KEY FIGURES & ROLES

Christien Meindertsma designed a permanent installation for Texture consisting of 200 tufted pigeons made from flax, 50 of which are unique. The Dutch designer used a different type of linen yarn and a different tufting technique for the plumage of each variant. It demonstrates the many possibilities of tufting and the wide range of yarn varieties.

The family business Secrets of Linen collected the flax yarns from spinning mills all over the world, from Normandy to China. Volunteers from the Kortrijk lace workshop carefully sewed the pigeons together.

HISTORICAL FABRIC

During the First World War, the Germans locked up the local population's carrier pigeons in the warehouse of the Linen Thread Company, now known as Texture. The occupiers saw them as winged spies. With 'Pigeon Service', Christien is restoring the animals to their former glory. Threads from all corners of the world symbolise the long journeys they sometimes made. A nice detail: each pigeon shows how many kilometres it has flown and comes with an envelope and note so you can send a secret message yourself.

Want to shoot the lead bird? 
Buy a woven version of the linen pigeons in our museum shop.