Jana Visser

Weaver

Ever closer to the process

Jana’s woven pieces are about exploring the craft of weaving itself
She addresses the balance between a micro and a macro view through her works
She is originally from South Africa and now lives in The Netherlands

Similarly to painters whose paintings are about painting, textile artist Jana Visser identifies as a weaver whose weavings are about weaving itself. “Weaving is a process but it can also become an image,” she says. Jana chose her craft during her bachelor in fine arts, after researching practices of slow living and slow art. “Effort, intricacy, intention, detail and process have always interested me, and the weaving craft perfectly embodies these notions. It requires my engagement on an intimately microscopic level – to consider each warp and each weft – while the grid also demands me to think more broadly towards a macroscopic universe in which even the smallest gestures contribute to a collective rhythm,” says Jana. She opened her studio in 2021 and specialises in repurposing yarn from local shops.

Interview

How did you start weaving?: I started with a loom that was imported from Sweden to South Africa in 1955 by South African archaeologist Ione Rudner, that I restored to its former glory. Gradually, a dialogue with the loom developed, as I began deciphering, decoding, and trusting the process of discovery.
Could you describe your working process?: Weaving requires meticulous preparations but once I am sitting down at the loom, I try to remain open to nuances, errors and fluctuations. I do not plan a woven work down to the last fibre, as most developments occur within the 'womb' of the loom.
What do you love most about your craft?: The level of attention and observation it requires of me. Being a weaver makes me attentive to the smallest of details, gestures, shifts in light and to the passing of time. This is an approach which inevitably spills over into other facets of my life.
In what way is your craft linked to where you live?: I often use linen and hemp fibres and yarns in my work, as a direct result of having lived in countries known for their flax and linen production, such as Belgium and The Netherlands. I often visit thrift stores or local weaving mills where I source such second-hand or deadstock yarns.

Jana Visser is a rising star: she began her career in 2021 and she started teaching in 2024