Silk’s cultural history spans more than 5,000 years. Examples of sericulture appear in the Chinese archaeological record as early as the third millennium BCE, and silk fabrics excavated from sites have been dated to at least the Shang dynasty (1600–1046 BCE). Beyond silk’s traditional use in textiles and as a valuable trade commodity, biomedical researchers are now experimenting with the material in novel forms of technology; since silk is compatible with human tissue, the immune system can accept silk on surfaces as sensitive as the human brain. "Silk Poems" is the first volume in UMAG's Digital Chapbook series. In the project visual artist and author Jen Bervin melds the traditional applications of silk with cutting edge research—engaging with the medium’s cultural, scientific and linguistic complexities. Find out more here: https://bit.ly/umagsilkpoems (English version only)