Monumentally-scaled and minimally composed, yet
intimate and warm in their conception and craft, Claudy Jongstra’s tapestries
and textiles bring a quiet presence and humanity to the modern architecture
they often inhabit.
The macroscopic compositions of Jongtra’s wall-sized organic
abstractions suggest microscopic views of the plants and animals from which
their materials are sourced. Here, large expanses of color are modulated by the
texture and patterns of felted wool, raw silk, and plant fibers. Forms that
appear suspended are in fact often swatches of contrasting chromatic fiber and
texture, enmeshed but not fully metabolized into their
background.
Jongstra’s materials give shape to not only to the work’s
physicality, but equally, to its meaning. Furthermore, the way in which form
and content are brought into being too carries a conceptual valence, one driven
by ethics and conservation. Indeed, sustainability, respect, self-sufficiency,
and cooperation are at the foundation of Jongstra’s studio community and the
creation of each work. But hers is not just eco-activism or social practice
interested in localization at the level of production and consumption. Rather,
each step of her holistic collaborative process also recalls, revives, and
preserves the history of the land where it is made; it is as much about place
as people.
Part of an essay by Laura M. Richard
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