Collective in Residence:
Alexander Deceuninck, Amy Menu, Ana María Gómez, Annelotte Lammertse, Becky Verthé, Chiron Floris, Chris Schouteeten, Erien Withouck, Eva Stubbe, Filip Van Wynsberghe, Hannes Sels, Ilse Carl, Jodie De Verney, Justine De Coninck-Alliet, Karen Lens, Katrien Devreese, Laura Willems, Lieza Dessein, Lucas Brauers, Lucie Miguet, Malou Legrand, Margo Veeckman, Ngaire Takano, Olrike Vander Bauwhede, Ophelia Van Wijmeersch, Sophie Vanwynsberghe, Thomas Deryckere, Tine Vandendriessche, Valerie Tjantele, Ynne De Wever
When:
An ongoing project since February 2025
Linen stewards:
The linen stewards is a creative collective that works together on a flax field, rediscovering every step of the manufacturing process. From seed to plant to fibre and various end products, from craftsmanship to innovation. Farmers, designers, artists and researchers are joining forces and pooling their knowledge to rethink the value of local flax production. With their hands in the soil and their feet firmly planted in the present, they are not only growing plants, but also new sustainable collaborations, materials, products and stories.
Call:
Since 2025, we have been working together with a dedicated group of Linen Stewards. Applications for the 2027 edition open on 1 December. Read the 2026 open call again HERE (closed).
This project reminds us that textiles are deeply rooted in natural cycles.
RESIDENCY
In this multi-year project, we are conducting hands-on research into what a local, sustainable production and value chain for flax and linen could look like. We are inviting a diverse group of participants to work together on a flax field for a year. As linen stewards, we will go through all the steps of the process under the guidance of experts, from flax seed to linen fibre to various end products. We will share the field, the work, the profits, the risks, the knowledge, the stories, the experience, the harvest and the results. This will give rise to ideas, stories and products for the future, which we are happy to share with others.
Read the conversation with Sep Verboom, design coach of the linen stewards, HERE
When we no longer understand where our raw materials come from, we lose the ability to appreciate the materials we work with.
From March to August, we work together on a field in Heule, near Kortrijk. In the autumn, we process the harvest together and turn it into our own projects. We make all the necessary decisions together. By working together, building on each other's background and knowledge, through workshops, practical and inspirational visits, we work towards a collective story and personal innovative projects: from the field to the studio.
I imagine us working on a collection of objects, created through joint gardening and collective making. They embody both the individual research of each participant and the power of what we create in dialogue.
With the mini-documentary “from field to fibre”, filmmaker Laura Golsteyn takes you into the story of the first generation of Linen Stewards. Three participants (Filip Van Wynsberghe, Valerie Tjantele and Amy Menu) share their experiences, motivations and connection with flax.
The Linen Stewards is a project by Texture, museum of flax and textiles, ecological farm De Heerlijkheid van Heule, Algemeen Belgisch Vlasverbond, Inagro and Designregio Kortrijk, in collaboration with The Linen Project Netherlands. Together, they are building a community that recognises and values the origin of materials and the processes behind them.
Project realised with the support of the Sustainable Materials and Energy Management Fund, managed by the King Baudouin Foundation.
EXHIBITION
Every year, the Linen Stewards present their journey with flax: from seed to experiment, collaboration and final result. Discover the mini exhibition of the previous edition below.
