This work is about accepting that you don’t have everything under control, keeping an open and curious approach towards your environment and the realization that it is the perspective towards something that determines it’s value or importance weather it is about life changing events or a microscopic detail of daily life.
All works in the Synthetic Nature series have a certain transparency to them and are presented in combination with lightning. Their materials make them ephemeral and the are not made to last more than maximum a few years.
The series exists out of 3 parts:
2D works:
To create these works I use a process where as an artist I do not have full control over the results. In preparation I create my own colours, choose the materials and determine the composition. By melting the selcted materials together using heat, a pattern is created that relates both to microscopic photos of cells and the nervous systems as well as to cosmic structures such as planets and celestial bodies.
The abstract shapes and the unusual materials evoke a feeling of unclarity and wonder, while the resulting interplay of lines and shapes are reminiscent of natural patterns that evoke a sense of recognisability. When seeing these images, in which a lot is recognized while it is not clear what it is exactly, the spectators themselves start making stories about what they see. In this way I try to create a sense of wonderment.
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Photo and Film:
By selecting tiny pieces from the remains of the first works and photographing or filming them under the microscope, I show how much information and beauty can be hidden in something very small that initially seemed insignificant. The photos are printed in a large size on tracing paper to emphasize the difference in scale. The movies are played in slow motion so that every little movement is magnified in time and focus.
VIDEO
Sculptures:
The three-dimensional works are a play between geometric and organic shapes. The starting point for each sculpture is always exactly the same geometric frame, which can be placed in an endless number of different positions. Whenever an interesting position is found, each frame is fixed in place after which it is ‘pulled over’ with exactly the same weight of liquid plastic.
In this way, these sculptures show how the same building blocks can take on many different forms.
