visual artist / ecological artistic research
Seeking a way between nature and culture
“Nematodes have surpassed us in more than one way.The father of nematology Nathan Cobb once said: if all matter in the world, except for nematodes, were wiped out, our world would still be recognisable. We would recover the mountains, hills, valleys, rivers, lakes and oceans as a thin layer of nematodes.”
The soil is never far away, but we often overlook its remarkable biodiversity and essential role in supporting all life on Earth. This lack of awareness may stem from the fact that many of its inhabitants are microscopic. However, culture has also contributed to our inability to recognise the significance of soil.
Missing Every Ground. View Project →
“The soil develops slowly. It starts by forming from a thin layer of bacteria which, conditions being favourable, provides a good base for the growth of lichens and mosses.”
“As their carbon-containing bodies add to the organic matter, their roots slowly loosen the stone, creating sand, silt and clay.’‘
Ewes waiting to be shorn of their wool. In the West, surprisingly sheep's wool rarely has any market value. In most cases, it is burnt.
Since the existence of mankind, we have used materials extracted from other life forms for our own use. But over time the natural origin of these objects has become less and less visible.
The Former Owner is a series based on ten sheep fleeces, in which each object bears traces of the behaviour and character of its original owner.
The Former Owner. View Project →
To retain as much information as possible about the ‘’former owner‘’, the fleeces were felt without deconstructing them.
After the fleeces were felted, I focused on the “human” part of the work. Here, the plan was to add straight lines and angles along with colour to the work. I experienced this as an unnatural gesture.
The series also includes a video essay on our perception of sheep (as dumb animals).
Japanese knotweed stems, summer harvest.
What happens when we try to adapt to our environment rather than the other way around? That's what I tried to do by replacing all my materials with a single plant: the Japanese knotweed, an extremely invasive plant. Over and above the wide variety of uses I have found for the plant, this project questions the terms of partnership with other species.
How I Fell In Love With The Enemy. View Project →
Cross section of Japanese knotweed rhizome.
Palet of color on wool dyed with Japanese knotweed leaves and rhizomes.
In the foreground: all the materials and utensils necessary to transform Japanese knotweed into the materials for this series.
In the background: the wall is coloured with a selfmade paint from Japanese knotweed, xanthan gum and Arabic gum.
Exhibition pictures Aad Hoogendoorn