Dominio Vale do Mondego Karin Sligting & Eelco Schaap Quinta da Portela 6300-095 Faia, Guarda, Portugaltel +351-271 926 276 / 968 225 489 info@dominiovaledomondego.com www.dominiovaledomondego.com

RESIDENTIAL FELTING WORKSHOP in PORTUGAL

at ecological domain Dominio Vale do Mondego

with NICOLA BROWN 14 - 20 June 2014

Dominio Vale do MondegoThe Domino Vale do Mondego is an estate with a working organic/biodynamic farm, a composition of 6 traditional Quinta’s consists of approx. 22 hectares of pasture, agricultural land, forest, olive groves, orchards, and gardens. The farm owns a flock of the rare Bordeleira sheep, specific for this region. On the estate there are several traditional farm buildings /houses, built with large granite stones. A small country road leads up to the estate, which is beautifully situated in a luscious green valley.

WhoEelco Schaap born in 1953 in Wageningen, The Netherlands, the city of the Agricultural University and Research. During his youth he was surrounded by agricultural scientists and nature lovers. Eelco followed the professional school of biodynamic agriculture Warmonderhof. He has been a professional spokesman of biodynamic agriculture in the Netherlands for 35 years. He founded the Institution Biologica, set up numerous projects with farmers, producers and wholesale companies within a European context. Has been advisor and certifier in Europe as well as the United States and the Caribbean. He has an extensive network within the fields of organic and biodynamic agriculture, nature conservation and green politics. Eelco is married to Karin Sligting. They have 3 children: Storm (8), Armida (19) and Deirdre (20). Since they moved to Portugal Eelco´s´main focus is the revival of the traditional farm along biodynamic principles, the production of healthy food and nature preservation

Karin Sligting, born in 1959 in Amsterdam, studied English and Spanish at the Free University of Amsterdam and has a MBA at the Erasmus University of Rotterdam. She has always been involved in the organisation and communication of new initiatives, mainly in the field of art and theatre. She was director of a large medieval castle in the Netherlands and initiated art, nature and educational projects. She managed several professional theatre companies, staging large open air spectacles and was responsible for communication & external affairs. In Portugal Karin started the Angel Art festival on their domain, a week long summer open air festival with open air theatre, dance, comedy, music and art workshops. Furthermore, she has set up an artist-in-residence programme and together with Eelco they offer during the year a programme with art & nature workshops, masterclasses and meetings.

In  Nicola´s  words:  ”During  this  week  long  fel9ng  extravaganza  explore  with  Nicola  the  wonders  of  crea9ng  beau9ful  wearable  art  and  func9onal  felt  using  the  wool  from  the  rare  Bordeleira  sheep.  LiCle  known  outside  the  Serra  da  Estrela  region  the  Bordeleira  is  a  milk  sheep  whose  wool  felts  easily  into  soG,  supple  and  strong  fabric,  perfect  for  total  beginners  and  experienced  felters  alike!

We’ll  start  our  fel9ng  experience  crea9ng  some  basic  flat  felt  and  small  three  dimensional  pieces  such  as  purses  and  vessels  using  ready  prepared  natural  wool  tops.  This  way  Nicola  can  demonstrate  how  rewarding  and  simple  it  is  to  convert  raw  fluffy  wool  into  strong  and  tac9le  felt  while  experienced  felters  and  those  wan9ng  to  hone  their  skills  will  have  fun  playing  with  the  wool  and  planning  larger  projects  to  create  during  their  fibre  filled  holiday.

Over  the  course  of  the  week  par9cipants  will  have  the  opportunity  to  watch  some  sheep  being  shorn  and  may  each  choose  their  own  raw  fleece  to  work  with.  Nicola  will  show  and  help  everyone  felt  this  raw  wool  into  a  gorgeous  shaggy  hearth  rug,  a  cushion  cover  or  a  piece  of  wearable  art  such  as  a  shoulder  bag.

The  direc9on  the  week  will  then  follow  will  be  totally  dictated  by  the  par9cipants!  Nicola  will  be  there  from  morning  to  evening  each  day  to  share  techniques  and  help  everyone  design,  layout  and  felt  larger  individual  projects,  these  pieces  may  be  felted  from  either  raw  or  ready  prepared  wool.  Nicola’s  samples  and  the  ini9al  experimenta9on  will  spark  ideas;  par9cipants  are  also  free  to  work  on  purely  art  pieces  should  they  choose  and  may  want  to  incorporate  natural  found  objects  from  the  domain  such  as  s9cks  and  stones  into  their  felt.  Since  the  Bordeleira  are  milk  sheep  it  could  be  fun  to  combine  the  wool  with  cheese  cloth  to  create  light  and  airy  nuno  felt  scarves,  we  will  also  have  access  to  large  pots  so  dyeing  some  of  the  finished  felt  or  raw  fleece  could  be  another  exci9ng  way  to  experiment  and  learn  new  skills.

To  sum  it  up,  this  fel9ng  holiday  is  a  unique  opportunity  to  learn  or  improve  your  fel9ng  skills  under  Nicola’s  guidance,  seize  the  opportunity  to  work  with  wool  from  the  rare  Bordeleira  sheep,  enjoy  crea9ve  9me  with  others  and  spend  a  wonderful  week  filled  with  food,  drink  and  fibre  in  the  beau9ful  natural  environment  of  the  Serra  da  Estrela!”

NICOLA BROWN - CLASHEENInspired by nature and the beauty of the Irish landscape Nicola Brown creates sculptural pieces, rugs, wallhangings and wearable art using a variety of wet felting techniques. Nicola started felting in August of 2007 with tutor Carmen Sanchez and since then has attended workshops in Ireland, Germany and Denmark with international artists and feltmakers including Anita Larkin, Mehmet Girgic, Sigrid Bannier, Annette Quentin-Stoll, Lyda Rump and Anna Gunnarsdottir. 

Group exhibitions to date include ‘Breaking Out’ at the National Craft Gallery 2008-2009, the ‘Winter/Christmas Exhibition’ at KOZO Studio and Gallery 2008, the Blueprint Exhibition at Eigse 2009, ‘The Nine Stones Artists’ at the Norman Gallery 2009, the Earthworks Exhibition during the Kilkenny Arts Festival in August 2009 and ‘Sculpture in Context’ at the National Botanic Gardens September/October 2009. Nicola is a member of the Crafts Council of Ireland, Feltmakers Ireland, the International Feltmakers Association, the Nine Stones Artists and the South East Textile Group.

In June 2012 Nicola held her first Residential Felting workshop in Portugal at Dominio Vale do Mondego. This was such a success that she came back in 2013. With the planned workshop in June 2014 it is a fact that Nicola has become a regular visitor at the Dominio.

Programme:Day 1 : Saturday 14 June: Individual trip to Portugal.Arrival in the afternoon at Dominio Vale do Mondego in Faia and welcome by Eelco Schaap and Karin Sligting. 3-course dinner in the Lagar Lounge. Stay in a studio.

Day 2 : Sunday 15 juni:Breakfast Buffet. Naturewalk on the domain with Eelco. Before lunch introduction to the workshop.Lunch on the terrace. Followed by the first felting workshop. Dinner by wonderful Portuguese cook Fernanda

Day 3 : Monday 16 Juni: Breakfast BreakfastAll day Felting Workshop 2-course lunch3-course dinner

Day 4 : Tuesday 17 Juni: Breakfast All day Felting Workshop 2-course lunch3-course dinner Day 5 : Wednesday 18 Juni:Breakfast Visit to a traditional wool weaving factory/museum in Meios.Felting workshop3-course dinner.Possibility to continue Felting during the evening

Day 6 :Thursday 19 Juni:Breakfast Morning free / optional walk through the Vale do Mondego over caminhas antiguas and Roman pathsLunch. Felting Workshop. Dinner Possibility to continue Felting during the evening

Day 7 : Friday 20 June:Breakfast All day Felting Workshop 2-course lunch3-course dinnerAt the end of the day closure of the workshop with a small exposé.

Day 8 : Saturday 21 Juni:After breakfast deprture for the airport.

In co-operation with the participants the programme may be adjusted with for instance an excursion to the historic centre of Guarda, the theatre, horseriding, local market etc.

impression of the workshops June 2012 and 2013

exposition in the Pavillion at the end of the week

AccommodationDominio Vale do Mondego offers the following accommodation in the Vila Portela, the small hamlet of traditional granite buildings.

The Studios have all different interiors, basic and tasteful.

They have good beds, towels, bath robes, art and books.

Each studio has 2 beds (either twins or double), own entrance and private bathroom.

The Farm

The traditional farm or Quinta is formed throughout the centuries, many characteristics of its agricultural past are still present. In the past 5 years we have cleaned the terraces from overgrowing bramble bushes. The total terrain is now fenced, so that the sheep may roam freely and safely on the terraces. For guests there are trails and paths to stroll along historic waterbasins, fruit trees and secluded hiding places in the shade.

The farm covers a total area of 22 ha, directly bordered by the Mondego river, which has ample water throughout the year. It has traditional olive groves situated on centuries old terraces, bordered by historic walls, an orchard with cherry, pear and apple trees, pastureland and an horticultural area.

The farm owns a flock of 50 traditional Serra da Estrela sheep, the so-called

“Bordeleira”. It furthermore produces a large quantity of Extra Virgem olive oil, vegetables, fruit and herbs.

The ecological farm operation is bio-dynamic agriculture. We combine a great natural environment, with a mixed farm operation – dairy sheep and horticulture (vegetables & herbal gardens) including olive groves and fruit trees – and create a healthy farm-organism. The farm has certification bij Ecocert Portugal - accredited by the Portuguese Ministry of Agriculture – based on EU regulation 2092/91 since the fall harvest of 2008. Demeter International has also inspected the Quinta and has certified us in 2010.

Olive production: The farm has a plantation of 1.500 olive trees, varying in age between 40 and 3 years. The ‘extra virgin’ organic olive oil is pressed by a certified lagar.

Nature Park Serra da Estrela

The Serra da Estrela is the largest nature reserve of Portugal, comprising approx. 100.000 hectares. Near the highest peak of Portugal there is a small winter sport station, so even in winter it is attractive to, specifically to Portuguese visitors.The quietude of the region, the abundance of water, exuberant nature, the rare species of fauna and flora and authentic farms & villages make the region attractive to both nature and culture lovers, exactly the kind of visitors that the Dominio Vale do Mondego likes to attract.

There are walking, biking and horseriding routes on ancient paths following the caminha antigua and/or the caminha romana. The caminha antigua runs on our farm. There are several trails running in the Vale do Mondego into the Serra da Estrela.

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Price € 695,- p.p. on the basis of a shared double studio € 795,- p.p. by single use of a double studio

The studios are convenient, completely renovated with details like the traditional granite stone walls. They have good beds, bedlinen, towels and bathrobes. Private bathroom, own entrance and small terrace.

The residential Felting arrangement includes a welcome drink, 6 days Felting workshops of 7 hours per day by Nicola Brown, 7 nights in a studio, every day an extensive breakfast, 2-course lunch with wine, 3-course dinner with wine, coffee, tea, natural water, we use organic, biodynamic and local ingredients in our kitchen. Unlimited use of the raw wool of our Bordeleira sheep, max 1 kg of the washed natural and coloured wool, use of atelier, naturewalk with Eelco, excursion to the woolfactory in Meios.Exclusive flight, transport from and to airport, insurances

Early reservation is by downpayment of 15% of the total amount. 3 months before the workshop, we request a payment of 50%, 1 month before the start of the workshop, the remainder of 35% has to be paid.

Cancellation costs up to 3 months before the start of the workshop are 10% of the total amount. From 3 months up to 1 week cancelling costs are 50%. From week cancellation costs are 100% of the fee. It is possible to propose an alternative participant. Number of participants: - minimum 6 persons, maximum 12 persons

- we cancel the workshop at less than 6 persons.

For questions and reservations, please mail to:

info@dominiovaledomondego.com

Dominio Vale do MondegoKarin Sligting & Eelco Schaap

Quinta da Portela, Faia, GuardaPortugal

tel. 00-351-271926276telm. 00-351-938750730

email: info@dominiovaledomondego.comwww.dominiovaledomondego.com

www.angelfestival.com

early bird

discount of

€ 65 when registering &

paying 1st installment

before 1 sept. 2013

Tips:

We are at an altitude of 700 meters in the Serra da Estrela mountains. Which means that when the sun shines - which it does a lot - it is nice and warm. So take easy clothes for during the day. However, sometime even in June we might have a cold wind blowing in the valley, so take warm vest, a raincoat (you never know) and warm pyama.

Good walking shoes are recommended because this is rough

LocationDominio Vale do Mondego is situated in the Beira Alta district in the centre of Portugal. Spain is at a distance of 45 km.

If you come by air, there are 3 possibilities:

to Porto - with TAP, Ryanair and Transavia

with a rental car it is a 2 hour drive on good, quiet motorway

the bus to Guarda takes 3 hours

the train to Guarda takes 3,5 hours

to Lissabon - with KLM, TAP & Transavia

with a rental car it is a 3 hour drive on good, quiet motorway

the bus to Guarda takes 4 hours

the train to Guarda takes 4,5 hours

from Guarda you take a taxi to the Quinta de Holandes, which 15 minutes, costs max € 20,-

for the bus, see : www.rede-expressos.pt

for the train, see: www.cp.pt

If you need help, send us an email!

We will send you detailed descriptions of the directions In Porto and Lisbon.