projects

Time Teller

Stepping out into the unknown future, with a fascination for movement, design and light. Time will tell.

Concept, filming, editing, movement, music all me.

Als je het vertelt

This project was made for World Aids Day 2020. There is still a lot of stigma surrounding HIV. This video is an ode to everyone living with HIV. I hope it will prove to be a conversation starter. I believe that the only way to get rid of the stigma people living with HIV face is to open up about it and get a dialogue going.

The concept, art direction, choreography and soundtrack are all me. I asked Jasmijn Vonsee to film and edit the video.
Because the video offers different perspectives, I decided to split the screen in three parts. It also allows for a certain play on the idea of being required to fit a certain frame and finding a way to see beyond that frame.

For the soundtrack I used snippets from interviews with people living with HIV and created and added the piano music.

I am very grateful for the courage and openness to share from the people I interviewed and for the support I received from Stichting Mara, Hiv010 and the Hiv Vereniging.

Next to this video, photographer and coincidentally my dad, captured the project in stills. It was amazing to have my dad on set, which also shows how supported I feel concerning my own diagnosis. It made the project extra special.
If you would like to order a limited edition and signed fine art print of one of the pictures, reach out and we will explore all the options. Almost anything is possible.

FAG aka Fabulous and Genuine

This is a multidisciplinary project which includes a sound installation, a video projection, a live performance, a collage and a soundtrack.
The entire projects evolves around claiming queer space. It's about finding a playful way to confront, provoke and enjoy the fabulousness of being genuine. The beauty of being queer. Even if, this might not always be appreciated in the public space.

This time I decided to dance with lipstick to capture the experience. Lipstick is a strong metaphor. Automatically we have all sorts of mainly feminine associations with lipstick. You can watch a video adaptation of the performance. The music is a part of the soundtrack I composed.

The video called No Filter is meant to be projected against a white wall. The word fag is thrown at me every now and again in public spaces. With this video I wanted to confront the viewer and myself, as well as show what literally coming out of your private space and being labelled is like in a playful manner. It's purposely titled 'no filter'. I built this as an instagram filter, but wasn't allowed to upload it because it doesn't adhere to Instagram's guidelines. Again highlighting the friction between private and public domain. On top of that, people who call me a fag in the public space have no filter. I wonder what other thoughts and ideas this video evokes.

The sound installation called FAG is reflective, responsive and invites visitors to play with words. It makes them move, touch, see while playfully being showered with language that's considered positive and negative. I took the offensive word fag, which I get called every now and again, and turned it into something that makes me smile.

The soundtrack called Fabulous and Genuine can be scanned by visitors so they can listen to the soundtrack as they move through the space and look at the video No Filter or as they step on the canvas in the creation process of the collage. The soundtrack unveils an inner sensibility.

FAG is created during the Projectweken at Pictura in Dordrecht. FAG's currently looking for a new space to claim as queer.

Detour Delivery

For Het Nieuwe Instituut I helped develop a box containing a number of assignments that allows you to have the spirit of this cultural institute delivered to your doorstep. The assignments are a fun way to explore language, visuals, sounds and more from a design perspective. It's for all the creative, young of heart, hands-on people who enjoy building, drawing, thinking intuitively. The assignments can be done by yourself or with others. For the time being the Detour Delivery is only available in Dutch. Click on the black button below to order your Detour Delivery.

Glitter in my Veins

Glitter in my Veins is a project I am working on at the moment. Without going too much into what it is about, I'd like to invite you to see for yourself. So far I have produced three paintings: Glimpse, Shimmer and Curve. A video and a short soundtrack. And I have a feeling more is to come... Enjoy!

[PS. the paintings are for sale. Contact me for details]

Glimpse

2020
Acrylic paint and gold leaf on canvas

Shimmer

2020
Acrylic paint and gold leaf on canvas

Curve

2020
Acrylic paint and gold leaf on canvas

Kunst

Kunst is an interdisciplinary piece performed at PiPe (Pictura Performance Festival 2019). How do we capture the collective experience of live performance? In this case by inviting the audience to take aim at the dancers and the white gallery walls. Capturing the moment and creating momento's of the experience.

The recorded text was written in the same space. The choreography was made in relation to the text and infused with movements that were part of setting up the space. A gentle thumb and index finger pressed together pointing in a specific directing (placing the nails in the wall to hang up the cotton paper and canvas bags), reaching towards the sky (from putting up the see-through plastic ceiling) and moving a hand across the floor while in a crouched position (spray painting the water guns black).

Kunst deals with white walls, an empty canvas, and shooting whatever ideas you have at it. As we also sometimes try to force our ideas on others. The force of aiming, at people, at specific parts of the body or at a certain spot in the space. What do you decide to do?

There are still some left overs (art works in different sizes) left. They're will be available in my online shop soon!

Project Neon

After I'd come back from Miami, I felt extremely inspired. Which resulted in the poem Sunset Orange:

The water is cold as I step onto the sand
Hand me my towel so I can break the waves between us
Clash
Crash
Communication is hard
Especially when you’re dry
They've said to moisturise
But who’s got the time between the sun screen and morning showers

Let’s sip some sun
She likes her meeat sizzling
Let’s give her that
Reciprocate
Hydrate our tongues
Diet Coke can only go so far as to spark a fizz
A tiff and a riot is what tingles the skin now
If we were younger we’d be climbing palm trees
Or maybe that’s just a thing to say when high on life

Fever down the boulevard
Catching pastels from the summer air
Turning my hair all sorts of shades
Sunset orange washing over my face

Neon
Let’s be neon from now on

The above poem was the starting point for a dance improvisation with paint (see the YouTube clip on the right). Whitney Selina is an incredible dancer who worked with me on this project. Jasmijn Vonsée filmed and Xyvonne Faneyte documented the project in pictures. The video has no sound, so you can listen to the recording of the poem while watching the video. In a way recreating the element of surprise usually found in live performances. No performance is ever twice exactly the same.

The picture with the blue sofa shows the painting Sunset Orange Universe, which currently hangs in my living room.

Faia

I was one of the artists at Estival Festival in 2018. I worked on a location based performance that combined movement and spoken word. I also taught workshops that combined writing, movement and painting. After returning from Portugal I bundled the poems I had written with pictures from the art works I had made and finished a video. the combination of all of these outlets are called Faia, after the village where everything was made.

Huidhonger

Huidhonger is about people's physical desire to be touched. For this collaborative project I wrote the spoken word piece and was one of the dancers. The concept and styling were done by Romy Rouffaer, who graduated from Artemis Academie in 2018. Filming and editing by Freek Lindeloo. All the pictures were taken by Toos Nauta.

Move Your Mind

For YUNG MINDS presented by De Modekeuken, I wrote and performed the poem Move Your Mind.

Move Your Mind

I'm giving you information
In shape, in form, in shifts
Move your mind
Think parallel lines

In transition we transform
Figures

Yes, it figures that figures fit within edges like trimmed hedges marking boundaries

Reach through hedges to find your edges
Now step through them

Ignore scratches and fetch that and sketch that which catches your eye

Out of sight is where to find vision

Move your mind
Move your mind

Expanded Hope

For the 13th World Congress of the International Association of Bioethics in Edinburgh on 14-17 June 2016 I created a performance that combined art and ethics, and movement and speech. I was fortunate enough to be able to create and perform Expanded Hope because of the support from Erasmus MC's department of Medical Ethics, Philosophy and History of Medicine.

Carpeted Red

For the opening of Inge van Mill's photo exhibition Isabouckar! at The Hague's City Hal, I performed a dance solo with red paint. Inge is interested in the expressiveness of the body. It was my pleasure to perform at the opening.

Black Monday

My first exhibition in 2014 and first big dance painting! I believe this is where my artistic journey officially started!

The poetry booklet I wrote as part of this exhibition is available in my webshop. It is a limited run of 39. All of them are signed and some of them have been beautified with 23.5 karat gold leaf.