Moved by a very special carpet.

Being in Amsterdam very often nowadays,  there are things to discover. 
Sometimes there is suddenly an unexpected surprise you come across.

On a sunny Sundaymorning a few weeks ago I went to the "Amsterdam museum" , which tells the history of Amsterdam. 

The museum also offers one free attraction which is called: "de Schuttersgallerij". It is a narrow lane in-between two buildings of the museum covered with a glass roof. 

On the walls big paintings: the so called Schutters-stukken. 17th cenury paintings similar to a painting as "De Nachtwacht"
It is always a joy to walk that lane and I hadn't been there for ages.
I went in and first had a look on the walls to see the paintings.

But than my eyes caught a huge carpet on the floor. A patchwork of different fragments with different details.

All kind of different fragments from 80x84 cm and with a width of 3,2 meters by 40 meters length.

Titled: "A celebration of diversity".

Designed by textile artist Barbara Broekman it tells the story of 170 different nationalities who currently live in Amsterdam. She has done a lot of research after all the textiles from those different countries. Textile is from everyone and is used every day.
I was moved by this piece of art, because instead of the "We versus Them" or "the Others debate, it is about the opulence diversity can give to a society. It is a project about similarity.

What I really like about this work is that you can walk over it, and in the meantime admire all the different traditions or decorations in the 170 fragments. Textile can be a statement as this work of art shows.