Short bio

My professional life is a patchwork of humanitarian work focused on health, creativity and growth. I have travelled the world. In Guatemala, I was fascinated by weaving because of its magical connection to midwifery. Partly from a family history, the passion for textile creations grew there. I am now 65 years old and two years ago I started the project 'Our Dinner Party' on a voluntary basis. This project gives women a voice through narrative textiles.

My story of Empowerment

A few years ago, I read in a magazine about the pioneering work of Judy Chicago. In the 1970s, the American artist created 'The Dinner Party': a monumental installation of tables set in honour of 39 historical women. She created a unique hand-embroidered table runner for each woman. Her work gave me the idea to let today's women from different backgrounds tell their stories through the creation of a personal table runner. This is how 'Our Dinner Party' was born. 

After my stay in Guatemala, I embroidered a tapestry of about 2 m20 x 3m. It tells the story of my life. The work has attracted the attention of many visitors. Making it gave me so much growth and insight that I set myself the goal of using the experience I gained to benefit others. The project 'Our Dinner Party' is about questioning and visualising identity, (life) stories, dreams and desires. No prior knowledge or skills are required.

Working with textiles

Textiles are close to women's lives. Throughout history women have used textiles to make their voices heard: I am thinking in particular of the mothers of missing men in Argentina, or the women in prisoner of war camps who sent messages through embroidered handkerchiefs. 

Sewing and embroidery bring regularity and tranquillity, they have a positive impact on mental wellbeing and self-esteem.

People often surprise me with textile donations: vouchers, scraps of lace, buttons, sewing thread, ribbons, but also white linen such as sheets, handmade underwear collars, handkerchiefs and even christening gowns. Fabrics evoke feelings and emotions. Some motifs and colours reflect the spirit of the times. Because of their history and partly because of their tactile aspect, they offer so many possibilities for to use them narratively.

Practice occurs in workshops where work is done individually or co-creatively (with several people working on the same piece).

Mutual interaction between participants is the driving force. Working together means learning from and about each other. I don't mean teaching each other new sewing techniques so much as the insights gained along the way, such as helping to arrange the various story elements, 'translating' feelings, situations and relationships. Help and insights from others are very stimulating and supportive. Respect for each other's individuality grows as one becomes involved in the other's story and one's own beliefs are challenged. The roles of facilitator - participant, giver - receiver become blurred. Everyone learns.

My role as facilitator is mainly to create an atmosphere of trust in which thoughts can be safely expressed. I am guided by my experience in basic education and as a nurse in counselling cancer patients.

I give the participants a lot of freedom in the practical work as well as in the personally chosen topics. Only when they get stuck do I give advice or suggest ways forward. The only constraint is to keep to the standard dimensions of the final result.

The success of the exhibition is largely due to the variety of results. The table runners are very different in story and technique. Each table runner is accompanied by a short text: an explanatory note, a self-written poem or a quotation. The itinerant nature of the exhibition promotes the self-esteem of the participants. For many of them, it is the first time that their work is put in the limelight. Last but not least, the show moments enable exchanges between working groups - across borders.