Curatorial Work → Yarn Waves
Yarn Waves [Garnbølger] is a participatory art project that explores themes of sustainability, community, and craft. Through a series of hands-on workshops from 2023 to 2025, participants create yarn from recycled textiles and plastic waste, which is then crocheted into a large-scale collective artwork inspired by fishing nets and ocean currents.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, we had to find new ways of being together. One night in an apartment on Nørrebro, Copenhagen, a friend taught me how to crochet, and I was instantly hooked. She was making bags from deadstock textile yarn under the name Spaghetti Colours, turning discarded materials into something aesthetic. Inspired by her approach and the participatory practice of Lygia Clark, artist Roe Ly and I developed Yarn Waves as a collaborative workshop and evolving textile installation.
The project was first piloted in an intimate setting with friends at home before making its public debut at Kulturhavn Festival 2023 in Copenhagen. Since then, Yarn Waves has traveled across different locations, adapting to new contexts and communities:
TaM, Veliko Tarnovo (BG) – As part of the Iatrus Residency Program, we hosted a workshop where participants worked with local and found materials, contributing to a collective artwork exhibited at Yantra Beach
Aalto University, Espoo (FI) – A short workshop for fellow students and educators of the NOVA master’s program, exploring fiber art as a collaborative practice and dialogue.
Villa Kultur, Copenhagen (DK) – A series of four events in collaboration with crochet designer and author Rose Svane, combining artist talks and workshops to explore the intersection between art, health, and sustainability. Each event featured a conversation partner, including Hannah Amalie Nielsen, Kris Jensen, Elise Bromann Bukhave, and Anita Jensen.
Ringkøbing-Skjern Municipality, Ringkøbing (DK) – Three workshops during our residency at Brogården Kulturvæksthus, including one open session and two for local schools.
Our events at Villa Kultur, Copenhagen, and Brogården Kulturvæksthus, Ringkøbing. Photo: Lisa Stagis and personal.
With each iteration, Yarn Waves continues to expand, shaped by the hands and stories of its participants. More than an artwork, it is a living, collective process—a space for experimentation, dialogue, and shared making. The finished work serves as both a visual representation of interconnectedness and a reflection on our relationship with discarded materials, inviting audiences to reconsider waste as a resource for creativity and collaboration.
In Yarn Waves, every contributor—no matter the scale of their involvement—is acknowledged. Their names are recorded in our acknowledgment book, ensuring recognition for their work and participation in the project.
Installation views of Yarn Waves in the exhibition As the Wind Blows. Photo: Knud Fusgaard.
Like waves lifting and pushing each other forward, Yarn Waves is shaped by community and connection. Inspired by fishing nets and the movements of the North Sea, the artwork spans 17 x 3,5 metres and is created specifically for the window in Rådhushallen. Through collective effort and the work of hands, plastic waste and leftover textiles have been transformed into recycled yarn, which is crocheted together in a piece created by 161 co-artists—all acknowledged a poster beside the work.
Installation views of Yarn Waves in the exhibition As the Wind Blows. Photo: Knud Fusgaard.
Workshops at Naturkraft, Ringkøbing. Photo: Roe Ly.
Additionally, we initiated a new site-specific piece for Naturkraft, Ringkøbing, facilitating two workshops as part of the lead-up to the exhibition Som Vinden Blæser [As the Wind Blows] at Ringkøbing City Hall. This crochet work invited visitors at Naturkraft to experiment with repurposed materials while contributing to a collective installation. Even after our workshops ended, Naturkraft’s facilitators continued guiding visitors in expanding the evolving artwork throughout the winter break.