Short introduction of selected works:
01) – 11) TISCHBILDER I-XI, 16x23cm(each), 23x51cm(all), ink print on
MDF, acrylic paint, pencil, 2003-2005:
In this work the impression of movement is created by the serial representation of
images. I tried to achieve this by the fragmentation of one space into 3 different
paintings referring to each other. It is then the spectator’s perception that transforms
three single paintings into one movement.
The bases of these paintings are photographs I took from underneath a glass table
with a model standing on it. This unusual perspective creates a new point of view:
Looking at the pictures one has the feeling that the girl is floating or moving in an
undefined position of space. The photos were then mounted on MDF and treated
with acrylic paint and pencil. By this transformation I tried to strengthen the
movement and the contrasts of the picture. In this way, the reality of the photo is
changed into a textured painting, which adds to the effect of the image.
12) LANDSCAPE PAINTINGS (various sizes), acrylic on MDF, 2003:
These paintings were the starting point of the works of the “Take-away Nature”. The
images are inspired by landscape photographs found in newspapers and magazines. In
each picture, the landscape has been transformed by a certain kind of human influence:
Either the construction of a village in the mountains, the building of a harbour on the
sea, or simply by the agricultural use of nature. I transformed these photographs into
abstract paintings, in which the idea of nature is changed into my personal view of this
nature. Already by its etymological meaning the creation of a landscape is a
compression of “a wide view of a particular area in a 2-dimensional picture.”1 This
means that any form of landscape is a cultural notion. In this way, a landscape is always
influenced by man, an idea that is important for the artistic creation of my series of the
“Take-away Nature”.
13)-14) LANDSCAPE, day and night, 35x35cm, mixed media, 2003
In this work the idea of landscape is used to create a “dreamscape”, a landscape that
doesn’t exist anymore or might never have existed. It represents our longing for a
1
Alain Roger, Petit traité du paysage, Edition Gallimard, 1972
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perfect environment, the wish to escape reality into a world of dreams. In my artistic
work of the “Take-away Nature” I am questioning our wish for a “paradise”, a
protected and secured “natural” environment. In fact, the word paradise doesn’t mean
anything but enclosure (pairi = around, daeza = rampart). In this way, paradise is a
garden, a divine enclosure, a “compressed” nature, an idea that is important for the
creation of my following work, the TAKE-AWAY UNIVERSES.
15)-17) TAKE-AWAY UNIVERSES I-III, 8x8x8cm, mixed media, 2003
In this work the idea of a compressed environment is used to create three different
universes to take away. The first one represents a compressed form of nature, a little
take-away garden with dried flowers, plants and sand. In the second cube, postcard
images of nature are used to represent a more artificial view on the environment,
since postcard photos show a very stereotyped view on nature. The third cube is the
abstract representation of a cityscape, an urban space, represented by geometrical
forms and objects. In this way, the compressed environment in the cube is protected
from the outside world through the Perspex “walls” and can be reintroduced in our
daily life…
18)-20) LANDCASE I-III, 12x40x49cm, briefcase, Perspex, landscape
paintings, electric light, batteries, 2004:
The LANDCASE is a landscape to take-away, in the form of a transportable lightbox
that can be used as a suitcase, briefcase or handbag. One side of the LANDCASE is
open, and permits the owner to insert a variety of different landscape art in the space
provided. The chosen landscape is then backlit through the use of fairy lights and a 5volt battery within the case itself. The LANDCASE exists in many varieties, sizes,
materials and colors and is, therefore, adaptable to any need and taste.
The LANDCASE permits the person who is using it to transport his or her own
landscape of choice with them on a daily basis, to the office, to school or wherever
they may be going, giving them access to their chosen image of nature in a way that
they cannot readily access otherwise. In this way it is then the spectator’s perception
that transforms a suitcase-like object into a personal view of a natural landscape. This
idea is illustrated by the photo series of “THE LANDCASE IN USE”.
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21)a)+b) The LANDCASE IN USE, 2004:
This work is a series of photos that document the LANDCASE at its “everyday use”:
The concept of the LANDCASE is a reintroduction of “artificial nature” in our lives.
In this way, I asked random banker people on the streets to pose with the LANDCASE
as their briefcase on everyday situations, such as during their lunch break, on their way
to work, or meeting up with friends.
The other series shows the LANDCASE in an artificial environment, the building of
RTL television in Luxemburg. I was interested in the relationship of the artificial nature
in the LANDCASE and the artificial environment of the television studio. In this way,
TV screens or studios and the LANDCASE are very similar: Both represent our
selected view of the environment, a cultured kind of “nature”.
22) The RAINCALCULATOR (2x10x43cm), Perspex cubes, text marker,
colour pigments, water, 2003:
The RAINCALCULATOR consists of 7 Plexiglas cubes filled with colored tap water.
Each cube is meant to indicate the amount of rain collected in the cube on each day of
the week, when left out in the rain. The cubes are lined up in a horizontal line
independently to evoke the idea of a certain period of time (one week of rainfall). The
perception of the spectator is very important for this work: Since the
RAINCALCULATOR is not meant to represent true copies of natural objects or
phenomena; it is the spectator’s perception that transforms 7 Perspex cubes filled with
tap water into a representation of a natural process.
23)-26) The Nature Dispenser (23x80cm), flexible plywood, Perspex,
dispensing mechanism,2004:
The idea of distributing nature can be seen as nature distributing herself, a concept
which can be found by trees offering fruits, flowers, nuts etc…always with the
intention of reproducing their own species. As is known, man has always tried to use
this natural process for his needs, and thereby started to consume and commercialise
nature. This idea of commercialised nature is brought to mind by the process of
distributing nature in the NATURE DISPENSER.
The NATURE DISPENSER is a typical dispenser machine, operated by a 1Euro coin
turn mechanism, which dispenses one of the little Plexiglas balls which comprise the
TAKE AWAY NATURE. It is meant to show the commercialization of nature (through
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the taking of a natural universe out of the dispenser for 1 Euro) and the demonstration
of the natural process of nature distributing itself.
The machine itself is meant to represent a natural organism with a trunk of flexible
plywood and a crown offering the TAKE AWAY NATURE Perspex balls.
27) NATURE DISPENSER in situ, series of photos, 2005
This work was realized during the “Lady Bay Open Studio Days” in Nottingham, May
2005. During this exhibition, the visitors could experience the idea of the NATURE
DISPENSER as an everyday object. They could use the machine and buy “artificial
nature” in a public space. In this way, the idea of commercialized nature was brought
to mind in this atmosphere of everyday life.
28) TAKE AWAY NATURE, 4cm in diameter, 150 Perspex balls and tags,
various contents, 2004:
The NATURES in the NATURE DISPENSER are based on the idea of compressed
nature. It is obvious that man has always tried to compress his natural environment by
adapting it to his needs. The creation of gardens, parks, urban spaces such as towns
and houses show attempt to compress what is widely available in nature in a more
practical and adapted space. The TAKE AWAY NATURES (which comprise the
content of the NATURE DISPENSER) consist of a number of clear PERSPEX balls
measuring 4cm in diameter, which contain various ingredients intended to represent
and evoke images of things found in nature (for instance, a ball containing gel, flour,
black tinted water and minerals represents a snow storm). Tags attached to the top of
the ball describe the natural phenomenon/object that the artificial substances are
intended to emulate.
The mechanism of the NATURE DISPENSER allows the spectator to take a Perspex
ball containing ingredients which represent a natural object or phenomenon. This
allows the spectator the feeling of possessing compressed “rain clouds”, “powder
snow”, “summer sunrise” or “morning dew” etc, even though these are made out of
artificial materials. This work is also questioning humans difficult relationship towards
nature: In a way, the balls can be seen as precious relics of a lost natural environment,
on the other hand they are cheap commercialized objects, available at each corner of
the town for only 1 €…
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29+30) BROKEN TAKE AWAY NATURE (SUSPENDED), ink prints,
various dimensions, 2005
In this work, the previously described nature balls are given a new meaning: The
photos show some of the broken nature balls, a situation that often happened during
the creation of the work. While I tried to actually compress nature by filling chemical
and biological material into little Plexiglas balls, many of these balls broke or exploded
due to chemical reactions…In this way, the photos document the failure of the
project, and evoke the thought of the impossibility to create artificial nature in a
realistic way. The photos are suspended from the wall, as if they were put up to dry
during a scientific research.
31) The TIMEBARS, 2003-2004:
The idea of time and movement is created in a similar way to the TISCHBILDER
mentioned in the beginning of this introduction. In the work of the TIMEBARS the
impression of a certain period is evoked through the alignment of images and objects,
which can be read in either direction. They can be seen as a travel, the representation
of a day or a week or as a story told in a linear way. In this way, it is again the
spectator’s perception that transforms a painted wooden bar into a story or a
representation of time or space.
32)-34) Fishbars, 250x32 cm, wooden bars, photos, acrylic paint, pencil,
2005
This work is based on the same series of photos as the TISCHBILDER mentioned
above. The photos are mounted on to the wooden bars, evoking a rhythmic line of
images showing a girl dancing and swimming in the sea. She is flirting and playing with
the fish, gravity doesn’t seem to occupy an important role anymore…In this way, her
movement creates an idea of lightness and harmony, the rules of nature seem to
disappear and she is able to dance with the fish as if there was no difference between
her and these lively animals….
35) -37) INTERACTIVE EVOLUTION, variable dimensions, wooden bars,
slide system, photos, acrylic paint, and pencil, 2004:
The idea of the TIME- and FISHBARS is then used to create the system of an
INTERACTIVE EVOLUTION, with wooden bars that can be moved and transformed
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by the spectator. It can be seen as the representation of the process of a natural
evolution with individual landscapes in different states of development. The important
idea behind the EVOLUTION consists in the fact that the spectator can interact by
moving the bars to any direction and position. In this way, this work illustrates men’s
wish to interfere in the biological evolution and to change the result of a natural
process.
37) EVOLUTION IN USE, stills from movie, 2005:
These photos were taken during the opening night of XHIBIT05, an exhibition that
took place in the Arts Gallery of the University of the Arts London. A tag next to my
work invited the spectators to move the wooden bars, to play with the composition
and to create their own version of this piece. In this way, the work brought to mind
the idea of a never-ending evolution by the fact that every spectator could change the
order of the bars in his or her personal way, not knowing how it might be moved by
the following person…
38) ONE DAY IN STRASBOURG, 75x120cm, mixed media, 2003:
This work is based on photos taken each hour during one day out of my window in
Strasbourg. The photos are then put together and painted to tell “my version” of that
day. I invented stories and things happening on the (in reality) not very busy and
exciting street. In this way, I put myself in the position of a “crazy observer”, who
controls and maybe even transforms the events happening outside into his personal
version of the day.
39)-41) MAKE MY DAY I-III, 80x60cm, mixed media, 2005:
This work is similar to the DAY IN STRASBOURG mentioned above. In MAKE MY
DAY I also took photos during one day from the exact same position out of my
window in Kentish Town, London. Then I invented stories on each picture, by
transforming the image into my personal idea of the corresponding hour. The
difference to the DAY IN STRASBOURG consists in the interactivity of the work: The
photos are mounted on to individual pieces that form all together the image of MAKE
MY DAY. These pieces can then be moved to any position within the frame of the
puzzle and give the spectator the possibility to “MAKE MY DAY”.
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42)-44) PUZZLE, 9x7,5x0,6 cm, puzzle, paint, pencil, 2004
Similar to MAKE MY DAY, the little pieces of the puzzle can be moved around within
the frame, giving the spectator the possibility to create her or his own image of the
piece. The individual pieces of the puzzle show scenes from everyday life, like religious
paintings, flowers, praying hands, blooming flowers and a group of men dressed in
black…In this way, they show the circle of belief and hope, of loss and growth, of
death and life; a circle that is moving eternally - just like the pieces of the puzzle...
45)-47) VOYAGE, 38x38x10cm, wood, photos, turning mechanism, 2005
This work is a memory of a travel from London to Nottingham. The tubes are covered
with photos from the trip, moments and instants experienced during the journey. In
this way, this work shows our wish to memorize instants of time and our life, and the
impossibility to do so: I tried to show this idea by mounting the photos around
wooden tubes in a 360° angle, which makes it impossible to see (and therefore
remember) the entire images and instants seen and experienced during the trip.
48) UK cloud, photo taken during a sunny Saturday in Hyde Park, London,
April 2005
This photo was the starting point for the installation GOD SAVE THE QUEEN.
It was taken on a sunny afternoon in Hyde Park, a coincidental grasp of a well known
form in the sky. I am very interested in this human wish to see and recognize forms
and shapes in clouds or also in abstract paintings. Again, it shows this wish to
memorize, to keep instants forever and to put nature or anything that surrounds us
into a certain category.
49) View of installation GOD SAVE THE QUEEN, TV, DVD Player, canvas,
black rope, variable dimensions, 2005
This work shows the link between the constant and immobile outlines of the UK map
painted on canvas and its transforming and moving counterpart shown in the animation
on the TV screen. The black rope in front of the painting reminds the spectator of this
new mobile and changing boarder.
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50) Stills from animated movie GOD SAVE THE QUEEN, 2005
This picture shows 4 stages of the country’s outlines during its transformation. The
new forms are created by putting the original outlines into new shapes, by keeping the
same length or some original positions of the line. In this way, the line doesn’t form a
totally new and freely invented image, but keeps the same “volume”, just like the black
rope in front of the painting.
51) GOD SAVE THE QUEEN, animated movie, length: 02:54 minutes, 2005
The movie begins with the actual outlines of Great Britain that start changing into new
lines and forms, just like clouds in the sky do. Sometimes the line forms new shapes
(always by keeping the original length), sometimes these outlines disappear until only
little pieces of the original shape can be seen. The title of the installation is taken from
the national anthem Great Britain’s, which is playing in the background of the
animation. As being the national anthem, this song represents the country like no
other; it celebrates and worships the powerful and strong sides of Great Britain,
evoking national and patriotic ideas by its text and melody. The fact that the anthem is
interpreted by a “Non-British” girl with a “Not-Perfect” voice, gives the stiff image of
the anthem a more individual meaning. In this way, the new version of the anthem
supports the idea of the moving boarders of the country: A stiff image is dissolved and
transformed into new perspectives and shapes.
52) ONS HEMECHT, animated movie, length 02:02 minutes, 2005
This animation can be seen as another version of the previously described GOD SAVE
THE QUEEN. The idea of the moving boarders can be adapted to any country, always
giving the work a new and individual meaning. In this way, I liked the idea of the
transformation of Luxembourg’s geographic outlines, since this small country has
always been fighting to keep its independence and traditions, even though it always
played an important role in the creation of the European Community. The title of the
national anthem “Ons Hemecht” (“Our Homeland”) evokes interesting questions such
as what “home” means for most of us nowadays: Does it have to be a geographic point
or is it something more personal? In this way, the work treats an important topic of
our time, a time in which the word called HOME seems to have lost its meaning...
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53)-55) PRAYER WHEEL, wood, photos, PVC tubes, 190x170x50cm, 2005
This work functions in a similar way as its small model (VOYAGE): the tubes can be
exchanged and turned, giving the spectator the possibility to create her or his own
version of the piece.
This piece works in collaboration with the installation GOD SAVE THE QUEEN. The
photos mounted around the tubes show a black rope thrown into a cloudy sky,
transforming its shape like the moving black boarders in the animation. The spectator
can now turn and spin the tubes, to recreate the movement of the rope. In this way,
the rope is eternally changing its shape, just like clouds in the sky…
56) PROCESS OF AN EPIDEMIC, variable dimensions, drilling machine,
thread, tar, electric grill, zinc, bricks, 2003:
This work is an installation representing a natural process of an epidemic by evoking
ideas of danger (through the symbolism of tar which is attached above the plate of
zinc) and sterility (through the purity of the zinc plate).
In the beginning of this time-based piece (it takes about 3 hours to run through the
process), the tar is suspended above the plate using a string leading to a drilling
machine. Once the drilling machine is turned on, the string un-rolls and the tar begins
to slowly trickle down on to the hot zinc plate (the plate is heated from below by
electric grills). Once the tar is in contact with the plate, it begins to proliferate in a way
that alludes to an unstoppable biological process such as the spread of an epidemic
disease. In this way, a process of a natural phenomenon is represented by using
symbols evoking the idea of an epidemic disease spreading throughout a population or
an individual body.
57) ARCHITECTURE (Reichstag), 85x100cm, Zinc, acrylic colour, 2003:
This painting is a study of an artificial environment, the architectural inside space of the
Reichstag’s cupola in Berlin. I tried to represent the structured building by using acrylic
paint directly on a zinc plate. The building is made of steel and glass, providing an
amazing structure of the outside reflections of the sky. I tried to represent this effect
by only painting the reflections of the sky on the plate, while keeping spare spaces
representing the metallic structure of the architecture.
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