Hilandera at The Edinburgh Hispanic Festival celebrates the unique fusion between Hispanic and Scottish Culture. The exhibition highlights and investigates the influence of Scottish philosophical and scientific thought on multimedia Spanish artist Julio Campos, who currently lives in London. He was deeply influenced by the Scottish thinker Maryel Gardyne when he illustrated the cover and images contained in her book ‘The atom and the Octave’. Her work inspired him to realise his original series of work called Thread Portals, exhibited at the G3 Depot. The current exhibition includes a ‘Happening’ and a Thread Portal site specific installation of a cone shape and harmonic patterns that will investigate multicultural connections and develop his work further into a multi dimensional realm. The exhibition is also a reflection on the importance, in both Spain and Scotland, of the Applied Arts. This is particularly highlighted in the history of weaving and tapestry in both cultures. A reaffirmation of the dignity of human work, especially craftsmanship is represented in these industries and in the work of Julio Campos. The feminine and delicate nature of his work is also a dedication to the women that were the main work force in many of the traditions and crafts key to both countries’ histories. The title of the exhibition ‘Hilandera’ (The Spinner), suggests Julio Campos, through the act of spinning, is alluding to precise H I L A N D E R A by Julio Campos 14 – 21 October 2014 G3 depot, 11 Gayfield Square, Edinburgh eh1 3nt historical references in art and mythology to understand the value and importance of creativity. In Mediterranean and Middle East cultures, spinning represents building the destiny of humanity and the entire universe is conceived as a fabric. In the history of Western culture, weaving was the silent work of women and related to legends such as the myth of Arachne. The act of weaving and spinning is an allusion to the possibility to create and re-create new networks of knowledge and perception. The evolution of his work challenges us to discover the secret laws and frequencies that make up the universe. Each piece invites us to expand our limited and unidirectional understanding of reality by attempting to illustrate the possibility of different dimensions, pulling us into these hidden worlds. The reference to the myth of Arachne and weaving as a symbol of knowledge and the dignity of human work, constituted the main metaphor in the famous painting ‘Las Hilanderas’ By Diego Velazquez. Celebrating the history of craftsmanship and feminine work, he transforms the simple and humble weavers into Goddesses who possess the key to the secrets of the ethereal world and the universe. Velázquez considers painting as alchemy, hidden magic, according to which, the hand work and the handling of the paint, the bristles of the minerals and paintings, are able to transform into divine knowledge and to compete with the creative force of the gods. Regarding the myths about the art of weaving, it is obvious that Julio Campos’ inspiration goes well beyond an interest in the title of the painting. Campos was fascinated by the mythological interpretation made by Velazquez in his painting ‘Las Hilanderas’, which is characterised by the typical naturalist vision of the seventeenth century and highlighted by Velazquez to reaffirm the dignity and value of human hand work. Going back to the origins of the meaning of weaving, Julio Campos emphasises, through the works displayed and through the ‘Happening’ made by the artist in the gallery space, the origins of these myths as a product of archetypal memory of humanity, according to a close analytical approach to the analysis of C.G. Jung, and highlighting the more esoteric components of these stories.