The lower lands depict the western shore sides of our tiny country. Filled with systems of polders and dykes, the Dutch maintain their nations’ shape for decades. Stilted by the land’s unfortunate water level, our people became innovators in the field of waterworks. Water is what nature gave us and what will determinedly form our country in many different ways.
Sanne Vaassen, a Dutch artist from Maastricht (Limburg) got in touch with us for her flag project. In her project she questions what a country now a days is. Sanne gave us ( and other Dutch weavers) yarns: she had taken the actual dutch flag and deconstructed it back to separate yarns. The weaver is supposed to use these yarns and re-make a flag with their imprint and the use of their craftsmanship. In this way, the artist turns a symbol of a nation into a platform for an individual.
The Winter in Holland team questioned what The Netherlands is. We started out discussing about our modern nation: our caring and complicated political system or who the modern Dutch person is. We thought about our history in trading and the famous windmills, clogs or tulips. But none of these suited a timeless idea of our country; Our political system is a variable fact, which might change from year to year. We are not the only best traders, tulips are not even merely grown in the Netherlands, the only purpose our windmills serve are as sightseeing objects for tourists and no one wears clogs anymore. But one thing that our tiny flat country has been known for and will always be known for is natures gift of water. And to be precise: our problem with water and how we deal with it.
We decided to climb behind the weaving machine and weave a structure of meandering water out of the original blue, white and red yarns from the Dutch flag:
Find Sannes’ first solo exhibition from Saturday 2 September to 14th of October
At Alpert+Leary on Staalstraat 19 in Amsterdam
Check all the works of Sanne on her website.