Leonardo Hidalgo

Leonardo is originally from Bogotá, Colombia, and came to Finland to study for an MA in textile design at Aalto University. He is currently a doctoral candidate at the Department of Design at the same university. His research explores biocolours and dyeing practices within local contexts and examines the intersection between ecological knowledge, colour, aesthetics, and design.

Leonardo has a background in weaving and dyeing, and is interested in navigating the relationships between place, materials, and colour. He explores storytelling through woven textiles where his narratives relate to the emotional experience of land and memory.

In 2019 Leonardo participated in PatternLab where he developed designs for Lapuan Kankurit together with a team of textile and graphic designers. The designs HANKI, HUURRE and HILE are inspired after hiking in forests that surround Helsinki. He used simple elements such as stones, the flow of the water, the light of the moon and the verticality of the trees to create a series of shaft loom designs.