- two helpers
Flore Van Gorp
Bibi Jansen
And also to everyone
- who took part
Bibi
Joost
Florine
Lian
Karla
Amalie
Maya
Katja
Flore
Caro
Bi
Nilzén
Luna
Sterre
Etienne
Catharina
Dick
Adriana
David
Nanna-Lucie
Ravi
Millie
Tracce
Indistinte
- 2022
The “Collective Felt Making” project was developed during the graduation year at the Rietveld Academie, although it was not ultimately presented at the graduation show. The project was closely linked to the main research theme of the accompanying thesis, which explored the importance of maintaining a tangible and rhetorical connection with our immediate surroundings and the places we inhabit daily. In a world where we are constantly informed about global events, it can be challenging to remain present in our own space and time. This project aimed to counteract that disconnection by fostering a deeper awareness and presence through collective, community-driven work.
The ancient practice of felt-making was central to this project, as it is an activity that inherently promotes closeness, collaboration, and a shared sense of purpose. The project’s objective was to capture the energy of the Rietveld Pavilion through the people who inhabit it, creating a space for participants to be fully present in the moment, learn together, and leave behind traces of their experiences and existence. This concept led to the title “Tracce Indistinte” (Indistinct Traces), proposing a space where individuals could attentively engage in the present, allowing the process to shape them as they shaped the felt.
Initially, the project aimed to create a felt representation of the entire floor plan of the Rietveld Pavilion. However, due to the scale of the project and time constraints, the focus shifted to delineating the pavilion’s perimeter, capturing the essence of the space. The pavilion was chosen for its significance as the heart of the Rietveld Academie, with its central location, transparent design, and role in hosting communal events, making it a crucial element of daily life at the Academie.
A three-day collaborative felt-making workshop was organised, inviting participants to clean, card, and felt wool together. The wool was sourced from local sustainable farms in the Netherlands and Belgium. Each participant brought their own unique touch, pressure, energy, and microbes to the felt, influencing the final outcome. The project concluded with a ‘thank you’ dinner for participants and the creation of a document where everyone could sign their name, intended to be displayed alongside the final work.
The final outcome was not as important as the making process. In the pictures aside is shown however the end result, drying outside.
From left to right, Joost and I cleaning the wool.
Flore, Myself, Bibi, Florine cleaning and carding the wool.
Adriana carding the wool.
Myself, Flore and Bibi, carding and cleaning.
Nanna-Lucie, Catherina and Florine felting.
Laid to dry on the roof top of the Fed Lev building at the Rietveld Academie.
Laid to dry on the roof top of the Fed Lev building at the Rietveld Academie.