weaving Voices 01.04.2025 issuu - Flipbook - Page 63
Interwoven stories of connection
Methodologies for weaving a community with
and from many voices100
Nina van Hartskamp
“’A carpet is a story in which many stories live. Come here, do you see the
patterns?’
‘I’m looking at the colourful decorations on the red background.’
‘Those are all separate threads. Each thread is a separate story, do you
understand?’
I nodded attentively, though I wasn’t sure I understood her.
‘You are a thread. I am a thread. And together we form a small decoration.
With many other threads we form a pattern. The threads are all different in
thickness and colour. The patterns are difficult to recognize on their own,
but when you look at them together you discover wonderful things. Carpets
are woven from stories.’” 101
The knotted carpet (in progress) we worked on together during the Weaving Voices workshop week in Bureau Postjesweg,
Amsterdam, April 2023.
Introduction
As a conceptual multidisciplinary artist who often works with
textiles and personal stories in various community contexts, I find it
fascinating to observe the intersections between textile weaving and
community building. In the world of textiles, a carpet is more than a
mere floor covering – it is a narrative woven from individual threads.
Each single thread already contains many stories; from the hands and
machines that twisted the thread, to the places, plants and animals
from which material originated, to the pigments that coloured the
threads. When brought together in a tapestry, these threads build on
and create new stories.
Similarly, the essence of the Weaving Voices project lies in the
interwoven stories of its participants. The metaphorical parallels
between textile weaving and community building become apparent
100 I would like to express my gratitude to all the participants of the Weaving Voices project for their invaluable contributions to this chapter. Special thanks to my dear friend and artist Claire Wymer for her insightful
conversations and co-editing support during the creation of this text.
101 Haratischwili, N., Schippers, E. and Post, J. (2024) Het achtste Leven (voor Brilka). Amsterdam: Meridiaan
Uitgevers, p. 45. (Translated by N. van Hartskamp.)
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Collective weaving during the Weaving Voices workshop week in Amsterdam,Bureau Postjesweg, April 2023
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