Emma van Herk

Emerging at the Margins is the result of the search for a non-romantic relationship with the natural world, that materialises through practices of foraging, spinning and knitting.

 

The viewer is invited to interact with the materials, to touch them, close their eyes, lie down and rest. It is through rest and dreaming that we can imagine different worlds, resist grind culture and exploitative practices. Imagination is not only constructing a world of images and visualisations, but is in itself being part of the world that is, always in formation.

 

In this work I highlight margins, which are great spaces of dynamism, through my personal and eco-local relationships to wool and nettles. These materials exist at the margins between industry, society and land. This is where some of the most exciting things happen. It is here that different systems meet, creating a new, even richer edge that can eventually grow into its own plot.