DEEPLY FELT

On a visit to Johannesburg’s Decorex Fair last year, I was amazed by the versatility achieved by felt artists from South Africa.  The pioneering work of Ronel Jordaan has had a tremendous impact on a growing craft that has the potential to touch many lives.

Since 2005, Ronel Jordaan has been experimenting with felt achieving three-dimensional sculptures that echo natural forms. She is known internationally for the felt pebbles used as accent furniture, pillows and sculptures.

Originally from Mongolia, felt has been used since the 13th century  by many nomadic tribes that find in it, a protective surface that is warm, waterproof and eco-friendly.  

Felt comes from sheep and goat wool from breeds such as merino and mohair. Mohair wool from the Lesotho area of South Africa  is considered to be the most beautiful in the world. This very fine fiber comes from angora goats that inhabit the Maluti Mountains. 

Hundreds of farmers wash, clean, card and comb the fibers, which then are taken through a hand made process of layering and alternating between boiling water, sunlight and cold water.  Felt is also called “the angry fiber” because it reacts to the cold water by becoming stiff or “felt like.” Hand rubbing is a key step in the process of creating felt because it allows the follicles from each strand to interlock change from a soft loose texture to a dense and firm structure that allows for new forms and shapes. 

The process of creating felt is eco-friendly and socially responsible because it allows for the reuse of water for gardening, uses biodegradable soaps, lead free dyes and a handmade process that allows for the creation of jobs in a growing industry.

Marcella Echavarria Interviews Ronel Jordaan:

1. Why felt? I fell in love with the medium while doing a course in Art Therapy

2. Felt and South Africa. What is the connection? South Africa is a wool  producing country and we have the best Merino wool. 

3. Is felt a conscious product? How? Yes, It is possible to mould it and keep a shape--this doesn’t make sense.

4. What is your take on felt? What has been your input? I love the fact that felt can be molded and you can create any shape or form you can imagine. I have tried to take felt out of the “craft” and try to use it as a "modern" material.

5. Can you define felt in three words? Touch, warm, love.

6. Is there something that you have liked to do with felt and could not? What was it? Stop pilling completely.

And about you:

1. Where do you find your inspiration? Nature.

2. Favorite food? New favorite- Mexican corn on the cob! IS THIS SUPPOSED TO BE MEXICAN?

3. Ronel's recipe: Butternut baked gnocchi.

4. Paris or NY? Paris.

5. What are 3 "must go" places in South Africa. Lapalala, Kosi Bay.

6. Who do you admire in:

-Fashion: Issey Miyake

-Design: Campana Brothers

-Crafts:  Rural crafters in South Africa

7. Who would you like to be? Myself.

8. How do you define happiness? To be content in the moment.

9. A place you are dying to go to? Mongolia.

10. A material to explore: Hemp.