From Riverbank to Selvedge: A community art project at the Singelpark in Leiden.

Leiden: a city of art and knowledge, city of textiles, and city of refugees. All these elements come together in From Riverbank to Selvedge: the community art project that takes place over the summer of 2022 at the Singelpark. Artists Sara Vrugt and Nina Mathijsen have decided to make Leids Saai (fabric: serge). This fabric made the city rich during the 17th century, but has fallen out of fashion. The artists won't be making the fabric all by themselves though: everyone can partake in learning this ancient technique. 

The entire process of making the fabric can be followed during the summer of 2022. You can partake in some activities yourself, or you can visit the ever-growing exhibition in Museum De Lakenhal. The end result, a piece of Leids Saai (serge) can be seen from the 11th of September. 

Welcome to Leiden?!  

From Riverbank to Selvedge is part of the exhibition Welcome to Leiden?! (Welkom in Leiden?!) which started at the Singelpark in 2020. Freedom, borders and migration take center stage in this exhibition. The singels (water boulevards) used to be the outer border of the city. Now, they're a place of connection. People find other people at the Singelpark, they talk with their neighbors, and now, people will follow into the footsteps of their medieval ancestors and will learn to re-value ancient professions. 

Become a part of the project!  

This project can not exist without the help of the people from Leiden! Do you want to partake in this project, get to know fellow people from Leiden, and view your work in Museum De Lakenhal? Do you have a lot or very little experience with textile? A little or a lot of spare time? It does not matter. Everyone is welcome to partake in this project! Fun, meeting new people, and developing new skills are central to this project. You can register via the contact page via https://www.vankadetotzelfkant.nl/.  

About the project

The project started on the 18th of June 2022 and will end on the 10th of September 2022 in Museum de Lakenhal. The final fabric will be viewed and tested in the museum. Starting from the 11th of September 2022, the fabric will be shown to the general public. Do you want to know what's happening right now, or what you can expect before the 10th of September? Check the project calendar.