Summer flew by! We actually still have three weeks left, but since I’ll be out and about a lot this month, I’m calling this newsletter September instead of Summer. The first event is already this coming Saturday, when the exhibition Threads of Imagination opens in Gouda. The following week, I’ll be at the WEEF!2026 weaving fair with my loom, and Art Office has asked me to talk about my research n September 23rd. So yes, September is pretty busy. I’m really looking forward to it!
Threads of Imagination
After an intense half-year, it was good to completely unwind on the endless island of Vlieland. I knew things would get busy right away upon my return, and now I’m right in the middle of it. Unit4Art had already asked me earlier this year to participate in the exhibition Threads of Imagination, but since I also took part in their January exhibition, I was able to get a taste of it and see how I could best showcase my work there. I decided to weave a large tapestry using thick carpet yarn. I purchased the yarns and am currently weaving them into my largest woven piece to date. I’m also showcasing the pieces from my research project Layered Complexity, which I’ll be completing before summer, my film A Story of Unfolding Wings projected onto Unit4Art’s 3-D video art sphere, and a number of old and new woven artworks.
Threads of Imagination, September 5 – November 7, Fri/Sat/Sun 12–17 hrs., Unit4Art, Crabethpark 24, Gouda.
Dates around this exhibition (all in Unit4Art)
– opening: Saturday September 5, 15-17 hrs
– Festival De Verwondering, September 18 and 19, 12-17 hrs
– Meet & Greet with the Artists, October 4.
I will be present at the opening on September 5, on September 19 (Saturday) from 12-17 hrs, and on October 4.
WEEF!2026
There are weaving circles all across the country. Groups of weavers who form a network to exchange ideas, techniques, experiences, and inspiration. Every year, the Weaving Network organizes a conference about weaving. This year, I’ll be participating as an exhibitor myself, together with band weaver Marieke Kranenburg. I’ll be setting up my 16-shaft loom with a complex warp so you can try out how my Shuffle Weaving Technique works. I’ll explain the 1-on-1 weaving coaching I’ll be offering starting then. And I’ll talk about my weaving projects. I’m not yet sure exactly what this will bring me, but just for the exchange alone, it already seems like a success to me.
TexHanDa – WEEF!2026, September 10, 11 and 12, 10-17 hrs, Brabanthallen, Den Bosch
Weaving Research
Layered Complexity completed!
Before summer break, I finished my research project “Layered Complexity,” in which I explored how to apply multi-layer weaving to my usual weaves with complex patterns. I’ve written about it previously, but now I’ve created a separate post in my portfolio for each cloth I wove. In addition to working with multiple layers, I also experimented with combining different types of yarn and expressing feelings and fragments of identity. It has helped me take my weaving to the next level, you could say it’s a new dimension to my weaving art. I can’t wait to put it into practice!
I’m displaying the clothes in the Threads of Imagination exhibition!
My final report was very well received by Art Office. I was asked to participate in Zo doe je dat #6, an evening where artists who have received funding from CBK/Art Office talk about their project or research and how the process unfolded. Of course I’d love to!
Zo doe je dat #6, TENT Rotterdam (Coolhaven 32), September 23, 19-21 hrs. (doors open at 18:45 hrs). More information will be available soon on the website of Art Office!
Layered Complexity was supported by the I&V Program of CBK Rotterdam.
Transitions
I finally have the first footage from my preliminary research for a new stop-motion film. I asked Stimuleringsfonds to extend the deadline because, well, actually it was a bit challenging to balance everything out over the past six months. But I’ve woven all the fabrics, and I’ve already photographed the first clips and set them up as loops. The next step is to find a way to show, in a somewhat intuitive manner, that this is truly woven material and not just some AI prompt. I also still have work to do on the scenario. Eventually, there will be a teaser, a clip that I can use in a follow-up application to illustrate the general idea I have in mind.
You can read the progress report and watch the first loops on my blog!
The clips below are incomplete and in low resolution.
Transitions is supported by the Creative Industries Start-up Grant from the Creative Industries Fund.
Personal
In my last newsletter, I talked about my adhd diagnosis. I think I’ve finally found the right balance with my medication. It was quite a process, starting with too little, then a bit too much. The medication helps me get through my day better. Especially these past few weeks, which have been a bit overwhelming. The difference I’ve noticed is that it’s much easier for me to get started on a task, but it actually goes deeper than that. I’m now much better at prioritizing which of my competing thoughts to focus on first. And that helps me to get things going a bit more smoothly. It’s wonderful!
On Vlieland, I wrote a blog post (in Dutch) about how I finally realized I’m a lesbian. Actually, I could have known all along because I’ve been attracted to women my whole life, and nothing has changed there. Except that I discovered I’m a trans woman, which led to a transition, and I naturally started looking for love again, or where I might find it. I’d been wanting to write about this for half a year and had already made a few attempts, but sometimes a piece of writing and the realization itself need a little more time to mature.
The concerts with The SpaceChoir that I wrote about in the last newsletter almost didn’t happen for me because of a cold and a sore throat. But I managed to make it to Amare, and what a fabulous party! You can find the recordings on Spotify, Deezer, and other apps. Search for “SpaceChoir Live in Amare”! 🎶
That’s all for now. I hope to see you at one of the events in September! Or later, though I’m not quite sure yet what October and beyond will bring. In any case, more weaving, singing, and multi-layered weaves.
Love,
Stellata ♡
