Making notes

Koen and Surya at the entrance of 'Six Yards Guaranteed Dutch Design'

Sunday I finally went to the exhibtion 'Six Yards Guaranteed Dutch Design' at MMKA (till 7th of May) in Arnhem with Koen de Wit and his niece and upcoming artist Surya de Wit.
Great exhibition, but I didn't like the artworks. I think it was a bit easy, a bit related to our colonial history, but without making a point. I would rather have seen much more about Vlisco, history and now. I really missed the great marketing photos like the campaign 'Sparkling Grace' with Rodarte. The fashion designers who also made costumes for 'Black Swan', these dresses should have been there. I think, with all the Vlisco fans, who where there this Sunday and all the blogposts I came across these past weeks (see 'Berthi's Weblog' and 'Saskia's sporen'), about the exhibition, it should and it could have been more (or all) about Vlisco.

I made a lot of pictures, of course, and I decided to make three posts. First one is 'Making notes'. Pictures of details and handwritten notes on the sketches and designs. Great to see the process of Vlisco and to be so close to the creative part of it. Also the research part of Vlisco was shown with Sample books full of little pieces of fabrics and some really old, beautiful, pieces of Batik. These were apparently used when Vlisco first started. They formed the base for the imitation Batiks made for the Dutch East Indies.
Enjoy the pictures!

Notes on dessign * 'Fleurs de mariage' by Toon van de Manakker 1979

Dessign * '6 Bougies', 1940

*'Angelina', Toon van de Manakker, 1962

*'Village Molokai', Mari Althuizen, 1977

"Use the with red pencil outlines to make the fields, Drawing Room 367, 20-4-56"

Sample book

'Gingham'/checkered patterns sample book

Sample book

Part of Batik 'Batavia, 12-7-1862'

Batik sample

"For Batavia, Batik Ganah-Abang, 36/36 headscarf, v. Leeuwslonco (I think..)no. 296, 38/11 1862"

Batik sample

*Titles/names for the Vlisco's from the book 'Vlisco' by Jos Arts