Education workshop: Listen, Feel, Felt

In Tatar* Kiss, seven artists from diverse backgrounds — Bashqort, Buryat-Mongolian, Circassian, Volga Tatar, Kalmyk, and Curaçaoan — showed how colonial powers have shaped and disrupted their heritage, and how those legacies continue to resonate today. Hatred, exploitation, and violence were acknowledged, yet there is also a longing to replace them with love and joy.

During the workshop Listen, Feel, Felt, children were first guided through the exhibition upon arrival at Vleeshal. In this interactive tour, students encountered Bashqort felt cupids, wandered through Circassian forest gardens, followed the dripping traces of Middelburg’s canals, and caught a glimpse of daily life among the Kalmyks of the past. They sat on a Tatar syake, listened to Tatar and Bashqort languages, and responded to a Buryat-Mongolian greeting.

Throughout the exhibition, the artists used traditional and Indigenous techniques and materials. One of these is wet felting. In the second part of the workshop, students were introduced to this technique and tried it out themselves under guidance.

During the tour and the following workshop, participants learned about the stories and histories of different peoples, they reflected on what home means to them personally, and the important role that language and culture play in shaping that sense of belonging.