Made in Mirrors

Made in Mirrors Report June 2008

As you could have read on this website, the young fashion designer Els Beusen (1980) has traveled to Guangzhou China last November to experience how the Chinese think about and work with fashion. The closure of this research was a workshop, which was organized by Els and her co designer Hiroaki Kanai for Chinese fashion students. Aim of this workshop was to promote and get in contact terms as recycling and durability. Besides this Beusen and Kanai wanted the students become familiar with customizing: 'pimping' of 2nd hand clothes. Results of this workshop were shown in the exhibition Reflexion which took place in Museum Het Domein last April and May and the publication Guangzhou City Reports; Reflections between the Netherlands and China.

To continue this successful workshop it had a follow up in Museum Het Domein, Sittard at June 20 for the Friends of Het Domein. Besides bringing old clothes, which were precious to the participants, they also had to fill in some questionnaires so Els could get an idea of their preferences. Els and her colleague Jan Peter provided the participants besides many new ideas also with lots of material; old (designer) clothes, straps, buttons, beads etc. Striking was the concentrated silence during the 4 hour during workshop. The workshoppers went home "tired but satisfied" with their 'new' pimped up clothes!

Besides looking back we prefer to look forward!

Made in Mirrors will not longer be only concentrated in Sittard but will spread her activities all over the region of South Limburg. An example for this is the venue that will take place in Industrion, Kerkrade August 31. This takes place in the context of their industrial exhibit ion Made in China. During this venue people from business and culture will meet and share knowledge about working with China.

One of the first projects that will take place in the Brazil year of MIM is an educational project. Jerika Vertegaal, head of educational department Het Domein visited MIM partner MAMAM in Recife this July as the first kick off for the second year of cultural exchange projects for Made in Mirrors. In the last week of September and the first week of October the Brazilian Tereza Neuma will come to Sittard. Tereza is head of the educational department of museum MAMAM in Recife. During this exchange both colleagues will work respectively in Recife and in Sittard at a common education plan, which will give each other new insights. A report of Jerika’s educational program in Recife will follow soon on this website.

After the Dutch summer holiday the young Brazilian photographer Barbara Wagner (1980) will go to Guangzhou and Sittard to portray the youth in suburbs of Guangzhou and Sittard in all their 'glamour'. Barbara is trained as a photojournalist and made international fame with her coverage Brasilia Teimosa made in the same called favela of her residency Recife.

The Chinese artist Duan Jianyu will travel this fall from Guangzhou, to Recife to Sittard with her project The Case that can Travel, follow up of her How to Travel with a Watermelon which was shown at the opening show of Made in Mirrors in Maastricht March last year.