In the studio of… Marjolein Dallinga | Felt art at its finest

Resident of the Laurentians, Marjolein Dallinga is one of the great artists specializing in felt, a fashionable material in contemporary art. We met the famous artist of Dutch origin, who works regularly with the world of entertainment, in particular with the Cirque du Soleil and the Théâtre du Nouveau Monde.

Text: Eric Clement
The Press

photos: Hugo-Sebastien Aubert
The Press

His journey

Born in the Netherlands, Marjolein Dallinga learned to sew when she was young. Having noticed her predispositions, her parents sent her, every weekend, to an art school, from the age of 8 years. Later, she studied art history and fine arts. After meeting her Quebec spouse in Paris, she moved to Montreal in 1989. “I started making papier-mâché jewelry that I sold at the boutique at the Museum of Fine Arts,” she says. It provided me with money for my paintings. »

Marjolein Dallinga learned the basics of felt thanks to a sheep breeder from Saint-Faustin. “She had demonstrated by making a small felt ball. I then bought wool and started, as an autodidact, 26 years ago. I had a baby. I made felt toys for her, because I couldn’t paint with a baby next to me anymore. »

Since then, she has developed her art so well that the circus, theater and cinema have required her services. She has created hangings, costumes, scarves, gloves, hats and handbags. But the man of theater and costume designer François Barbeau (died in 2016) persuaded her to embark on contemporary art. It was decisive. She now exhibits in museums in Europe and the United States, and has acquired a fine international reputation. One of his creations was awarded at the World of WearableArt (WOW), in New Zealand.

The felt

Felt is an older material than woven fabric. “In all the countries where you see sheep, there is a felt tradition,” says Marjolein Dallinga. At the Hermitage Museum in Russia, felt works date back to 300 BC. »

To create her felt, Marjolein Dallinga works, by hand, quality European wool, Spanish merino or sheep from the Alps. She dyes it and transforms it by applying layers of fibers that she moistens with soapy water. She crosses them and presses them constantly so that the fibers become entangled and amalgamate. Its fibers of several colors give beautifully chamoired felts.

“I have to roll the material, massage it, throw it. It is a very soft art, but also physical, especially when the pieces of felt are very large. Felt is like skin. Very intimate, it protects, envelops and allows you to express something that comes from within. I sometimes dream that I am between the layers of felt! »

The workshop

Marjolein Dallinga and her husband live in Gore, in the Laurentians. This is where she creates, in the middle of the forest. She receives students living in the heart of the workshop there when they come to learn the art of felting. In his studio, you can find several of his works of contemporary art and the clothing tests created for shows. She worked for The chairsat the TNM, and for the Cirque du Soleil, in particular for productions Z, Dralion and Ovo.

Intuitive, she has managed, through experience, to discover all the facets of this highly voluble material. “Inspiration comes to me while walking in the forest and through photography. I was also influenced by filmmaker Andréï Tarkovski and artists Kiki Smith, Louise Bourgeois, Dale Chihuly, Anish Kapoor and Joseph Beuys. »

Marjolein Dallinga has already exhibited at the Portneuf International Linen Biennial, at the Mary E. Black Gallery in Halifax, at the Materia Center in Quebec City, at the Museo del Tessuto in Tuscany. Until October 10, she is the only Canadian in a collective exhibition at the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center, in Vermont.

expertise

Marjolein Dallinga loves to teach. Her expertise being recognized, she teaches and gives conferences everywhere: Ireland, Chile, Oregon, Uruguay next November, France and the Netherlands in 2023.

The art of felting has taken off since the 1990s. “We started to have better wools,” she says. This helped to develop the quality of the felt. Before, it was mostly portable things that we created. More contemporary artists are starting to create with felt. Last spring, the Bradley Ertaskiran gallery exhibited felt paintings by American artist Melissa Joseph.

Some works