Marij Rynja on Contemporary Culture & Visual Communication: Magnificant ending of the Painted Table Dress process in Aruba

by Marij Elisabeth Rynja

Friday afternoon time stood still on the shores of Aruba. On the dock of Roger's Beach, near San Nicolas, we witnessed a breath taking presentation and performance of the Painted table dress, made during the social embroidery workshop earlier this week with 16 participants at Scol di Arte.
On the sounds of a traditional Aruban piano box, musician Michael Lampe leaded dancer Alydia Wever, dressed in the table dress, from water to land where a long table waited to be covered by the table dress. Alydia Wever danced with the long embroidered cloth folded in her arms, like it was a new born ready to present to the outside world. When she reached the table, she softly song repeatedly an Aruban lullaby called 'Maria ta den Cushina' (about Maria who ask us to come to the table and see what she has prepaired). Two girls, dressed in creations of Painted Series, made subtle sound effects of people with clinking wine classes. At final, when the table was covered, the girls put water glasses on the table, while Alydia Wever put off the table dress, walked back to the water and dissapeared with a elegant dive.

For Painted it was an emotional moment seeing their effort and creation get together so well. It was exactly what they wished for when they created the table dress concept two years ago. "It felt really, really good, its a disclosure so perfect it moved me deeply", Margreet Sweerts said. Sakia van Drimmelen: "The idea was already there, but never the right moment. We were asked two years ago to create a table cloth, but just making a table cloth and present it in a shop felt unnatural and not 'painted' like. I knew all along this table cloth should be a made by more than one pair of hands. I saw people sitting around the table and embroider together, even when you never did that before. I am really happy with the result."
Afterwards I spoke shortly with Alydia Wever, who still swom in the water....and so was I. She told me that since she lived in Queens, New York where she danced, she collected nice fabrics and textiles without doing anything with it. So, for her it was also a beatiful moment to dance with accual fabric in stead of only wearing it as a costume. And the teamwork made her dancing today right from the heart.

The project of the Painted Table dress is SALON/ pur sang.

Thank you Painted Series, Alydia Wever, Michael Lampe, Scol di Arte and especially UNOCA for supporting this well executed and delicate project.