Batik shawl from Bali, Indonesia, early 21st century, recently donated by Hedi Hinzler in Leiden (TRC 2021.2501).It is clear people are coming back from their holidays as more and more things are happening at the TRC! The telephone is constantly ringing, emails are pinging, parcels and letters arriving, as well as a steady stream of people are popping in to discuss potential projects, to see the exhibition or to attend workshops and courses.
We are adding, for example, a range of workshops and courses to the Agenda, including, for the first time, bobbin lace making! This will take the form of 3x beginners and 3x more advanced techniques. More details can be found here.
We have recently been offered various garments and outfits, including items from as far apart as Macedonia and Indonesia. In addition we have just acquired some Mapula embroideries from South Africa (these will be online later in the week and there will be a special blog about them) and this evening we were sent details about some embroidered and beaded garments (minceka), also from South Africa – the latter items are being seriously considered as part of our deliberate building up of the TRC’s African holdings, but we will need 750 euros to acquire them. Can you help? If yes please make a donation via the IDEAL button to the right.
Embroidery depicting the sadness felt by a man in prison, whose mother, brother, aunt and a friend died of Covid. Worked by Mapula initiative, near Johannesburg, South Africa (TRC 2021.2541).We are also actively talking with people about how to expand the TRC with respect to space for teaching and more structural funding. More and more help is being offered, from Leiden council to professors of journalism and material culture, as well as textile lovers in general.
We will find suitable space and with the help of everyone we can create a textile artisan centre that will be of benefit to Leiden, as well as to the Dutch and the international textile community in general. Big plans, indeed, but now is the time to do this as there is a growing awareness and interest in the importance of textiles, crafts, skills and sustainability. We don't have to import everything, do we?
During the last few weeks we have been discussing the nature of the TRC and more particularly the TRC Collection. And it should be stressed that it is not the creation of one person or a small group of people, but of everyone who has given a textile, garment, hat or shoe! Not forgetting crochet hooks to looms! This is really ‘citizen science’ or perhaps more accurately, ‘Citizen Culture’ at work!
Gillian Vogelsang, 30 August 2021
