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

This is a piece of needle lace collar-making by a Belgian internee from Village Elisabeth, Amersfoort, and it's stitched onto cotton. I can imagine this artist, maybe late at night, carefully layering the fabric and tracing the lines with thread. It’s like drawing with string – the needle becomes a pen. Each stitch, a small decision in a long process of creation. The cool blue ground gives a sense of calm, while the off-white thread traces a floral pattern, as if lifted from a botanical drawing. It is a curious fragment, raw and beautiful. There's a dialogue happening here between craft and art. This artist is having a conversation with generations of lacemakers, but also pushing towards something new, something personal. It reminds me of Hilma af Klint's diagrams, or even the early works of Eva Hesse, where process and material become the message. It is a meditation on line, form, and the quiet power of making.