FUNGAL SUN

A sun that pulses with the rhythm of decay and renewal. Sun explores the intertwined cycles of civilisation and the microorganisms that thrive in its shadows. Here, the sun is reimagined as a living organism, a fungal entity whose radiance signals both creation and collapse. Just as sunrise heralds beginnings and dusk whispers of endings, this artwork delves into the eternal interplay of growth, decline, and the persistent resurrection of life forms unseen.

Is our light shivering? Perhaps it is the tremor of recognition, a shared fragility with these microorganisms whose capacity for renewal mirrors our own. The fungal sun invites us to embrace a world where decay is not an end but a fertile ground for what comes next.

The organism at the heart of this artwork is Penicillium Vanoranjei, a rare fungus dedicated to the Dutch royal family upon its discovery by the Westerdijk Institute. Its Dutch roots resonate with the history of the Hollands College, once a seminary for students from the Diocese of Haarlem.

Installation for Parallax, co-produced with Matthijs De Block.

GONDOLA

Strolling along the quay demands specific footwear. Velvet slippers compel us to walk slowly, allowing us to fully absorb our surroundings. Matching the pace of Venetian gondoliers, we navigate the city with measured steps. Shoes root us to the earth, yet also create a barrier between us and the ground. Like a child watching their distant parents float on the water, unable to reach them, we find ourselves both connected and separated from the world around us.

3 pair of Venetian slippers, Piedaterre

INSUL(T)ATION

Created for Open Monumentendag 2023, Insul(t)ation temporarily wrapped a monument in an external skin of insulation material, attached with only two small nails to avoid damaging the protected structure. Exposed to fungi, weather and accelerated processes of decay, this fragile layer proposed preservation as a paradox: while attempting to protect the monument from time, the work made time materially visible on its surface.

After one day, the city ordered its removal, not because the monument had been damaged, but because its appearance had been altered. Insul(t)ation thus exposed a tension inherent to heritage conservation: what exactly are we preserving? The material existence of a monument, or the stability of its image? Through growth, weathering and decay, the work transformed protection into an act of temporal disturbance.

THE WASHING MACHINE

Made as a critical approach to an open call for LBTQ art, to open a discussion on sustainable support, this work was initially named pink washing and was not accepted. The machine washes all colors in its drum in vain. Do the colors eventually wash off? 

Readymade covered in linnen, agarose and fungal strains (Aspergillus Awamori, Aspergillus Oryzae, Rhizopus Oligosporus, Penicillium species)

YOUR FACE IS YOUR OWN

Made as a critical approach to an open call for LBTQ art, to open a discussion on sustainable support, the pink washing device on the abuse of group identity was rejected for this open call.

However, together with videographer, Mateo Ancis, the Washing Machine was brought to life on a trip through the public space with Leuven as its backdrop. The peculiar appearance could be frowned upon but in reality, it’s totally ignored. How do we cope with thoughtful criticism?

Interestingly this opened a new layer of identity abuse, this time by the artist. Thorough discussions followed as the people of Leuven did not deliberately consent to be shown in this work. In the end the only copyright you can be certain of, is that your face is yours only (and not even so in all occasions).

Video by Jan Van Eijgen and Mateo Ancis, soundtrack by Theo Carpentier