Landscape Rug

2021



The Landscpae Rug is a translation of the Drents Heideschaap’s (Drenthe Heath Sheep) fibers qualities and histrocial/environmental value. By making use of their wool, my aim is to senstize people of the importance of their role for the perenity of the heatherlands but also remind people about the value of wool and its potentials.

Moreover, the project was also a way for me to look into the different steps of processing wool: from buying the wool off a farm to cleaning it, drying it, carding the wool, spinning it and finally knitting something out of it.

The Drents Heideschaap upkeeps and manages the heatherlands through its grazing and manure. However, their breed was close to extinct in the past century, as they were role was replaced by fertilizers of other origins. The heatherlands did not benefit from this change either. Through campains of mainting the natural envrionments, the Drents Heideschaap has solwly been reintroduced in the heatherlands.

The Drents Heideschaap wool was transformed into a carpet because it has coarse wool, which is durable for this use. Wool of such thickness would be uncomfotable applied to the body as it is too coarse.

The cabling on the carpet finds its roots in the ondulating shape of the heather, the plant specific to their environment. Hence, knitting and the technique of cabling was used for this carpet.