About pain, transformation, and the healing power of plants

Hymn to the Nettle starts with a simple but uncomfortable act: picking Nettles with bare hands. This physical experience is the starting point for the project and grows into a metaphor for healing emotional pain.

For this project, Janneke used traditional methods to process the Nettle plants entirely by hand into thread, which are meant to be knitted to gloves in the end. The process is slow and time-consuming; each step requires time, repetition, and patience. This investment of time is essential to the work and reflects the long-term and non-linear nature of recovery.

The Stinging Nettle functions as a material, mentor and as a carrier of symbolism. The plant stings and protects itself, but is at the same time known for its nourishing and healing qualities. This paradox runs like a thread through the project: that which causes pain can also offer protection through care and attention.