My participatory art practice emphasiSes the connective qualities of weaving and other needlework by inviting people to create together, using their hands.
In a time and place where almost everything is industrialiSed, I want to remind people not only of the beauty of the handmade, but also of the joy of making and co-creating.
weaving is a repetitive, long-lAsting, and collective process that slows down and allows for connection, sharing and listening, reflection and a greater awareness of our sense of touch.
Photography: Ruben den Harder
May-june 2024. Weaving for 3 days with visitors of Amsterdam New-West festivals Stille Wateren (Van Eesteren Museum & De Natuurkamer) and Knits & Now, resulted in a beautiful work. Made from deadstock yarns and dried grass.
May-june 2022. Woven in 3 days with citizens and visitors of Plein 40-45 and Pleinkamer at Lambertus Zijlplein. The work is made from strips of old clothes, donated by Pleinkamers' swap-shop, where it hangs on the wall.
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Since September 2023, artists Pernille Lonstrup and Rosa Smits are facilitating
textile craft evening for women at Pleinkamer in Geuzenveld, Amsterdam. We gather every other tuesday evening 19 - 21 to practice various techniques. No entrance fee. Would you like to join or know more, email: pleinkamer.weaving.words@gmail.com.
2022 - During the exhibition ‘Het Andere Verhaal’ (The Other Story) about Moroccan Modernism in the Cobramuseum, Amstelveen, I made a large collective loom where 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.