SBYD ZINE #06 – 99 ACTS OF REPAIR
This ZINE presents 99 acts that illustrate some of the many ways textiles can be repaired.
There are countless ways to repair textiles: elaborate embroidery, invisible alterations, improvised patching, pragmatically darned holes, or emergency fixes with adhesive tape. Depending on the approach and motivation, the repaired objects can look completely different. These repairs tell stories of personal relationships with textiles, of memories, appreciation, rejection, necessity, creativity, frustration, and everyday decisions about how we deal with the things we already own.
Out of a curiosity for the endless possibilities of repair, SPACE FOR TEXTILES and SPACE FOR REPAIR invited people to submit repaired textile objects. It did not matter whether the item had been repaired by the owner, professionally mended, inherited, or found second-hand. Many people responded to this open call, sharing both their repairs and the stories connected to them. Items were patched, darned, knitted, glued, dyed, and altered. This ZINE was created to make this extensive collection accessible. The many submissions form its core and fill most of its pages.
The zine also includes a text by artist Alrun Aßmus, in which she examines the different repair practices from a broader, reflective perspective. To not only document but also reflect on the wide range of submissions, she identifies patterns, motivations, and relationships between people, textiles, and repair, offering insights that emerge from the collection as a whole.