Friesland, the Netherlands: with the wind through my hair, the historic years

Hand embroidery around sits fabrics on a modern cotton sheet (2016 - 2026)

214 × 191 cm

As a child of the Frisian countryside with the wind through my hair walking, running along the sea, the lakes, the ditches and the cities next to all of that, it was visiting Hindeloopen which created the biggest wonders. Here the men and women wore their local traditional costumes, with exotic prints suggesting links to far away countries. Also the cut of those different types of clothing for each important social function was very interesting to research. Their sits fabrics stimulated all sorts of ideas, as well as the knowledge of their dangerous sea voyages to the Baltics. With the importance of their trading status now a relic of a rich past, the local materials were used in a mixed fabric-embroidering piece of work, which was started years ago, but got stuck somehow. After returning to these parts it was taken up again to serve in meditative embroidering as a form of medicine, creating many little islands as once were those Frisian cities. The fertile grounds and waters around these are symbolized in earth/water based colouring, where still the wind runs through my hair. All hand made by myself, the sits fabric was bought in Hindeloopen, the material was purchased in Paris, Joure, Workum, Chantilly. The background is a modern cotton sheet.