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About Clara
Clara is a soft-stories-collector. Listening carefully, she unravels the small and large stories that are hidden in your beloved textiles. Your favorite blanket that offers a safe cocoon on gloomy days, a backpack full of travel stories or a sweater that holds the warmth of a loved one's embrace. Together you search for meaning in tears, repairs, stains, folds, patterns and texture.

Clara helps to (re)value what is already there by preserving it or weaving it into your daily life. A striking rework or a subtle tribute, an opportunity for conversation or a soft support, a striking pocket or a soft fabric on the inside of your shirt. 

Clara unravels textiles into stories and possibilities. She carefully unravels seams and stitching. New shapes, secrets and unexpected things become visible and stimulate the imagination. Everything has precious potential. Let's discover that together.



‘Clara teaches us to look at textile. (...) I think you learn to look at textiles in a different way.’ 

I think it’s an... an experience that I’m very grateful to have had. (...) I would certainly recommend it to others if they have something like that and that you can do a lot with it, yes. Gratitude, I’ll put it that way.

Yes, I think it’s really... it’s an idea that we would’ve never come up with ourselves. But actually, I mean, it’s a really good idea. Come on, when you see it now, you think ‘ah yes’, it goes without saying that you do that, that’s very cool. We just hadn’t thought of that ourselves, so thank you for coming up with that idea. I find it very original and very concrete and yes, what I said earlier, such an unexpected new way to involve Ona in the present and I hope that we will always find new ways to do that.

fragments from the aftercare interview with Jan & Leen

Well actually, yes, it came as a gift to me to pick up the courage to go into that closet and see what was there. But actually, once I was busy, it didn’t take much courage anymore, it actually happened automatically and then I could pick out the parts that were important to me. (...) I must say, yes, both myself and the children think it’s a very successful design that means a lot to us. Maybe not for an outsider, but for us it does.

fragment from the aftercare interview with Nicole
‘For me the process was very pleasant because it was so... I just really liked the pace. Time in between, but not so long that I wouldn’t hear anything about it anymore or something. And also a very concrete plan of how I will work and we can look for it together or, if you prefer, I will do it alone, so... Yes, very pleasant for me, also because I always knew what was going to happen and when I would hear back from you to discuss it further, so that’s only a good thing actually.’

‘I just want to say that I thought this was a very nice project, because I was able to look at things in a different way through you, through your project. And that sometimes it really is just the little things of being able to carry something with you that makes you feel good that day when I wear that shirt. That makes me happy.’

fragments from the aftercare interview with Noor

EDUCATION

2023-2024: Postgraduate Design for Impact;
LUCA, Ghent
2021-2023: Master Textile Design; 
KASK, Ghent
2018-2021: Bachelor Textile Design; 
KASK, Ghent
2017-2018: Bijzondere Beeldende Vorming; 
SKI, Ghent

INTERNSHIPS

2021-2022: internship at Globe Aroma, Brussels; ‘Espace Fxmme: Getting Softer’
2021-2022: internship by Kristof Van Gestel, 
‘De Collectieve Collectie: Verhalen’

PROJECTS/EXHIBITIONS

2024: Textile workshops flag-making from leftover material
Minus One, Ghent
2024:
New European Bauhaus Festival
Arts & History Museum, Brussels
2024
: Future Fusion; 
Stadhuis Leuven
2024: Solo exhibition ‘Sometimes you want to touch memories’;
Twiggy, Ghent
2023: Group exhibition ‘Woodcrafts and Textile Futures Fest’; 
Verbeke Foundation, Stekene
2023: Group exhibition ‘Intertwined’; 
Designmuseum, Ghent
2023: Graduation show; 
KASK, Ghent
2022: Groupsresidence and exhibition ‘Lazaretto Volontario’; 
Z33, Hasselt
2021: Group exhibition ‘Ontvouwd’; 
Industriemuseum, Ghent

PUBLICATIONS/LINKS
-Article in ‘Ontroerd’-WATF news
-Graduation KASK  
-De Collectieve Collectie: verhalen
-Textile workshops for Espace Fxmme, Globe Aroma