Handwerk van macramé c. 1900

Editor: We’re looking at "Handwerk van macramé," a mixed-media piece by Aagje Tiket from around 1900. It’s… delicate, almost surprisingly so. I am struck by the tension between geometric and organic with the tassels. How do you interpret this work? Curator: Oh, tension is the perfect word. It almost feels like a dance between control and letting go. I’m immediately drawn to the materiality. It’s fibre art, isn’t it? You know, when I look at this, I imagine Aagje carefully knotting each piece, following these geometric patterns… but also almost surrendering to the flow and feel of the fibres in her hands. Can you see that push and pull between intention and instinct? Editor: Absolutely, like a conversation between the maker and the material! Did macramé have a specific context or meaning during the Arts and Crafts movement? Curator: It did! Think about the rise of industrialization then, and how much artists and artisans yearned for a return to handcrafted objects, pieces imbued with individuality and skill. This piece screams "I was made by a human, with love and care!". Doesn't it feel radical for its time, in a quiet sort of way? Editor: It does, it makes me want to go make something! Curator: Me too. The pink and green combination reminds me a field of wildflowers—unexpected, maybe, but utterly harmonious. Editor: I never would have made that connection on my own. Seeing that "radical" return to handcraft through those colors... incredible. Curator: Exactly. We're left considering craft, labor, and the silent revolution found in a handful of knots, don't you think?