Stephanie Schuitemaker

The Way

The way is a winding path of seven tufted carpets that Stephanie Schuitemaker designed as an access route to places where art is shown. The works were initially made for a corridor in the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam that leads to Buro Stedelijk, an in-house art space for emerging talent. The carpets are inspired by the rugged coastline of southern Norway where Schuitemaker comes from. The rubia wool used was spun in the Norsk Kunstvevgarn AS – Spinnerigården spinning mill, which is run by Schuitemaker’s family. The wool’s colours match the landscape where the sheep graze.

With the imminent retirement of Schuitemaker’s grandfather, this is probably the last wool that the spinning mill will produce. The limited quantity and nature of the wool determined the design, with which Schuitemaker wants to host a transitional space. The way is intended to ground visitors to cultural institutions before they view art. This works best without shoes; the irregular shapes, patterns and height differences underfoot provide the right focus.

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Photos by Lucas Schilder