Ada Maricia Patterson

‘might this dead end be liveable’ 

Commissioned by the TextielMuseum, Ada M. Patterson developed a new work in 2023. In this installation, Patterson honours bodies that change in order to survive. Starfish can sever their own limbs as a survival tactic. However, climate change is disrupting starfish’s ability to regrow lost limbs. Patterson’s starfish are suspended between two states: stuck together and pulled apart. Their limbs are extended. They become something else. There is no going back. How might we accept the new worlds and conditions we create when we change ourselves? 

During the development process, the focus was on exploring volume, form and texture through flat knitting techniques. The work is currently on display in the ‘Haus of Fibre’ exhibition at the TextielMuseum from 11 October 2025 to 15 March 2026. 

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Photography by Josefina van den Eikenaar commissioned by TextielMuseum

The collection assignments are made possible with financial support from the Mondriaan Fund.