Knitting & Tea Towels

Exhibition COHESION at Design Perron

Stand Studio Simul at Klokgebouw

So many colourful things are filling my social media right now: Autumns bright oranges and fruits, last weekends Día de Muertos and catwalk delights from the Jakarta Fashionweek 2015* (please invite me next year!). A bright, patterned feast, which reminds me of every thing I still have to do before winter comes.
First our Dutch Design Week. Last years edition was great with the beautiful exhibition by Vlisco.** This year I decided to give it a bloggers-try, unfortunately I wasn't so lucky. So I paid my ticket and visited for the first time mostly the entrance required locations. How very Dutch of me!

Huge knitting backpack set by YoukbyYouki

Hand dyed and hand knitted towel by Winter in Holland

"Living Colours", oxidation proces on cloth in the presentation by AKV|St.Joost at Klokgebouw

Indigo Cascade by Ernst van der Hoeven, finalist habitat Dutch Design Awards

Knitted meat at the Dutch Design Awards

I prepared a this-is-what-I-want-to-visit plan on the DDW map and managed to do all, AND more! I started of at the Klokgebouw where I collected a lot of business cards. Looking back at the photos I noticed that it kinda had the same feel of what I saw last year**. A lot of dyeing fabrics with natural colouring, using oxidation processes which make for a laboratory-like display. And what do we make of these freshly, rusted fabrics: tea towels. To my surprise I run into a lot of stands with different samples of fabrics and mostly they made cushions and towels. Maybe because you can show the fabric as an usable product, yet keeping a nice square part. Anyway, I don't know if Dutch people have a design relationship with their dishes, but I think it is an interesting choice of product. And since Blokker director Jack Peters said in De Volkskrant last August, "We always had kitchen-textiles, but now we have Kitchen-fashion" explaining the new route the shop was taking, I shouldn't be surprised.

Dutch Darlings by Craft Council Nederland at Klokgebouw

Some "Dutch Darlings"

Voting system 

My favorite

Oven mitts

On my to see-visit plan was the Craft Council Nederland "Dutch Darlings" display. I never heard of this organization before, and I totally missed their "Meet the Master" Staphorst dot folk art workshop. Too bad, but now I'm totally on their mailinglist. What I also missed was their "Dutch Darlings" open call.
Dutch Darlings is an open call for creators, designers and professionals to design an innovative souvenir based on a traditional Dutch craft. Participants show, with their designs, that the Netherlands is more than tulips and windmills. That we have a much richer colour palette of local culture than a Delfts blue wooden clog that is manufactured in China for the tourist industry.***
A very interesting starting point and I was a little disappointed that it were so little products. Yet the display was excellent. A big workshop table with a wooden, bookshelf, open wall around it. Little cabinets with the new souvenirs, below it an abstract symbol of that souvenir on which you could vote and in the bookshelves some more souvenirs and interviews with the 'Masters'.
I placed a dot at the ball of yarn. I liked this locally made, handmade souvenir idea. Because you can make your own product from it afterwards. And because next to Kitchen-fashion (in the competition were also oven mitts, but I didn't find them Dutch enough), knitting is hot, hot, hot!

Yarn shop at Sectie C

Wintervacht wintercoats presentation at Sectie C

Wintervacht Curtain shirt in 2e Hans van Sophie Dekkers set-up

Pretty detail of curtain shirt

After a nice meet with Chris Houtzager of Textile is More****, I headed for Sectie C. I wanted to meet the makers of Wintervacht***** and I never been to that location before. The ladies of Wintervacht weren't their yet, so I first took a look around. Sectie C looks like a factory building that has been taking over by creativity. A lot of small companies, not all very Dutch Design, but better opened, than closed during such an event. Chris told me to check out the yarn shop to check out my theory. There they told me they made the knitted chair. A designer piece showed somewhere else unfortunately (my mother shared it on Facebook and in the same album is a photo of knitting women).
After a while one of the Wintervacht ladies arrived. They shared a space with 2e Hans van Sophie Dekkers. A secondhand clothing shop selected and arranged on colour, texture and patterns. It looked very chic. A lot of people were trying on the coats by Wintervacht and on Instagram it was a very DDW thing to do; post a selfie in a Wintervacht coat. I still didn't try one on, because I want one really bad, but I can't afford one. The mittens how ever...but they didn't bring them with...
I asked them if they could inform me of their upcoming Summer collection. Because I loved their curtain collection this year. They buy secondhand curtains and make a nice two piece, shirt & short pants, outfit from it. Very pattern-hip and recycle-proof!

Looking forward to what the young Wintervacht ladies are going to do next and lets see if I can become a proper DDW blogger next year!


* More about the Jakarta Fashionweek 2015 on their site www.jakartafashionweek.co.id
** Blogpost about "Vlisco Unfolded" and Dutch Design Week 2013 "Natural Dye + Wax Print + Sweaters"
*** Read more about the Craft Council NL and their Dutch Darlings on www.craftscouncil.nl
- More about Staphorst dot folk art in my previous post "Traditional costumes in modern living" 
**** Textile is More is a new, fresh look on textiles all over the globe, put into a blog, on which I'm going to participate soon, www.textileismore.com
***** Post on my blog about Wintervacht "Transhumance"
More about Wintervacht on www.wintervacht.nl

MUD at Domain Oogenlust

 Bogolan by Boubacar Doumbia and huge photo by Serge Hagemeie at MUD

Yesterday I went to the opening day of MUD, a program during the Dutch Design Week, which is about fashion, architecture & design from and inspired by Mali full of Bogolan and wax prints.

The wide ranged MUD program with workshops, masterclasses and fashion-shows is not only to show the beauty and interesting things being created in Mali, it is also to collected money to build a Crafts & Design school in Mali.* So enjoying creativity while supporting it!

MUD is located at Domain Oogenlust, a surprisingly designed location in Eersel, nearby Eindhoven. Stichting Djenné and Oogenlust combined forces to make MUD into a feast for the eyes. Huge photos of models in specially created outfits made with bogolan textiles and hairpieces from organic materials fill the space. At the entrance is a shop full of items made with Julius Holland Wax fabrics and clothing & furniture by Boutique d'Afrique. In the main hall a small exhibition is made by the National Museum of Ethnology (Rijksmuseum Volkenkunde) about "Brabants Bont in Africa", next to architectural designer Cheick Diallo' s furniture. 

Chair by Cheick Diallo

I had the chance to talk with Cheick Diallo about his contribution to MUD.  This year Diallo won the Africa Design Award in Cape Town, South Africa. Diallo studied in Paris, but designs in Mali nowadays. The furniture he shows at MUD, and everything he designed is made in Mali. He is a strong supporter of Stichting Djenné plan to built a Crafts & Design school in Mali. His furniture now is made by people who have not studied for it, but in whom Diallo sees a connection and quality. With the Crafts & Design school he can even help more people to grow and learn, and he will be working as a teacher on the school himself. 

Furniture by Cheick Diallo

Photo by Serge Hagemeie at MUD

Chairs by Salon d' Afrique

Chair by Salon d' Afrique with 'Money Flies' Vlisco

Lampshades by Salon d' Afrique

Bogolans by Boubacar Doumbia

Tonight, Friday and Sunday a fashion-show is held at MUD with fashion made by designers from Mali and the Netherlands made with bogolans & wax prints finished of with hairpieces by Oogenlust. 

I saw the show last night and was amazed by it. The clothing was all of very high quality and I saw so many things I wanted to have (in a little bigger size). The fashion show is made in collaboration with the Ethical Fashion Initiative. The EFI connects the fashion business with artisans in Africa and Haiti, more about that in this video!

Happy designers, Reuben Reul, Netty Anang and Klekleli Dzidzienyo

I loved all the different fashion shows, but for this post I will only share the first part of it. Because I think you should go and see the show for yourself! But also because these fashion items are all made with Bogolan. 

Stichting Djenné invited different designers to contribute by designing something new using Bogolan.** The results are very nice, modern, chic and I want them all (*smile*blink*).

Bogolan is a handmade Malian cotton fabric traditionally dyed with fermented mud. The natural, earth colored cloth has a high graphic quality. At Domain Oogenlust you can see some full length cloths and also at the end of the week follow a workshop by Boubacar Doumbia.***

Added the names of designers I know for sure, if you know which design is made by whom, just let me know, thanks!

Enjoy a small part of the must-see fashionshow & make sure to visit MUD!!

Designer By Borre

Designer Daniela Pias

Designer Daisy van Groningen

* More information on the Stichting Djenné site, www.stichtingdjenne.nl

** Bogolan on Wikipedia 

*** Master Classes Bogolan painting by Boubacar Doumbia

Dutch(n)ess

Members of the Netherlands Institute for Human Rights posing with Beatrix in October 2012

I definitely paid to much attention to her hats, because I almost fel of my chair seeing a smiling Bea in the newspaper wearing a Batik and Chintz patterned outfit. It was not just the outfit that surprised me, also the location. Was it a message? Was Beatrix telling us that at least she is aware of our heritage?
Is it a Batik Statement?
In the discussion going on since this photo was taken, for me it is a comforting thought. Looking for more photos of this outfit, and trying to find out who designed it (if you know, please let me know, thanks), I came across even more Batik and Chintz patterns costumes of our prinses.
But not only that, she expressed being Dutch in so many different ways and even got in trouble for it. We all remember her wearing the beautiful headscarf and who had a problem with it. So a blogpost seemed in order.

Clicking through hundreds of photos of our former Queen Beatrix, I can definitely say that she likes patterns. Her clothing choice started a little plain, which is not weird always being in the spotlights, but you see her daring character sparkle through very soon. I noticed that in my memory Queen B is mostly wearing royal blue, but that is not at all true. What I saw now is that she wears all kinds of colours and isn't afraid of wearing patterns all over. Also red and purples are favorite when it comes to scarfs and hats.

Her visit to Turkey in 2012 was parade of colourful, patterned, beautiful outfits, which made us forget to look at Máxima. One of her outfits there was also with a Batik motif. What a nice surprise! I can't tell from the pictures if it is Batik Tulis and I wonder if it is the same designer. If I find out I'll let you know.

Enjoy my little selection of favorites! And B, keep on sharing those Batik Statements***!

Same outfit, different venue 

Tulip top on a long skirt on Prinsjesdag in 1987

Troonrede in 1985 **

Troonrede in 1988

Troonrede in 2012

Wearing a Batik blouse during a visit to Indonesia in 1995

With Máxima in 2012 in Turkey

In Turkey in 2012

During the Coronation of her son in 2013 with prinses Mabel wearing a beautiful Victor & Rolf dress

The other Batik costume

 

Beautiful Indian inspired gala dress

* More pictures of prinses Beatrix go to www.gahetna.nl
** More pictures of Beatrix during the Troonrede on www.anp-archief.nl
*** More Batik Statements on De reis naar Batik

Decoding the Hands*****

Before we went to bed, I said "What if all patterns come from Africa?". Meaning that if all patterns have a source and if that source can be traced back to one, is it then the same location as where men originated from?

The next morning Koen woke me up with the words "There is a great article in the newspaper today". I went downstairs and read the head of the article.  "Oldest Cave Art found in Indonesia".*

The next hours I spend looking up Rock Art and found some pretty interesting stuff and went to get my own copy of the Nature journal, which turned out to be quite the challenge living in Breda...

We are all familiar with the Graffiti prehistorical style, hand outlines with red ocher on cave walls. Till now it was the common believe that these paintings, the hands and of all kinds of animals  mostly being hunted, were only found in Europe. Or at least that these ones were the oldest and therefor the source. Well that believe is officially turned upside down!

Possibly the oldest figurative depiction in cave art- a female babirusa (a hoglike animal also called a pig-deer)—were found in Leang Timpuseng cave in Sulawesi ****

In the Dutch media they were writing about a painting of a pig. Food is always a strong motivator in (folk)art, but I wonder if the pig-deer, the Babirusa had also a more spiritual meaning. 

This 'horned pig' is mentioned in notes by Alfred Russel Wallace.** He writes about Sulawesi, were this Rock Art is found, after describing the lack of knowledge they have on the botany of 'Celebes': Of its zoology we have much more knowledge, and we find that its animals are, considering its position in the very centre of the archipelago, wonderfully peculiar. Taking first its mammalia, we find that Celebes differs broadly from Borneo and Java in having no tailed monkeys, no insectivora, no feline or canine animals, no elephant, rhinoceros, or tapir. It has only five large, and eleven or twelve small terrestrial quadrupeds; the former are:— 1, A large black tailless baboon or ape; 2, a deer; 3, a remarkable small wild buffalo, resembling an antelope; 4, a wild pig; 5, the babirusa or "horned pig." **

Wallace's 'horned big'

The Babirusa is found also in newer context. In the Balinese Hindu-era Court of Justice pavilion and the "floating pavilion" of Klungkung palace ruins this pig-deer is painted on the ceilings.
But also in the demonic masks used in Wayang Topeng the inspiration is clearly recognizable. The pig-deer was also used as a gift for visitors, fortunately the muse is now protected in Indonesia.***

Hand stencils and a deer on cave walls in Sulawesi

Not only is the Rock Art in the caves on Sulawesi much older, in the South of Africa they already found similar kind of red ocher in a cave dated 70 thousand years old. It was just a fixed obsession that Europe was the origin of creativity. This new data will make it possible to find out more about different cave paintings in Borneo and Australia. 

In the National Geographical August edition of 2005, which I'm also trying to get, was an article by Luc-Henri Fage. Here some very interesting quotes from this article: 

"The paintings inside were as breathtaking as when we'd first seen them in 1999: some 200 stenciled hands, remarkably preserved, along with drawings of animals and humans. About half the hands were covered with dots, lines, chevrons, or other patterns. I counted more than 50 combinations. "They look like tattoos," I said to Chazine." ****
"...High above me in an alcove was a magical piece of art, six hand stencils spread like a bouquet. Each print was delicate, but together they seemed vibrant with energy as if they'd been created only moments ago."
"Handprints are a common motif in prehistoric rock art around the world. But unlike hands discovered at sites in France, Australia, and elsewhere, many in Kalimantan caves are decorated with dots, dashes, and other patterns, the significance of which is yet unknown."
"....I find a remarkable similarity between the act of creating these handprints and traditional healing practices in Borneo. To create the design, a painter would place a hand on the wall, then spray it by mouth with pulverized pigments made of ochre. A traditional healer would do much the same, laying hands on the affected part of a patient's body, then expelling his breath to spray on therapeutic ingredients. Both processes resulted in a kind of magic."
You can read the full article "Hands Across Time: Exploring the Rock Art of Borneo" online, unfortunately without pictures, but they look awesome, I'm sure!*****

To conclude this post, I quote one more thing. The last phrase from De Volkskrant article; "These were people that decorated their surroundings and objects (proof is found that not only the inside of the caves were decorated also the outside)".*

Should get into some spelunking...



* Article "Indonesië heeft oudste grotkunst" in De Volkskrant
** Notes by Alfred Russel Wallace on the Babirusa 
***More about the Pig-deer or Babirusa on Wikipedia
**** Images from article "Cave Paintings in Indonesia Redraw Picture of Earliest Art" on National Geographic 
***** Article in the National Geographic August 2005 by Luc-Henri Fage "Hands Across Time: Exploring the Rock Art of Borneo"
****** THE Nature article "Pleistocene cave art from Sulawesi, Indonesia"