2025
H3H Biennial – A Deeper Shade of Soul, Oosterhout, NL
Installation of mended garments and textile works, and a series of repair workshops in the H3H Biennial which takes place on the grounds of three active monasteries
Within the Sacred Triangle, frugality and recycling are the norm. The sisters and brothers practiced sustainable living long before it became fashionable, so you won’t find fast fashion here anytime soon. Bronwen Jones elevates clothing repair to an art form. At the same time, it is also a philosophy of life for her. She started a dialogue with Sister Simone who runs the sewing workshop at the Abbey of Our Lady. Joint sewing sessions were part of this. From the scant textile waste – cut up work clothes, aprons, tablecloths and tea towels – of the radically recycling sisters, Bronwen Jones conjured new pieces using a needle, thread and natural dyes. These are presented alongside the sisters’ repair work and the clothing mended by the artist. Look at the difference between the black socks endlessly darned by the sisters and the socks that Bronwen Jones worked on.
Bronwen Jones excels at ‘visible mending’. Clothes are repaired in an almost celebratory way with striking colours and beautiful stitches, investing the garments with a storytelling ability. Clothing repair is in keeping with a life of respect for resources and labour. Poverty, loss, and memory may be other motivations. After losing her grandparents, the artist found it healing to work on and wear their dressing gown and jumper. The therapeutic side of repair work is also reflected in the title ‘mending, tending, blossoming’....
– Excerpt of exhibition text written by the curator, Nanda Janssen
Photos 1-3 by Peter Cox