Stitch and Subvert: Re-Mapping Stockholm Through Needle & Thread

Subvert and Stretch: Remapping Stockholm was a participatory art project I developed and led as part of the exhibition The Magic Power of the Needle at Kulturhuset, Stockholm. Through an open workshop titled Stitch and Subvert, I invited participants—both residents and visitors—to embroider directly onto a large fabric map of Stockholm, using needle and thread as tools of counter-mapping, protest, and emotional storytelling. Participants stitched their daily routes, zones of exclusion or comfort, symbols, and critical reflections, transforming the official urban landscape into a citizen-made, collective map.
The project merged traditional textile techniques with spatial justice activism, encouraging people to reclaim their relationship to the city through tactile, collaborative interventions. It also bridged local experiences with broader histories of stitched resistance, including previous embroidery-based mappings of Gaza. The resulting collective artwork reimagined Stockholm through the diverse lived experiences of its inhabitants, challenging conventional narratives of place, belonging, and public space.