Alfhild
Külper

Which place do you currently call home and where do you work on your projects?

I grew up in Sweden, on an island just outside of Stockholm. Where the mossy forests are full of elves and trolls. I now live in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. I never thought I would call this home, but my heart had different plans. After falling in love with Dutchie I slowly also fell for this charming ‘international village’. Well below sea level, the moss grows here too. There is a lot less wilderness, but the greens are thriving and fighting for every centimetre. 

This is my base, and where I have my studio. But my projects are quite spread out through the world, working with galleries in Amsterdam (Rademakers), Brussels (Objects With Narratives) and New York (Superhouse). 

Where is your studio located & how does it look?

My studio is located in the west side of Amsterdam, Netherlands. It’s an old Rietveld-style technical school building, with large windows towards some of the most beautiful trees I have ever seen. The sun filters through the moving leaves, creating dynamic wave patterns that bring the place to life. My main material is wool, filling the studio with a rainbow of softness. The colors of the wool always retain a natural undertone, giving the space the calmness of being in nature, and the material absorbs sound, making it a calm sanctuary.

I start my day with one of the most meditative parts of my process, yarn spinning. I do this in the natural light before turning any electrical lights on. Just the repetitive movement and the sound of the wooden mechanism. As the threads untangle into neat balls of yarn, my thoughts untangle and I can plan my day.

Are there any projects that are personally important to you—whether recently completed or currently in progress?

Last year I made an installation called “Forest of Rest” for an art exhibition about burnout in the young. 

For me, burnout felt like getting lost in a dark and scary forest. And later realising the way out can only be found by first fully embracing that darkness. To lie down on the forest floor, to find back nature, and to feel the vegetation under you. Feel the warmth it gives back in the dark. Even in the loneliest moments, you are never alone in the systems of nature. 

And once you can open your eyes and get used to the darkness, only then can you start seeing the lights. 

First small and shimmering, and you don’t have to do anything but look. And once you are ready, you can walk through. 

A space to softly heal and transform. Come out more empathic, more true, and with better values and better minds. 

I would love to continue building soft and healing installations/environments in places where they are needed, like hospitals and government buildings. I would also love to get a chance to tell a wider story of the soft worlds I’m building piece by piece.

Do you have a favorite place in your area where you like to relax and linger?

I would lie if I didn’t say my studio. And I am very happy that it has become the soft spot not only for me, but also for everyone that enters. My workshop is open for visitors, and I often have friends coming to work from here. I also take students from all over the world coming to do their internships. I get an immense amount of joy from seeing the friendships that are formed here and knowing that this is a safe and healing space not only for me.  

Once a week my mother-in-law comes here to help. We then sit with three generations around the table and stitch and compare our views on life. 

Are there any urgent political issues or problems in your region?

It’s hard to separate the Netherlands from the rest of the world, as we hurdle through the darkness of instability. Politically, economically and environmentally. But I see brighter times ahead, and as an artist I think it is my duty to show possible ways forward. I believe handmade, detailed and narrative-driven art is gaining popularity for a reason. In a world of increasing uncertainty and anxiety we need a comforting process. Seeing the beauty in your surroundings inspires beauty in thought, and gives you the motivation to preserve it. And this is exactly what the world needs right now.

In your opinion, what has developed well in the last 5 years—and what has not?

I like the bigger picture thinking, and to make a substantial change we need to change our base values. Thinking of ourselves as part of this world rather then an individual living in this world. The importance of connection. I think Amsterdam has taken nice steps in the way its bring back the diverse and local plants in every place possible, reminding us of the roots.

Do you know a hidden gem when it comes to local manufacturers—whether it’s arts and crafts, sustainable products or food?

I would recommend a trip out to Glasblazerij de Oude Horn. A beautiful glass blowing workshop outside of  the city. A few hours’ drive takes you out to the beautiful surroundings where an old steam pumping station that was part of the Dutch Waterline, was converted into a place for creating the most magical works. Like out of a fairytale, the coloured glass samples seem to hold little spells. Every first Sunday of the month the studio is open to the public, where you can see the amazing artists Bernard Heesen and Ninke Sikkema create fantastical sculpures. And hopefully you can walk away with a bubbly, wobbly champagne flute or a jewellery box adorned with a characterful glass animal on top. 

Is there anything particularly innovative in your region? Also in comparison to other places you have already visited?

The culture here is very direct, less neurotic, and it gives way for innovation. In particular a lot of great design. Partly due to the Design Academy in Eindhoven, but I think also a desire to make something useful. Many artists based here are currently blurring the border between art and design, something I find very interesting and important for this time. For me, giving something a function, in addition to beauty, includes a certain humbleness. There is something so soft in having an art piece offering not only an emotion and story but also asking, ‘What can I do for you to make it easier?’. Even the wall tapestries I make offer excellent insulation and acoustic qualities. Less self-centred. That is an attitude I would like to see a little more in the world, so I give it to my works. 

Do you have a secret restaurant tip that you would like to share with us?

I am an all or nothing type when it comes to restaurants :). I love to cook simple dishes at home, but when I go out I want a full experience. For me the place to go for an all sensory evening is Restaurant Europa in the north of Amsterdam. The industrial former garage houses a restaurant that feels partly like dining in a grand art gallery and partly like sitting at the counter in your friends’ kitchen. The chef, Rein, calls it a creative workshop, and food and wines confirm it. The seating is a zigzag-shaped bright blue bar, an artwork in itself. The tasting menu is full of surprises and the crew is nice and cool. 

Is there a local shop whose products are only available in your region?

I am not a big shopper. But I love a full day trip to the AntiekCentrum. In the cute old centre of Amsterdam there is a classic brown Cafe called Blazer. An unassuming place where I start with a coffee and a dutch apple pie. The reason for this place, is hiding in the back. A glass door to what looks like a glitter cabinet. Like an Alice in Wonderland trip, the little door takes you into a never ending labyrinth of antiques and art. So much to look at, so many wonderful details and things you never knew you needed. I make a list of finds and the cabinet numbers, and go back to the Cafe for a small beer and a snack, while choosing the object that gets to come home with me. To make a purchase you have ring the little bells hidden between the stalls, and someone will appear in the crammed corridors, it so magical, like a hidden world within the city. 

What are your 3 favourite apps that you use every day and couldn’t live without?

A lot of my work is a counterpart to our digital lives. Art to be touched and cuddled with. But I use a ProCreate for sketching, I like to use very obviously digital brushes, and then translate that into the textiles. I think it builds a bridge in my work. I find technology and the digital world very fascinating and important. I find the contrast very interesting, how much we use it vs how sceptical we are. That makes me feel like there is a bigger evolutionary plan at play, feels spiritual somehow. What if they’re necessary training steps to global consciousness? Social media could be training for telepathy. TikTok is the closest thing to listening in someone else’s stream of thought. I like to make tapestries telling these warm possibilities, maybe they will be the tellings of this time, when our digital archives are lost.

Do you have any favourite newspapers or online magazines? And how do you keep up to date with politics or social and cultural issues?

I watch the Dutch news every day, to learn Dutch. Otherwise I listen to a lot of podcasts and try my best to hear as many different views as possible. And I still really like a physical magazine, I like to go to the Athenaeum store and pick out an art magazine I’ve never heard of to accompany a quiet Sunday.  

Imagine you could be mayor for a year—what would you change?

I would not be good at that! But I always had this dream about cleaning the canals of Amsterdam, currently they are filled with a brown slur. I had this dream to add a filter to clean the water, leaving it crystal clear. And line the canals with beautiful Delft Blue tiles, with floor heating in the bottom, keeping the water at a lovely 25 degrees. It could then house a coral preservation in the middle and be a refugee home for endangered fish. It would be a warm bath to swim in all year long, where the fish could nibble the skin of the Dutchies. Living in perfect harmony. Actually I really want this! Alfie for mayor 2026!

One last question: If you could choose another place to live—regardless of financial or time constrains—which one would you choose?

I have always dreamed of having a plot of Swedish forest on top of a skyscraper in New York.