Toni Garau creates artworks using thread. Some of his works have been exclusively de - signed to breathe life into emblematic houses in Palma, bestowing a very special quality on them. One good example of this is his partici - pation in the cosmopolitan, minimalist Med - iterranean art collection created especially for Cala Seu – Palma Town House, a property sold by MallorcaSite

When you devise and create an artwork for a particular space, and you finally see it hanging on the wall of the house in question, what feel - ings does this inspire in you?

I feel very proud when someone takes an interest in my art, and wants to live with it in their home. At the same time, in a way I feel that I am leaving a lit - tle piece of myself there, because that unique work is something I created, and the sentiment it holds is very special for me.

How did you come to create works of art us - ing thread?

I have always been fascinated by the industrial past of my home town, Sóller. Many years ago, be - fore tourism came, Sóller lived from the textile in - dustry. There were 18 factories and textiles were the main source of wealth for the town. It also signified the entry into the world of remunerated labour for women. I fell in love with that history and began to do research on how I could use these threads.

Are the threads you use the same ones that people worked on in the factories?

Yes, I get them from antique shops, or at the Fun - dació Deixalles Sóller. When the factories closed down, many people kept the threads, and now they take them to antique shops or just throw them away

How is it possible to work with such old thread?

At first the thread would break, so I started us - ing a resin to hold it together. Working with these threads gives me satisfaction - seeing that the idea is expressed just as I had imagined it. And it makes me proud, because I am recovering a material with a history in my artworks, a material that was dead and which nobody wanted, it was no good for sewing any more. This is my passion.

How do you define yourself as an artist?

I am a contemporary artist who loves to work. I need to be in tension and have a goal. I am capable of expressing what I feel instantly. My goal is to move people. I use very earthy colours, with a close connec - tion to nature. I always look for peace in my works, and make them relaxing, balanced and coherent.