The rich traditions of working with amber stretch back over thousands of years in Latvia and laid the foundations for the famous Amber Road trade route. Looking towards the future, however, what does amber offer today?

Riga Technical University scientist Inga Ļašenko has transformed amber by using new technologies and is the creator of amber thread. She has won the prestigious World Intellectual Property Organisation’s Gold Medal for Innovation and the Gold Medal for Learning. The full potential of amber thread is still being explored, but it is already clear that it has amazing medicinal properties and can be used for constructing blood vessels in cardiovascular surgery.

At this exhibition, however, amber thread has been transformed into works of art by the well-known textile artist Iveta Vecenāne. In 2013, she wove the world’s first fabric made of amber threads, in both the warp and weft. They extend throughout the entire tapestry and create a sensation that cannot be expressed in words. The artist experiments with the visually unobtrusive amber thread – examining how it combines with other fibres, how it drapes in fabrics, which weaving methods work, and how it interacts with light. Iveta Vecenāne is also a costume designer for stage productions, paints on silk, designs textile jewellery, and is the author of two children's books.

The exhibition was created as part of the Riga 2014 European Capital of Culture programme.

The official opening is on 7 May.