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Play 2
Following my previous blog post, one of my other favourite artists is Roland Roure. He may be less famous than Alexander Calder, but he is equally fond of wire, ‘junk’ and, most important: play. His artwork touches us because its source is genuine. He plays out of…
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Willpower does far more for us than to support achievements other people expect from us. We need it to listen to our deepest voice without being distracted. Making space for ourselves needs confidence and determination. Alan Watts describes its essence in his essay on…
Read moreReinforcing steel
Hidden from view inside a park not too far from my home is a large building site. Contrary to most construction sites around us these days the entrance gate is never closed and, apart from the builders, hardly anybody ever comes there anyway. From a distance I watch the building…
Read moreAn artist
At the Venice Biennale of 1995, the entire Danish pavilion was occupied by only one artist, John Olsen. The space was light in its Scandinavian simplicity, yet the exhibition felt like a dense, intimate world. During my visit I was the only visitor, which added to the intensity of the…
Read moreA room with a view
In line with a previous blog post about tree houses and bird’s nests, this is what I found by chance this week: With its retractable staircase this is a hotel room, the ‘Bird’s Nest’, at Treehotel Harads…
Read moreInspiration: the small scale
We’re often being taught to expand, to research new things, to think big. But what about remaining true, at least for a while, to the small scale? The painter Giorgio Morandi found repeated inspiration (and fame) in a collection of bottles and pots. © Giorgio…
Read moreThemes for dreams
Our points of interest are not always aligned with everybody else’s taste and we sometimes tend to hide our dreams for fear of negative comments and discouragement. Years may pass before we feel confident enough to truly express ourselves. It is important to recognise our dreams, if only to encourage…
Read moreCorrugated iron
A rare sight in The Netherlands : half hidden behind a farmhouse, a crumbling hay barn. This country is generally so clean and organised that most people here would be shocked by my enthusiasm, of course, and this shed is certainly becoming dangerous to use. But my heart made a…
Read moreFractals
I’ve had an interesting conversation with a physiotherapist about fractals, fractal dynamics to be precise. The word was entirely new to me, but it applies as much to his treatment approach as to nature in general. I am unable to reproduce his explanation other than as the…
Read moreFeathers
One of my favourite places for photography to do with iron is a bulk terminal situated near the Dutch coast. I’ve had the chance to be there in different seasons and to watch the unexpected amount of wildlife it harbours. It is especially impressive in the month of June when…
Read moreReading and writing
Here is another quotation in the same spirit as in last week’s blog post from an inspiring little book, ‘What is history’ by E. H. Carr: ‘…as soon as I have got going on a few of what I take to be the capital sources, the itch becomes too strong…
Read moreImagination
Today, in a reflective mood about the artist’s work, I’m only quoting others… ‘… the making of art has nothing at all to do with knowledge, education, craft, technique, sophistication, style, concept, subject, process, praise, the judgment of others, who you know, where you live, your age,…
Read moreSouth Indian steel
Iron rusts, and therefore ancient iron objects are more rare (and often less appreciated) than other metals such as bronze. Piling on an old jetty In search of information on the dawn of iron for my new book, I recently called the…
Read moreThought associations
Crossing the road on my daily walk this morning, I noticed that the asphalt had been repaired in a surprisingly playful way and on such a scale that it could not be a coincidence. The intriguing designs created by the roadworkers reminded me of…
Read moreInspiration. Beach collections.
This summer I see rusty colours wherever I go. It is the theme of my daily (pre)occupation. Large steel tubes for a North Sea wind turbine Recently, a short stay on the beach… Fishing gear on a…
Read moreWork and play
I’m preparing a book on the most heavy material imaginable: iron. And ever since I’ve begun this project, wherever I have gone I’ve always come home with some feathers. It often makes me wonder what will follow later on, as I’ve never consciously…
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