Sanne Vaassen asked Soetekouw and other textile designers to weave their own flag with the original colours.. The official flag is reduced to loose threads, which are given to an experienced weaver from the country concerned. Each weaver makes a new canvas, according to his private, personal method. This is not only resulting in all kinds of possible sizes and shapes, but is also a celebration of the private visual language, the identity of the weaver. An object that symbolizes a nation and a country, then becomes a platform for an individual, his visual language and his craft.
An extra layer is formed by the desire to transform all the flags of all countries. Physically this may seem a major command, but the crux lies especially in the questions it raises: what is a country, what are borders, who has the authority to determine if something is a country or not, what do you do with countries that are emerging or disintegrating and what is the value of nationalism – and its universality claim?
What you see here are pictures of Soetekouw’s contribution and details thereof.
