SPANNUM, NETHERLANDS
ON BURGUNDIAN BLACK
with Claudy Jongstra
13 / 13 2019 05 10 v53.1428° N, 5.6076° E
14 °C NW 16 KM/H
She is in search of truly sustainable production processes and environmentally friendly practices. Some of her colours and dyes, for example replicate hues developed in the specific, natural pigments used by the Dutch masters — Vermeer, Rembrandt, Van Gogh.
Claudy Jongstra is a Dutch artist and textile designer based in Friesland. The pigments she works with are derived from local plants and natural materials grown on her farms.
We spent the day at her countryside workshop and studio in Spannum to learn the importance of heritage, materiality, and documenting processes for future designers.
Currently, Claudy is experimenting with a particular pigment: Burgundian Black. Burgundian Black cloth was once a sign of wealth as it required a mixture of several dyes, including blue indigo and red cochineal.
Piecing together the recipe from 16th century recipes, however, is no easy, nor precise task. It takes a keen eye for subtle changes. Annette, Claudy's master dyer, showed us the process so far, and we used the dye in making our own felted art projects.
Claudy Jongstra is a Dutch artist and textile designer based in Friesland. The pigments she works with are derived from local plants and natural materials grown on her farms.
She is in search of truly sustainable production processes and environmentally friendly practices. Some of her colours and dyes, for example replicate hues developed in the specific, natural pigments used by the Dutch masters — Vermeer, Rembrandt, Van Gogh.
We spent the day at her countryside workshop and studio in Spannum to learn the importance of heritage, materiality, and documenting processes for future designers.
Piecing together the recipe from 16th century recipes, however, is no easy, nor precise task. It takes a keen eye for subtle changes. Annette, Claudy's master dyer, showed us the process so far, and we used the dye in making our own felted art projects.
