Written Lace
The ‘written drawing’ is a drawing technique that I have developed over the years. I use my own handwriting as form and line. What I write does have meaning and has a direct relationship to the image.
Stories and memories of my female ancestors
The series of 4 drawings Written-Lace, 2014, bring image and story together. The subject are the pieces of lace I inherited from my grand-mother. Looking at them closely, the drawings appear to be built up by a minuscule script. The illegible texts are, as it were, musings, stories and memories of my female ancestors. They reflect my admiration for all that endless and diligent women’s handwork, an activity that I repeat and transform in these labour-intensive drawings.
Objects and cultural identity
I have used this method to connect two recurring conceptual principles in my work; the meaning of objects and cultural identity. Every object has its own story; a story that is shaped by its relationship with the people and the way it has been used. Objects, as it were, have their own biography and are the silent bearers of cultural identity.
Objects, as it were, have their own biography and are the silent bearers of cultural identity
After choosing an object, meticulous research follows into all aspects that give the object its character, function, value and history. The substantive research is the material that I literally use to draw (by writing) describing the object and bringing its hidden stories to light. That they are difficult to read is part of the tension between the intimacy of the object and the curiosity of the viewer.