MANIFESTO
Participatory art describes a form of art that directly engages the audience in the creative process so that they become participants in the event. My participatory art practice celebrates the connective power of weaving together by inviting people to actively join my weaving processes with hands, voice and creativity. In an age defined by screens and mass production, I wish to remind people of the beauty of handmade craftsmanship and the deep satisfaction in making and co-creating.
Weaving is an enduring and repetitive process that fosters connection, reflection, and a deeper awareness of touch. It invites us to slow down while being fully present. The shared act of weaving opens a space for attentive listening—our hands occupied with threads—and for authentic exchange, as many participants tap into their memories and connect personal stories to this often newly discovered craft.
As conversations unfold and threads intertwine, a new collective weave takes shape. This process can be seen as community art or as a tangible map that reflects a unique place and its network of people, tools, sounds, cups of tea, and the stories shared along the way.
May/June 2024, Amsterdam. This collective weave was created in three days on request of two festivals in Amsterdam New-West: Stille Wateren & Knits and Now. During the first —with Van Eesteren Museum and Natuurkamer as locations— I primarily worked with children. On the final day at Knits & Now, I wove from noon until dark with many craft enthusiasts. The weave of 150 x 150cm is made from remains of the Dutch textile industry. When the
work isn't exhibited, it hangs in the Natuurkamer.
Photography: Ruben den Harder
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The last day of weaving was part of the 'Vergroeningsfestival' at Lambertus Zijlplein where I primarily worked with children. The work is made from strips of old clothes, donated by Pleinkamers' swap-shop, where it hangs now.
May-june 2022, Amsterdam. Weaving two days with visitors from the Plein 40-45 market and the additional Maydan Festival: the piece captures countless imprints of mothers and their children, alongside supportive comments from my market neighbors as they sold their vegetables.
2022, Amstelveen - During the exhibition ‘Het Andere Verhaal’ (The Other Story) about Moroccan Modernism in the Cobra museum, I installed a large collective loom on which visitors knotted a carpet together with naturally dyed Moroccan wool and leftover scraps of fabric. The piece is 3 meters wide and 1.5 meters long and made by 156 people, including not only the visitors of the exhibition, but also employees and volunteers of the Cobra Museum.
2023-2025, Geuzenveld Amsterdam
Haak & Maak is a series of bi-monthly textile-related evening sessions in Pleinkamer. The hosting is shared between Pernille Lonstrup, Olga Ganzha and me. It began with a pilot of six workshops, paired with an exhibition curated by Pernille in 2023 at the same gallery/project space. The workshops were such a success that they continue today, supported by funds: Haella Foundation, VSB, and AFK.
Each season is dedicated to a specific technique such as knitting, crochet, weaving, sewing, dyeing and clothing repair etc. The true essence of Haak & Maak lies in our togetherness, where connections blossom through shared knowledge and heartfelt conversations take place over cups of tea and cookies.
Upcoming workshops 2025
January 28: collective weaving with Rosa
February 11,25: sewing w/ Pernille & Rosa
March 11, 25: sewing with Pernille & Rosa
April 8, 22: embroidery with Olga
Time: 19:00 - 21:00
Place: Pleinkamer, Lambertus Zijlplein 7
*Free of charge, no expected entry level.
April/May 2023, Bureau Postjesweg Amsterdam. During our residency, artist Nina van Hartskamp and I explored how spatial developments, particularly gentrification, in Slotervaart impact the new and old residents.
We transformed Bureau Postjesweg into a temporary weaving, dyeing, and storytelling studio, inviting the public to participate by weaving, dyeing, or simply sharing a cup of tea and their stories. We hosted and recorded talk shows featuring guest speakers—writers Abdelkader Benali and Karima Assaoui, poet Chaimae Bouzagaoui, and local folk hero Abi Patat—who shared their experiences of living in the area, sparking deeper conversations with the audience.
Each week, we brought a building fence—a functional loom and metaphor for gentrification—through Slotervaart, inviting passersby to weave garments into it. This process served as a conversation starter, enabling us to gather and record stories about their perspectives on the changes in the neighborhood.The transformed, vibrant fence was later exhibited at various locations in Slotervaart. Embedded within the woven fence were the stories of its residents, yearning to be heard.
Research & color preparations
art residency in Iceland, 2017
Carpet # 1
Amsterdam, Netherlands
December 2017 - May 2018
Co-created with visitors of Green Living Lab, H401, Ubuntu festival, OKO Cultural Melting Point, Tante Ali , De Dobbekamer,
Cafe de Ceuvel, Dagbesteding de Draad
How to Weave Together
In a Amazigh community in Morocco I observed with fascination how powerful the act of weaving together is. It inspired me to invite people in Netherlands to join this process of weaving a carpet in unison. Consequently, I went back to Morocco to do the same there. Two collectively made carpets resulted from this joint venture. Each carpet carries many dialogues, between cultures and people, that took place around - and within - the weaving. Instead of designing a pattern, I created possibilities for my co-weavers to play. In a sense, out of each piece a new language arose by us responding to each other’s work.
Graduation Show
Gerrit Rietveld Academy 2018
Carpet # 2
Amehklij, Morocco - March 2018
co-created with Amazigh weavers
Could weaving be considered a form of documentation and if so, what distinguishes it from the photograph or sound recording?
I see these carpets as material maps that reveal the flexible social network that created them: every person, tool, plant and place is represented in its own respective way. During the process of making, many intimate conversations took place, which prove to me that the act of weaving together facilitated something important and human. Perhaps, the outcomes (whether you call them carpets, maps or dialogues) are just beautiful examples of how to live together.