The weaver and the machine. The transmission of know-how and gestures in art textile factories

On the basis of an ethnographic investigation in French and Italian art textile factories, this article addresses the property regime associated with jacquard weaving. It describes the activity of weavers and engineers at and around the loom in the design and production of patterns and textures. The article analyses, on the one hand, the sharing of knowledge between weavers and, on the other hand, the relationship between weavers, the fabric and the machine.