Dear HHP students,

On the 9th of April we visited the Textile Museum in Tilburg, situated in the old textile factory of the city. We were with a group of seven women, and most of us travelled together from Utrecht central station to the museum. On arrival our shared interest in crafting immediately came to the surface as we were collectively intrigued by the yarn cones that were used as decoration in the museum cafe. The museum started in a hall in which the history of the textile industry was recounted and shown visually through a line-up of big and rather loud machines. The museum also allowed you to feel like being a part of the industrial process as samples of wool in all its stages were provided to touch, feel, and work with.

To our surprise, we then moved into the textile lab where modern technology was used to produce colorful tapestries, amongst other things. Upon entering this space, we were a bit disoriented from the abrupt transition from historic to new, and we were not quite sure if the textile lab was even meant for us to enter. The museum collaborates with various artists, and it is in this space that those artworks were being brought to live. The textile lab allowed an insight into how knitting and weaving machines functioned while the art exhibition next to it showed what these machines could produce, showing the complex artforms that could emerge from a very standard looking machine. We were not only impressed by the craftmanship exhibited, but also by how the exhibitions were curated and presented to us, creating spaces that were really letting the works shine.

Further exhibitions showed the social relevance of weaving and knitting practices. Various artists referred back to their ethnic and social roots in their artworks, combining traditional methods with modern day technology. They also incorporated social critiques in their work, such as emphasizing the importance of the relationship between humans, the earth, and its resources. These themes were very interesting to us, as we and our company were already curious about making our own crafting and fiber art practices as sustainable as possible.

In conclusion, our visit to the Textile Museum was intellectually stimulating while also being fertile ground for community building based on the one thing that we all love to do: creating. The exhibition and the group of women that joined us on this visit together created a space in which we could discuss more traditional crafts within a progressive and imaginative framework. We are delighted to share that we are still in contact and are planning future crafting related meetups and trips together.

Hinte Wiersma and Shai Eschel