Lena Winterink

CROSS SECTION ARCHIVE

INFO

Cross Section Archive is a growing material archive that makes the reality of textile waste visible and tangible. The project began through a collaboration with the Rotterdam-based sorting center Opnieuw&Co, sparked by the question: How can we draw attention to the growing surplus of textile waste to create a positive impact within the textile industry?

By analyzing discarded clothing and textiles at the sorting centre, the project explores how much textile is discarded on a daily bases. At the sorting center, materials were categorized, pressed into bales, and then cut into cross-sections. These layered slices reveal the amount, material, and color of textile waste over a short period of time in a specific location.

By transforming these bales into research-based, tapestry objects, Cross Section Archive reframes textile waste as both raw material and valuable data. The project makes awareness of textile waste tangible inviting for reflection on our consumption habits,while offering a new interpretation for waste as a resource.