Fields of Transformation

Fields of Transformation is the largest artwork by Claudy Jongstra to date, with the main tapestry measuring 5,8 meters tall by 10,7 meters wide. Composed of Jongstra’s signature Drenthe Heath wool, Fields of Transformation softens the multi-sensory experience within the Moelis Family Grand Reading Room – absorbing sound and offering tactility through its materiality and plant-based colour palette.

read more +

More than 9,000 hand-embroidered stitches cover the surface of the tapestry, forming a monumental, impressionist landscape. Shades of natural indigo blue rise to form a horizon, giving way to warm, golden tones of chamomile and onion skin that float into a richly textured, neutral ground of undyed wool and silk, where subtle variations in colour and sheen quietly emerge. The composition reflects the transformative act of reading – where words, grounded on a page, become ephemeral thoughts, interpreted through the mind of the reader.

For Studio Claudy Jongstra the installation of Fields of Transformation is the culmination of many weeks of growing and preparing the pigment plants and raw fibres, carding, spinning, dyeing, felting, embroidering, and stitching by the growing community of farmers, artisans, and students that contribute to the dynamic atelier in Friesland.

read less -

Title: Fields of Transformation

Location: Moelis Family Grand Reading Room, Van Pelt-Dietrich Library Center, University of Pennsylvania, PA, US

Architect: Gensler

Year: 2017

Dimensions: 5,8 x 10,7 m / 2,5 x 7,0 m / 4,0 x 1,8 m

Materials: Drenthe Heath wool, Merino wool, mohair, silk, handspun yarn embroidery

Plant-Based Colours: Indigo, walnut husk, madder root, onion skin, chamomile

Photography: Feinknopf Photography