Elck Syn Waerom (2023)

Elisa van Joolen in collaboration with Tesselschade library Amsterdam and Line Arngaard, Elena Braida, Sara Darle Olsson, Anna Klas, Freja Nøhr Kristiansen, Marina van der Lecq, Lara van der Poel, Afroditi Terzi, Hanka van der Voet and Rosa Shepherd

Mixed media

 

With this collaborative textile piece, participants in the Elck Syn Waerom workshop show some of the rich history that can be found in the library of Tesselschade Amsterdam. The piece exhibits various images found in the library, as well as several embroideries and works in other techniques that were discovered there, which were added both by participants in the workshop and Tesselschade’s members. The textile piece takes the shape of a tent, a portal, where we ask the visitor to ponder for a moment the (often rendered invisible) history of women’s labour and the inferior position that handcrafts (still) occupy within the arts. The tent offers respect to the many women – past, present and future – who have dedicated time and energy to Tesselschade, making it into a refuge for women in need of financial support.

 

Special thanks to the Tesselschade library team.

Photo by Johannes Schwartz