100 YEARS WOMEN'S VOTING RIGHT

In June I had been asked to join an art project in Scheveningen. I have to say I felt very honored!  'Van der Toorn' is a familiar name in Scheveningen, I had not realized this until I was introducing myself to the lovely ladies of 'Kwekers in de Kunst' and they mentioned it. Well, it's like this, my grandpa was working for the fire brigade in Scheveningen. So, now that's sorted out I can tell you more about the project. ;)

The art project ‘Vrouwenwerk’ is a tribute to all women celebrating 100 years of voting rights. Yes, already 100 years! Unfortunately, I couldn’t be there for the opening as I was enjoying the magical Island Bali and preparing a new collection! Of course, I wouldn't miss sharing this with you, so I made a compilation. It's a traveling expo through The Hague. So for the moment, you're welcome to visit Muzee Scheveningen. Stay tuned for the next locations!

P R O J E C T

Ten female artists from ‘The Hague’ have been asked to create an object, inspired by the women in Scheveningen, for Kwekers in de Kunst. Scheveningen is located near the beach, so we call them the 'wives of the fisherman'. The wives had four main tasks in the earlier days; picking up the fish caught by the fisherman transporting them on beautiful straw hats, peeling shrimps, producing and repairing fishing nets by hand and of course keeping up with the household. I'm intrigued by the art of fishnet making.

‘T H E  G O L D E N  N E T’

In my creative mind, I envisioned a golden net. The thing is when you create it in your mind, you always have to see how it turns out in reality. Is it doable? Is it turning out as it should be? The technique they used for it is in 'Boeten' (Dutch). For this technique, they use a special tool the 'Boetnaald'. As for the Golden Net, I used a different method. 'Boeten' is an even more complicated method with the gold thread I want to use. I tried some different threads and found a perfect one. As a tribute to the hard-working women, I designed the net and a bracelet in shape of the Boetnaald tool they used in the old days.

Using this method, I had the possibility to leave loose ends to the object. The Loose ends represent imperfection. The movement of the threads is amplifying the flow of life.

During the process of making the object, marine pollution also took an important roll in my mind. The fishing nets in the ocean have a big impact on the flora and fauna. Also, a very positive movement is going on now like recycling the nets for nylon lycra that is used by innovative bikini labels.

The Head Band I designed already one year ago. As a special request by Patrick Somai. He asked me to design an ear iron inspired by the old times. Of course, I used simple, minimalistic lines for this design. It also turned out to be a beautiful necklace piece. And a perfect addition to this project.

All represented in the photos and video below.

1. Boetnaald Bracelet
2. Ear iron in the old days
3. Head Band
4. Video

Location Expo:
Muzee Scheveningen
Neptunusstraat 90-92
2586 GT Den Haag 

Initiated by Kwekers in de Kunst