As inspiration for my bachelor's thesis, I started from the arts, specifically focusing on the theme of vanitas. Vanitas was a popular subject among Dutch and Belgian artists in the 16th and 17th centuries, exploring the passage of time, emptiness, and transience. I began researching what vanitas precisely entails, its meaning, and how it is depicted in art. However, that wasn't the direction I wanted to take for creating my collection. This led me to question what transience means to me personally.

I started creating a photo series portraying objects that represent transience and finitude from my perspective. I continued this exploration throughout my bachelor's thesis and compiled everything into a small photo book. Soon enough, I concluded that the passage of time and transience are best observed in relation to human beings.

 

This became my starting point for sketching a series of human bodies, which I abstracted into cocoons. However, these sketches remained two-dimensional.

I then faced the challenge of transforming my sketches into three-dimensional artworks or furniture pieces. I began searching for ways to create my organic forms in 3D. The most suitable method seemed to be using chicken wire since it can be easily shaped. However, chicken wire alone lacks the necessary stability to function as furniture. Therefore, I started experimenting with materials to modify and strengthen the wire. Ultimately, I found that a combination of plaster, sand, and textile hardener worked best. The wire gained enhanced stability, while the sand provided a natural appearance.

 

Additionally, I incorporated a steel frame in each piece to create a tension between the organic shapes and the straight lines of the frame. All elements support and hold each other together in harmony.