Circle your food -studies

Obesity is one of the most common diseases in the Western world. More and more children get obese, and when that happens, it is hard to ever get rid of it. Obesity can lead to diabetes for example, which you can never get cured from. That is why it is better to prevent this from happening at a young age. One of the biggest reasons of obesity with children, is that their parents do not know how much their children should eat and often they let them eat bigger portions than they should have. Children can feel very well when they ate enough, but the parents tell them to finish their plate because this is the right thing to do. Eventually the children start to ignore what their bodies tell them and the line of eating too much is being crossed easier every time.

These are studies of plates that show how much children should eat between the age of 4 to 8 years old. This is the age where they learn how to eat for themselves. If they learn properly then, there is almost no chance that they will get obese later. In this way, finishing a plate will be done in a more responsible and playful way.

Dead proof

 When someone dies, that person keeps living in the memories of others. However, the body, the true evidence that someone lived, will decay over time. It will be buried or burned. I want to immortalize myself on this world, to prove that I really existed. By making a replica of my whole body and categorize it, I will turn the perishableness of my body around. This "mask" is meant for myself in the first place. I make and devide it how I want. It is objective, not emotional. The body is not yet dead, but reproduced when full of life, without any signs of decay. My family and friends can decide for themselves if they are attached to some parts of my body and take a piece with them.

Death mask

When an important person died, there used to be made a replica from his face: a death mask. By keeping the face of the deceased in this world it was believed that his qualities also stayed with it. 

Mourning

In the past, objects that were made when someone died were especially meant for the deceased; to give with him in his grave, to let his spirit move on, or even to chase the spirit away. These days the passing away of a person is more about the people left behind. The objects that are made, provide comfort and try to keep the spirit of the deceased with them as long as possible. I  want to make death again about the person that is about to pass away. What are his or her desires?

Series

Fur

Breathing Houses -movie

While buildings look closed and static from the outside, wind circulates through and lets them breathe. I wanted to find a way to show this breathing. These objects I created will come alive when the wind starts blowing and give life to small, dark alleys or impersonal grey buildings.

Hairy Pattern

A soundmap of the farmer town Bergeijk

This map shows the sounds of the town of Bergeijk over 24 hours. You can see how the town grows in sounds in the beginning of the day, when the farmers go to their lands around the town to work. The big ploughs and trucks are clearly recognizable above all others sounds. When the morning proceeds, the children go to school. When they go home again later that day, also the farmers come back from their lands. From the houses comes the sound of diner being made, while the children play on the streets. After diner, the men go to the pub to talk about their day. Until it is time to go to bed, because the land does not plough itself. The church bells clearly mark every hour; all day, every day again.

Every sound is shown in a different way, depending on their frequency and rhythm. The map shows how the town seems to grow and shrink in sounds during the day. It is almost like it is breathing.

Bacteria tableware

Nowadays bacteria tend to fill people with fear for transferral of diseases and unexpected death. On every corner we are told to wash our hands with antibacterial gel, to kill every living creature present. We would almost forget that bacteria are also there to protect us form those diseases. And to help us eat, breathe and live.

I locked myself in a microbiological lab to learn more about bacteria. To see them grow, to understand what they need to survive: what they eat, how they get their energy, how they move and how they change. They got a personality in my eyes. They have needs and weaknesses. I grew the good bacteria that live in the bowel system. This is the place where bacteria outnumber our body cells. They help with the digestion of our food and protection of our body. By combining them in the objects that are needed to eat and drink, I create a direct connection between eating and the creatures that help us eat. People are in this way confronted with the good bacteria and maybe more interested in the purposes they have.

tubes with growing bacteria

microscopic photos of healthy bacteria

test -glass with bacteria

test

bacteria on textile. they change colors in different circumstances

test

the water gives a magnifying effect to the bacteria

double layered glass. the bacteria grows in between

eating object -bacteria growing on object that you can use for eating. even though these are good bacteria, would you eat them like this?