Prikking vastgeregen op een dubbele lap katoen en met traceerdraden en naaldkantsteken voor het maken van een deel van een kraag van naaldkant c. 1915s

This is a piece of needle lace on cotton, made by a Belgian internee in Amersfoort, Village Elisabeth. I love the implied process, the labor, the focus, of this piece. Imagine the maker, thread in hand, pushing and pulling, making tiny adjustments to capture the light. The grid-like structure provides a framework, but within it, there is so much room for play. There is a delicacy in this work, a precision that comes from the hand, not the machine. I can imagine the artist finding solace in the rhythmic, repetitive motions. It’s like drawing in slow motion! You build it up layer after layer, stitch after stitch. It’s a conversation with the material. It’s an act of care. And that's the funny thing about process, isn't it? How something so carefully made can feel so free, and how a single stitch can hold so much.