The Stitch

Craftivism

Each winter, the School organises a Craftivism-workshop. In a world dominated by globalisation, automation and consumption, there is real need for authenticity. Making something yourself, alone or as part of a community of makers even feels like an act of resistance. Knitting, crocheting, pottery or needlepoint becomes a wilful retreat from the destructive and alienating forces of capitalist economy. Activism becomes craftivism.

The Stitch

This year’s Craftivism-studio is dedicated to the Stitch: “The stitch is a modest tool, but its reach is vast. It is part of the language that we use to talk about connection: stitching things together, coming apart at the seams. Hand sewing is something that brings people together, while also slowing things down. It puts process before product, connection ahead of spectacle, slow over fast. Stitches show us that real strength often lies beyond the surface: in the time taken, in the quiet repairs, in the act of holding things together”. (MacGuffin)

During this workshop, we worked with a secret stash of beautiful reddish-brown jute from the treasure chest of artist Bart Gorter, dating back to 1973. The workshop began with an introduction to the background of stitching, along with examples demonstrating the possibilities of working with both the material and the technique. Participants were then introduced to Pulled Thread, or Persian Ajour, a form of inverse embroidery used to create new patterns within an existing fabric.

Rather than adding embroidery, the fabric was reworked by removing threads and reassembling them, reducing or increasing the density of the material and creating holes or areas of concentration. Through this process, participants produced results ranging from abstract patterns and lines to cartoon-like images, as well as letters and words.

Participants had the freedom to explore the technique and material individually or to collaborate as a group on one collective artwork. The workshop encouraged focused, off-grid working while reworking the fabric’s grid, allowing space for good conversations, hands-on experimentation, and a direct experience of the creative process. Above all, it provided the opportunity to make something meaningful by hand.

About MacGuffin
MacGuffin is a platform featuring extraordinary stories about the life of ordinary things. In magazines, presentations and collaborations it discusses the numerous and sometimes curious relationships we have with the design that surrounds us. Each edition is based around a single object, exploring the highly familiar or utterly disregarded role it plays in our lives.

Workshop Schedule

Friday 30 January 2026
10:00–12:30: Introduction Lecture and Presentation of the Assignment
12:30–13:30: Lunch Break
13:30–17:00: Stitching, removing and working with Jute

Saturday 31 January 2026
10:00–12:30: Stitching, removing and working with Jute
12:30–13:30: Lunch Break
13:30–15:30: Stitching, removing and working with Jute
15:30–17:00: Presentation of Outcomes

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Tutors

Bart Gorter is a visual artist based in Rotterdam, who has worked in different media, mainly photography, weaving and ceramics. In 2012-2013 he made the series ‘Family Ties’, consisting of long rugs made out textiles from his parental house; in 2016 he cooperated with Ernst van der Hoeven on the project of a commissioned rug for the Radboud Hospital in Nijmegen using hospital fabrics, to connect to the history of the hospital; recently he produced a series of rugs using heritage textiles.

Ernst van der Hoeven was trained as an architectural historian and landscape architect and was a founding partner (1994-2004) of Crimson. He designs landscapes, organizes exhibitions and creates works of art for the public domain with an emphasis on the reuse of historical heritage. In 2015 van der Hoeven co-founded MacGuffin Magazine, a design and crafts bi-annual with each issue based around a single object. Van der Hoeven (guest) lectured at the HfG Karlsruhe, Rietveld Academy Amsterdam, ECAL Lausanne, ArtEZ Arnhem, Design Academy Eindhoven and the Academy of Architecture in Amsterdam. 

Masaki Komoto practices needle craft such as embroidery and crocheting, currently based in Amsterdam. In 2021, together with graphic designer Yuri Sato, he started a collaborative project "Calendar", which uses needlework samplers as a starting point to explore various ways of bringing needlecraft and graphic design together.