Claudy Jongstra, Dutch Textile Artist at Parsons Healthy Materials Lab, 2018
Claudy Jongstra’s artworks and architectural installations embody environmental advocacy, placing ancient materials and processes within the contemporary context of global ecological degradation. Her work parallels closely with the tenets that support the work of Parsons Healthier Materials Lab, which is dedicated to fostering knowledge and raising awareness about toxics in the products that surround us, advocating for a world in which human and environmental health is placed at the center of all design decisions.
Each hand-felted piece, composed of Drenthe Heath sheep wool and biodynamic botanical dye pigments, stimulates the local ecology and economy.
Introductions are given by Lidewij Edelkoort and Feike Sijbesma.
Lidewij Edelkoort, internationally recognized design forecaster, strategist and educator, she is Dean of Hybrid Design Studies at Parsons The New School for Design, and founder of MFA Textiles program at Parsons which is currently in its first year. Lidewji has also initiated a September celebration of textile culture - New York Textile Month.
Feike Sijbesma, CEO Royal DSM, a Dutch multinational active in the fields of health, nutrition and materials, has transformed the company from a chemical company to a Life Sciences and Materials Sciences company, focusing on health, nutrition and materials. Feike sees sustainability as both a responsibility and a business model, advocating for research into malnutrition and climate change, among other critical issues.