(Archive) KLAAIKLÚT

Hidden colours of the soil underneath our feet

KLAAIKLÚT is a study of the landscape in which I grew up, the North of The Netherlands. With this project I want to raise awareness about the value of local materials and the possibilities they give us, with a focus on natural textile dyeing. I want to communicate my connection with the landscape to the viewer and encourage a new way of connecting with and looking at the landscapes we live in. With a focus on natural dyeing and finding the hidden colours of the landscape, I started to explore the undervalued and everyday landscape of my hometown. During these field trips, I came across the material silt and started a research project about how to dye textiles with local silt, mud and clay. A simple material that contains a lot of hidden colours. A material you find almost everywhere but it’s existence is often forgotten.

A new relationship with the landscape

During this project my relationship and connection with the landscape has changed due to slow processes, standing still and becoming aware of my surroundings. For weeks I was working with the same simple lump of clay but I still discovered new outcomes, colours and textures over and over again. This connection with the landscape is what I want to communicate to the viewer which I do with my artworks and story.

Slowing down our way of looking

With my work I want to slow down our way of looking at our environment and get rid of our attentionless ways of connecting and communicating with the landscapes in which we live. With this project I want to bring people into my world, a world with a more attentive outlook, and show them the possibilities of what you can do with the materials that are already there, but are often overlooked. There are so many forgotten and underestimated materials in our own environment, which you will only discover if you slow down and pay attention to your surroundings.