Claudy Jongstra (1963) is a textile artist whose holistic practice is intertwined with the natural cycle of her native landscape. A graduate of Utrecht College of Art, Jongstra has worked to master the ancient craft of making wool felt, humankind’s earliest textile, since 1994. She is equally regarded for her large-scale artworks and architectural installations as for her deep-seated commitment to the environment. Carefully considering the evolution of color and material from source to site, Jongstra is immersed in all aspects of her work: maintaining a flock of rare, indigenous Drenthe Heath sheep and growing botanical dyestuffs on a small-scale biodynamic farm in the northern Netherlands.
Claudy Jongstra is included in the permanent collections of the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, the RISD Museum, the Stedelijk Museum and the Victoria & Albert Museum. Collaborators include Rem Koolhaas, Steven Holl, Tod Williams & Billie Tsien, Snøhetta, Gensler, Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, Donna Karan, Christian Lacroix and John Galliano.
Triodos Bank - Claudy Jongstra (subtitled) from Birchwood Films on Vimeo.