Coverlet 1935 - 1942

This is Cornelius Christoffels' "Coverlet," and I see it as a real feat of, well, weaving! It’s a detailed, small study of a larger textile. I can just imagine Cornelius thinking so hard about every single little intersection. I see how the blue and white threads build into these amazing geometric forms and wonder about the counting and planning that was involved, the rhythm of making. I think Christoffels is in dialogue with the wider history of textiles, and he’s doing his own riff on tradition, maybe questioning it, maybe honoring it. The longer I look at this piece, the more I feel like Christoffels has had a conversation with the threads themselves! A conversation that is not about a fixed result but an evolving understanding. And it can speak to us still.