Workshop by Charlotte Østergaard.
Charlotte is a colleague with professional competence within textiles, costumes, fashion and design. She has been told to work within the overall framework of co-creation. She has been given a limited timeframe and has described how she would like to find someone for her workshop with migrant experience who can relate to arts and crafts. When Charlotte asks the participants to bring a lot of textiles, she does not know the subject of discussion in advance.
At the textile workshop, I notice that the four women do not directly talk about their migrant experiences. They talk about something to which they have close relations, and they themselves have chosen the subject of discussion. Often people who participate in documentary performances create a so-called resume narrative. This implies that the narrative is based on something superficial, and that they do not necessarily get into the essence of the subject.
Through the garments which the participants bring, they circle in on some impacts that reveal what is important to them. For example, attention to colours diverts the conversation from textiles to societal and religious discussions where the participants share cultural, personal and family narratives.
By means of the conversation about textiles, Charlotte thus opens up a safe space where together they can share and create something in an investigative space. Charlotte also manages to place herself in a participatory position among the other participants. For them, there is a freedom in not having to solve a task, but being allowed to get inspired and get associations in a safe and unbiased way. Through the interweaving of textiles, they take one step closer to an interweaving of narratives and cultures.
