The exhibition Wearable Stories by collective Raven opens at the Outsider Art Gallery on Thursday 21 March. Raven works at the intersection of art and the social domain. The collective flies as a messenger between different worlds, sharing the stories of people who are much talked about but who themselves are given little space to speak out. Raven works with patients, clients and offenders. In 'Wearable Stories', the stories of young people from care institutions on the jackets of Amsterdam-based fashion label Bonne Suits play the leading role.
Wearable Stories is a nationwide project by Collective Raven and was first shown at the Young Hearts Festival in Groningen in 2023. From mid-May, Wearable Stories can be seen during State of Fashion within the Fashion + Design Festival Arnhem.
Young people and care facilities
Raven believes that everyone has the right to make their own perspective visible. For Wearable Stories, artists from collective Raven work with young people from care institutions (including Cordaan, Elker Jeudghulp en Onderwijs and various correctional facilities) where the young people translate their personal stories into jackets from fashion label Bonne Suits. This creates unique limited edition jackets, each with its own story in which the perspective of the young people is central.
Wearing and being worn
The coats serve as a visual representation of young people's experiences and the challenges they face. What is visible on the outside raises questions about what is happening on the inside. Artists, professionals in the fields of care, government, justice and visitors to the exhibition are invited to wear the young people's coats for one day and thus become part of this extraordinary wearable work of art. After this experience, the wearers share their reactions to the young people's stories, which are then brought back to the young people in care facilities. Previous wearers have included the mayor of Groningen, several artists and the chief of police.
Building bridges
Raven is a social-artistic collective that actively seeks out stories that are not yet represented, or hardly represented, in the arts field.
"Wearable Stories offers a unique opportunity to connect different worlds and experiences. It goes beyond fashion; it is a bridge between storytelling, art and empathy." says Gerbrand Bos, one of the creators at Raven.
"A coat characterised by the locks on the fasteners. This symbolises how you can sometimes 'get locked in'. Extra exciting for me because that was really out of my comfort zone." - Martin Sitalsing, chief of police.