stitching and modern machine embroidery logic.
- Creative Reflection: Discuss the evolving roles of authorship, technology, and “human imperfection” in craft.
What's in it for me?
- Total Duration: 8 sessions (16 hours total).
- Phase 1 (Digital): 4 sessions × 2h – Generative Art with Aleksandra Jovanić.
- Phase 2 (Physical): 4 sessions × 2h – Embroidery with Kezvez.
- Target Group: Artists, designers, and craft practitioners.
Final Outputs: 1–2 finished hybrid embroidered works, digital generative files, and process documentation.
How will I learn
This project is supported by the Creative Europe programme.
Instructors
Katarina KezVez
artist
A tourism graduate by education and a freelance artist by vocation. Founder of the brand KezVez (since 2018), which explores the contemporary application of hand embroidery on textiles and various other surfaces. Creator of numerous streetwear collections and organizer of hand embroidery workshops. Has exhibited in several group exhibitions and three solo shows, using embroidery as a medium of contemporary artistic expression.
Aleksandra Jovanić
artist and programmer
Aleksandra Jovanic is an artist and programmer from Belgrade, Serbia. She holds a doctorate in Digital Arts and a BSc in Computer Science. In her research and artistic practice she combines various media, mainly in the field of interactive art, art games, and generative art. Jovanic’s recent works focus on the aesthetic of data visualization and optical illusions, as well as explorations of accepted concepts of truth and reality. Her work has been exhibited internationally in exhibitions at Unit London, Feral File, Vellum LA, ArtBlocks, and ArtBasel. As an associate professor, she currently teaches at all three levels of study, at the Faculty of Fine Arts in Belgrade, at master studies of the Faculty of Applied Arts and at art doctoral studies at the University of Arts in Belgrade.
