Jolien Van Goethem / Part 2

residency, NWNM

This summer, Jolien aims to deepen her artistic research through a series of silent workshops exploring grief and the symbolism of flowers. In these sessions, participants are invited to connect in silence with the field and the selected flowers. Using the technique of flower pounding — where flowers are directly pressed into fabric — they shape a personal and sensory ritual of mourning. The resulting textiles will later be transformed into a mobile resting space, a gentle environment where silence and loss can be held collectively.

During the second part of her residency at Gouvernement, she will focus on preparing the workshops in the field: finalizing her research, testing flowers for their pigment quality, and determining which species are most suitable for the flower pounding technique. In addition, she plans to create a zine — a small encyclopedia compiling the chosen flowers and their meanings — as a tangible outcome of her search for an alternative, plant-based language for grief.

Jolien Van Goethem is a mixed media artist. Her largely autobiographical work develops intuitively and creates a safe space for exploring pain, grief and healing, especially from a cripped and neurodivergent perspective. Her work explores the narratives that emerge from the possibilities and limitations of language, seeking a deeper connection with nature and her environment.

Picture © Jolien Van Goethem