Embroidered Country Life

Susanne Nielsen's exhibition 36 towels – fragments of a rural culture 

The exhibition is a story about the major changes that have taken place in the rural culture through approx. 200 years. Told in embroidery – a slow medium – this is why the project has been in the works for 15 years.

A Zealand village history unfolds with the help of old town maps and texts about the replacement of the village that took place in 1796.

A collection of letters, written in the 1950s by the artist's mother, tells in detail about the landlady's work. The selected quotations from the letters deal with slaughtering, harvesting, beet weeding, large-scale washing, establishment of cold stores and much more.

In addition, a number of family photos from the period 1903-2001 are printed in large format on some of the towels.

The individual towels represent a diversity of weaves, qualities and name markings. From unused towels to completely worn and holey ones. Together, they form an underlying narrative in the work.

36 towels – fragments of a rural culture documents a lost culture, but is at the same time a work in which the individual can reflect himself and his own memories.