Exhaustion, rehabilitation, transformation, and repair: 

words that Margherita encountered during her recovery from burnout a few years ago. 

These were familiar terms from her work in textile waste recovery, and the resonance intrigued her. From a beloved but worn-out sweater emerged the project ‘Alchemy of Resilience.’ 

Unraveling the sweater’s body while preserving the cuffs and collar, she used contrasting yarn made from textile waste in Prato’s recycling district to knit the pieces back together. This metamorphosis birthed not just something new, but also a sort of self-portrait.

The research started in Italy at Lottozero art residency, exploring the use of regenerated yarns from local manufacturers and learning the knitting machine from a local artisan. Margherita emphasizes transformation over repair, viewing healing not as a regression, but as a powerful evolution. She explains, “Asking someone to be repaired and return to a previous state is impractical and counterproductive.”

Following video and photographs of the research phase in Prato (IT) while visiting the sorting center, producing works at Lottozero art residency and visiting a recycling fibers center in Prato.

This project was supported by Stimuleringsfonds Creative Industries as part of the Talentontwikkeling grant.

Photographer and video maker: Anne Lakeman.
Text by Victoria Anastasyadis for Stimuleringsfonds Creative Industries.