Update oktober 2011

"Sewing is hard work especally when you have thousands of people queuing for your art. The women were never alone, surrounded by ten-deep circle of people desperate to get their clothing beautified"
Uit: Taranaki Daily News, New Zealand, 16 maart 2009.

"Coming to Asia to perform for the first time and part of the Singapore Arts Festival 2010, dynamic duo Karin Arts and Mariken Biegman will be transforming outfits into original pieces of art. But while they´re busy stitching and transforming your clothes, you don´t just stand there and wait - you play a huge part as well because you´ll have to power the antique sewing machine by cycling their classical Dutch bikes!"
Uit: Her World, Singapore, 28-07-2010.

This travelling studio for clothes, was founded in 2003 by two women: Karin Arts and Mariken Biegman-van Geel. Ever since, numerous people in various countries have taken off their clothes for these Ladies to decorate them!
With pleasure and great fun the general public allow their own clothes be decorated by the improvising couturiers of the mobile sewing company and they return homeward with a totally unique item!

The performances of The mobile sewing company:

1. Ich bin wie du

since 2011

A new and lively street theater performance in which sewing, theater and music go together seamlessly.

The ladies dance, sing, fight and flirt while they create delicate and unique decorations on the clothes of the spectators. This leads to unexpected and hilarious situations, to the delight of the audience. During the show the sewing-women also dj on a record player. Like the sewing machines the record player is also pedal-powered.

"Egal ob Regen oder Sonne: diesen Damen gelingt es immer eine tolle Atmosphäre zu schaffen"
Kleines Fest im Grossen Garten, Hannover 2011

Regie: Anke Boerstra, Techniek: Fred Abels en Bart Sabel.

2. The Sound of sewing.

After a surprising visual opening act, the ladies start their three-hour-lasting-sewing- session.
The audience are invited to hand in a piece of recycled clothing and allow the Ladies to transform the material into an original piece of art right before their very eyes! These are two handy ladies with two beautiful, classical Dutch bikes and two antique sewing machines. They don´t need electricity, they just need the audience member to take action and cycle the stationary bike. This motion will power the sewing machines.
As a result, the audience not only helps the Dutch ladies to produce a one- of- kind garment, they can also enjoy a bit of activity that leaves them healthy, fit and kind to the environment!

3. The Sewing Compagny and the art of motor-sewing:

The audience is being invited to be part of this unique sewing circle. A curiosity! The mopeds function as a drive for the sewing machines.

The performers:
Karin Arts

From 1991 to 1996, Karin studied Costume design at the Utrecht collage of Art in Holland. She graduated with a degree in Fine Arts. During her five-year program, Karin studied abroad in the UK doing an apprenticeship at Dartington Collage of Art in the UK. Here she was exposed to a Visual Arts program, which inspired her to want to work in the entertainment world as a freelance Theatre- costume-designer.
As well as being busy with the sewing needle, Miss Arts, also performed as a stilt-walker and was an essential part of the all-female comedy street-theatre troupe; Mevrouw Bakker. This performance company toured all over Europe at some of the most prestigious street festivals from 2000 until 2003.

Mariken Biegman- van Geel

From 1990 to 1994 Mariken studied and received her degree in Environmental Engineering at the University of Agriculture in Groningen, Holland. During her degree program, Mariken took an elective tailoring course studying the art of costume-making. It was here that she had a vision of one day combining her love for costume-making and her studies in environmental issues.
In 2000, Mariken launched and created the female performance company; Mevrouw Bakker. As the founder of this highly unique five-woman street-theatre production, Mariken was responsible for assembling the players and the production. She also co-wrote the show with the other girls and co-designed the costumes. In addition to this, she managed the troupe on their extensive tours through Europe. Mariken continued to work as a free-lance costume-maker and producer during and after her work with Mevrouw Bakker.
In 2004, she and her close friend and colleague, Karin Arts, decided to combine their love for street- theatre and their talents for creating beautiful things, by producing this very authentic and very special travelling- studio-exhibition; The Mobile sewing company!!

Contact:
Het Mobiele Naaiatelier
Binnen Wieringerstraat 25 huis
1013 EA Amsterdam
0031-6-24917436/ 0031-6-24572598
Email: info@hetmobielenaaiatelier.nl