Mae Engelgeer upholsters the walls of TivoliVredenburg

Mae Engelgeer designed a spectacular wall covering for one of the new foyers at TivoliVredenburg. Production starts this month: the fabric will be woven with both warp and weft made from recycled polyester – a milestone in the sustainability efforts of the TextielLab.

Mae Engelgeer working in the TextielLab. Photo: Patty van den Elshout

The striking music complex in the heart of Utrecht, designed by Herman Hertzberger, first opened its doors to the public in 1979. Thirty-five years later, following a merger with Tivoli and a major renovation, it was reopened. And this month saw another festive occasion: TivoliVredenburg has unveiled a new entrance on Vredenburgplein, alongside renovated foyers around the Main Hall. Yet another celebration is already on the horizon: this summer, Mae Engelgeer will apply the ‘finishing touch’—though that phrase hardly does justice to the ambitious project currently taking shape in the TextielLab.

Titled Abstract Notes, Engelgeer’s design will be her largest to date: a wall covering spanning over 700 square metres, transforming the bare walls of the foyer near the new entrance into an entirely different visual experience. “I used to dream of creating something like this,” Engelgeer says. “And now it’s actually happening—it’s fantastic.”

A collage

Engelgeer based her design on the graphic grid of Hertzberger’s building, showing how textiles can soften architectural structures. “This project brings everything together: it’s a new interpretation of my archive, a celebration of my style, and at the same time an homage to Herman Hertzberger’s work. On the train to the pitch presentation, I found some beautiful sketches from Notations of Herman Hertzberger. I used them in my presentation, and I immediately saw a link between his graphic compositions and my own work.”

The design process resulted in a warm collage through which Engelgeer responds to the original architecture in her signature style. She developed the basic building blocks into repeated columns—sometimes upright, sometimes tilted—creating an intriguing play of lines and shapes. These naturally integrate with seating areas, doorways, and cloakroom recesses, while also offering subtle nods to original architectural details. Sketches of niches and columns by Hertzberger have been embroidered as appliqués, and 1970s watercolours by Joost van Roojen have been translated into tufted rugs incorporated into the overall piece. With all these elements, Engelgeer aimed for a playful yet readable composition, akin to the rhythm of a musical piece. “But it remains abstract—you’re free to interpret it in your own way,” she says. “It’s a collage you can never take in all at once. From every angle, a new composition emerges—and that’s what keeps it interesting.”

Kyoto

What began over a year ago as paper-cut collaging on a floor plan is now nearly ready for final production on two weaving machines at the TextielLab. During our interview, Engelgeer is spending a week in the Netherlands, working with product developer Judith Peskens to make final decisions. A year and a half ago, she relocated from Amsterdam to Kyoto with her family, immersing herself in Japan’s rich textile culture. She is currently working there on a woven curtain for the World Expo in Osaka. Engelgeer says Japan has much to teach her, but she also has something to offer: “It’s not common there for designers to work directly at the machines as we do here. The way I experiment in the making process without fixating on the final outcome is something new for Japanese manufacturers.” The TextielLab in Tilburg still feels like home to her—a place she has returned to regularly since graduating from the Sandberg Institute, and where she has now worked with Judith Peskens for eleven years: “It’s always a joy to be here.”

Mae Engelgeer at work with Judith Peskens. Photo: Patty van den Elshout

Subtle gradients 

Engelgeer enjoys letting the weaving process influence her design. “Right up to the end, I react to unexpected results from the loom. Just this week we discovered that the last section of the dyed yarn cones features a gradient from green to yellow. These leftover threads are usually discarded, but we’re going to experiment with them anyway.” This spontaneous trial fits her fondness for subtle gradients, which are a hallmark of her work—and clearly visible in this project.

After Engelgeer returned to Japan following initial development sessions, Peskens tested the carefully curated palette—greens, yellows, and greys—on the loom 9,000 kilometres away. These gradient tones will be used in both the warp and weft of the final piece. Engelgeer explains: “I applied my own colour language to what I observed in the building. My colours are never extremely bright—this time is no exception. I always look for harmony: soft shades with the occasional accent. The wall should soothe, not shout.”

Recycled FR wrap

Meanwhile, the TextielLab team tackled a major sustainability challenge. In collaboration with Engelgeer, they decided to use only recycled materials for both warp and weft—a bold move that not only posed technical difficulties but also influenced artistic decisions. “As a designer, you need to do your bit,” Engelgeer says. “And that’s possible even in large-scale projects like this. I’m glad this contributes to research on sustainable design.”

Photo: Patty van den Elshout

The transition from black-and-white Trevira CS warp to a recycled version had been in preparation for some time. Yarn expert Lise Brunt pulled out all the stops to make this sustainable leap a reality. She found a transparent and motivated partner in German yarn manufacturer Carl Weiske, who—together with the lab’s weavers—developed a flame-retardant warp made of 57% recycled polyester, with the necessary strength and thickness. “This project now meets the GRS standard,” Brunt says. “That’s a huge milestone and an important step towards an even higher percentage.”

PET bottles from Utrecht

The first two recycled FR warps were mounted on a 350 cm-wide machine and a 170 cm-wide machine, specifically for Abstract Notes. The aim is to eventually replace all Trevira CS warps with this recycled version. There’s also success to celebrate on the weft side: the lower 1.15-metre-high section of the wall covering—the impact-resistant dado—is made of 100% recycled monofilament. This yarn was custom-developed by Belgian company Luxilon Industries, known for producing tennis racket strings. Using their Eco line for Roland Garros as inspiration, they created a suitable yarn from recycled PET bottles collected across the Benelux region. Brunt adds: “That makes this project even more revolutionary. Imagine—there could be recycled bottles from Utrecht in this wall. How beautiful is that?”

Text Willemijn de Jonge