Mending Station: Eye of the Earth Exhibition
As part of Samuel Nnorom: Eye of the Earth, the Mending Station extends the exhibition’s themes of the global textile waste crisis, environmental degradation, forced migration, and the enduring impacts of colonization. At the heart of the Mending Station is the belief that things that are broken are worth repair—an act of care and resistance.
Inspired by Samuel Nnorom’s practice of reusing off-cuts, the Mending Station invites community members to engage in visible mending using fabrics such as Ankara and Ankara-inspired fabrics. Drawing from global and local mending initiatives, repair cafés, and projects like Lee Mingwei’s The Mending Project (2010), the station seeks to revive and celebrate repair as an essential practice of care, healing, and sustainability. Reflecting Nnorom’s signature bubbles motif, the space features round tables and circular patches, transforming mending into a communal and reflective experience that honours the beauty of imperfections and the stories embedded in our textiles.
Choosing repair over replacement challenges our relationship to waste by fostering a slower, more intentional approach, and reconnects us with ancestral forms of artistry. Beyond fixing items, repair builds community, strengthens connections, and nurtures care for our clothing, each other, and the environment.
The Mending Station aligns with the principles behind Textile Museum’s Reuse Program and complements Eye of the Earth by creating a space for repair, dialogue, and collective action.
Bring your garment or textile needing repair and take part in hands-on mending.
Fix a tear: Choose a ready-made patch or create one using available fabrics inspired by Eye of the Earth.
Replace a Button: Select an Ankara-covered button and pick your thread color from the wall.
Embellish Your Garment: Add trim, beads, or other embellishments to make it uniquely yours.
When a mender is on-site on Saturdays (1-4pm), they’ll guide you through the next steps. During self-guided times, use the mending guides available in the space to help you along.
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