The Civic guard project
Stories to connect Velsen
Worldwide, more people than ever are fleeing war, conflict, and persecution. In major Western European cities, a majority of residents have a migration background. At the same time, we see more and more people living in social bubbles, where contact with others outside their own circle is sometimes limited. Consequently, developing friendships between people with and without a migration background seems to be more challenging.
With her project "Hidden Stories," Mirna Ligthart created a space to foster this interaction. Dutch women and women with a migration background shared their stories there. For six months, they gathered every Monday morning in IJmuiden to write autobiographically and embroider together, led by Susanne Gijsbers, Corrina van Wijk, and Lisa Konno.
Each woman wrote her own fairy tale, based on a significant event in her life. The symbols from this fairy tale were then embroidered onto a collar by these women. The collars thus served as a canvas for their personal stories. Together, they worked towards this contemporary "schutterstuk" (civic guard project).
Photographer: Coco Olakunle
Artistic guidance for the design and production of the collars: Lisa Konno
Embroidery guidance: Corrina van Wijk
Guidance for autobiographical writing: Susanne Gijsbers
Initiator and composition: Mirna Ligthart
1 | Karin | The Very Hungry Caterpillar – The Very Hungry Caterpillar?
One by one, she took off the coats, creating a large, colorful pile. She felt herself getting lighter and lighter. Until finally, she reached her last coat. Her original coat, the coat that was her source. Only now did she see the beautiful diamond set within it.
Karin (64) was born in Driehuis and lives in Velsen Noord.
She got the idea for the images on the collar that she embroidered from her fairy tale that she wrote based on a turning point in her life when she lost her mother to dementia.
2 | Mirna | Two hands
On one of her sleepless, dark nights, she discovered a tiny light deep inside. She followed this light. It turned out to be a splinter of the land of love. Like a tender, newly sprouted plant, she began to care for and nourish the splinter.
Mirna (52) was born in Amsterdam and has lived in Haarlem since 2006.
For the collar she embroidered, she drew inspiration from her fairy tale, which she wrote about a turning point in her life when she left behind a burden from the past.
3 | Sas | Good old friend
What was that? She looked down. Felt her belly. She felt pats and saw little dancing movements. It was strange, it tickled. She felt warm inside. It seemed to push her in a direction. In a good way, because a panda, of course, doesn't let itself be guided.
Sas (43) has lived in Haarlem since her birth. She has Surinamese-Dutch roots.
For the collar she embroidered, she drew inspiration from her fairy tale, which she wrote based on a turning point in which she received a new life because she carried a new life within herself.
4 | Susanne | The caring young swan
No matter what the young swan tried, the exuberant swan call never rang out across the pond again. It would never, ever be the same, the young swan felt.
Susanne (55) was born in Delft and has lived in Haarlem since 2006.
She got the idea for the images on the collar that she embroidered from her fairy tale that she wrote based on a turning point in her life when she lost her mother to dementia.
5 | Tomoko | Hold on
Mika learned small steps, and little by little, she was able to do more and more. When she finally left the island, she went looking for a new ballet studio in the new country. Whenever she put her hand on the barre, the feeling of excitement was always the same.
Tomoko (52) was born in Kyoto, Japan. She has lived in Haarlem since 2002.
For the collar she embroidered, she drew inspiration from her fairy tale, which she wrote based on a turning point in which she started ballet lessons for the first time at the age of eighteen.
6 | Krystyna | Krystyna en de edele ridder
On a sunny spring day, a winged, two-legged dragon came to the kingdom. Its skin was covered with orange scales. The dragon breathed fire and demanded that Princess Krystyna come live with him in the cave, or else…
Krystyna (49) was born in Pasłęk, Poland, and comes from Braniewo. Since April 2023, she has lived in IJmuiden (Velsen).
For her embroidery, she drew inspiration from her fairy tale, which she based on a turning point in her life when she introduced the man of her dreams to her family. The embroidery is inspired by Warmian embroidery from Poland.
7 | Taghrid | Keep singing, darling!
Then Taghrid flew away, and the flood of memories began: A beautiful life, family and loved ones, and the warm little nest she had built with so much love and her beloved... Suddenly, everything was gone with the wind. The war left no trace behind...
Taghrid (54) was born in Syria in a city near Damascus. She has lived in Haarlem since 2018.
The embroidery on her collar was inspired by her fairy tale. She wrote it after a turning point in her life, when she was forced to flee the war, following her beloved.
8 | Corrina | Lena and the Lion
Lena often sat on the castle windowsill, gazing out over the valley, the small, grand wonder absorbing all her attention. Tar grew distant, and her eyes reflected a dangerous coldness. Lena was blind to these changes.
Corrina (54) has lived in Velsen since her birth.
For the collar she embroidered, she was inspired by images from her fairy tale, which she wrote based on the turning point in her life when she became a mother.
9 | Mitra | Indelible Traces
She didn't understand it. She was only seven years old, and she had to say goodbye to everything she knew, everything she called home. The blue, beautiful sky was no longer blue and beautiful, but black and ugly...
Mitra (50) was born in Tehran (Iran). She has lived in Haarlem since 1990.
She drew the idea for the images on the embroidered collar from her fairy tale. She based it on a turning point in her life, when she lost her childhood and learned to survive at a young age without parents, far from home.