Christien Meindertsma explores the life of products and raw materials

Here are two examples of this woman's work...so many more listed and illustrated at her website, including paper from a variety of plants, 'bone' china, a pig project and on and on...she works with very interesting concepts.

Christien Meindertsma

The Flax Project

The Flax Project started in 2009 with a collection of products that Christien Meindertsma designed for Thomas Eyck. The collection was made in collaboration with traditional ropemaker Touwslagerij Steenbergen and woodworkers Kuperus & Gardenier.

Flax is a material which used to be one of the most important textile fibres in the Netherlands, it was grown and processed into all kinds of textiles. Nowadays flax is farmed in much smaller quantities and is mainly shipped to China to be processed further. With the Flax Project Meindertsma aims to make a series of products from flax that are produced locally. From the seed to the end product.

In march 2010 farmer Gert Jan van Dongen sowed flax seeds on his farm in the Flevopolder. The seeds grew into plants and were harvested in the end of the summer of 2010. Christien Meindertsma is currently developing the harvest of the whole lot into end products. The latest outcome is the Flax chair.

We are currently working on a new collection of knitted sweaters that are each made from the wool of one of these merino sheep. There is only one flock of merino sheep in the Netherlands, owned by Mathee Kamp. The sheep have been shorn and the wool is on the way to be washed and spun.

Funny how one can find an interesting link on the other side of the world about some things going on in your backyard.
Thanks