Anne-Marijn van Rooij

Expositie Design in Groningen

2011-11-05T17:49:00.000+01:00

Na de meeste stemmen te hebben gekregen voor mijn werk en de eerste twee kragen te hebben verkocht tijdens de talent van 2011 expositie in het Menzis gebouw staan mijn kraagjes gelijk weer tentoongesteld in het oude Natuurmuseum ter gelegenheid van het evenement 'Design in Groningen'. Nog te bewonderen t/m 6 November. Daarna t/m 28 dec weer te zien tijdens de 'Gespot talent 2011' expositie in het Kunstpaviljoen te Nieuw roden. Opening Zondag 13 November.

Nu ook te zien op arteko.nl !!

2011-08-27T20:39:00.001+02:00

Art Eko is een jonge stichting over kunst en milieu gevestigd in Amsterdam die milieuvriendelijke of op natuur geïnspireerde projecten van kunstenaars en ontwerpers toont op hun website www.arteko.nl. Naar aanleiding van mijn eindexamen werk ben ik nu ook op hun website te vinden. Neem een kijkje zou ik zeggen, er staan ook erg veel andere interessante ontwerpers en kunstenaars op!

Step 7: Result

2011-07-07T14:49:00.002+02:00

After all these steps and 3-D research, I concluded that I would like to wear my landscapes around
me as a third protection layer. Comparable to what Alberts and van Huut try to achieve with there
architecture. Either in the form of architecture, or using a 3-D shell or object I can wear as a protection
against the limitations of city life.
Building on this idea, I kept experimenting and thinking in a 3-D way. After a lot of thinking and failed experiments, I selected my most beautiful landscapes and experimented by repeating them and sewing them together. This resulted in beautiful new textures and big objects. Objects you can wear as an accessory around you. Like an armor. They became such a big and mountainous accessory that it
literally created more space, a more free territory for the carrier to live in. Because the accessories are
so big, special and pronounced, I also wanted to show the personal development I went through during
my travel. And make a statement with it: Don't be afraid to be (your)self-assured. Never mind what
others think of you or expect from you. And distinguish yourself from the mainstream by following your own path.

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Step 6: 3D Space and Object experiments

2011-07-07T14:36:00.006+02:00

Where I started in Step 2 with the use of a 3-D technique, I further developed this technique with the
idea to bring back nature in a form that could fit into the city itself. I started to investigate how I could
bring back the space and freedom you experience in real life into my landscapes.
In these sketches I played with the perspective, trying to achieve an endless distance as often
experienced in a real landscape (the horizon). And I experimented with nearby and far, by bringing near in the picture to the top and far in the picture with 3-D layers to the back. And out of curiosity vice versa, to see what happens.

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Step 5: Searching for a form practice

2011-07-07T11:28:00.003+02:00

I then came up with the idea to literally wear nature around me by placing the landscapes on a dress.
I first tried this by hand and discovered how the landscape fitted the shapes of the body of my
mannequin. Because it was too much to do it all by hand, and as I didn't have enough white dresses,
I continued by using the computer to place the shapes on a model. Also out of curiosity how the other
landscapes would work. I was very pleased with the result, especially with the way the landscapes
merged with the body because of their symmetrical nature. And I loved this form practice where I
could merge my looks on - and free feelings in nature with my city life: by wearing it around me, as a
protective shield. Literally a way to ‘feel good in nature’ when you’re in the city, right?
The only thing still bothering me, was the limited way to simply paste the landscapes onto the dress.
The 3-D practice I started with in step 2, triggered me to look for alternatives. So I decided to temporarily set aside these dresses and do more research on the 3-D practice.

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Step 4b: Flipping around.

2011-07-06T18:32:00.001+02:00

Out of curiosity I started to flip the Dutch landscapes as well. This resulted into amazingly detailed forms and textures. Compared to the foreign landscapes, the Dutch appeared more fairy-like.
And because of the better lenses I used, the sharp pictures caused clearer, more beautiful and
kaleidoscopic forms and textures.
But all this flipping in Photoshop made me loose the excitement I had in step 2, where I also cut all
forms separately. So, to prevent it becoming no more than a Photoshop trick, I stopped flipping and
started thinking about a form practice.

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Step 4a: Back to nature

2011-06-23T00:01:00.002+02:00

After the last steps my view of nature became clear to me, as well as how to visualise it. I then became
curious to find out how my images would adopt to Dutch nature. And how to photograph it and what
effect it would have on me.
I went to the Hoornse meer (a lake near the place I grew up) with a professional camera and started
experimenting with different lenses. A beautiful day, the sun was shining, the sky was pretty clouded
and because of the fall the colours were scenic.
By using the fisheye lens I was able to play with the shapes. I could accentuate them extremely and it
was possible to capture a broader area.

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Step 3: What happens if I makes patterns of the new images?

2011-06-22T23:36:00.004+02:00

Out of curiosity and with the idea to let nature merge with city life, I tried to create patterns of the
mirrored images. For example, to use as wallpaper or fabric prints.
After making these patterns I immediately abandoned this idea. I didn’t feel anything for the results. The images lost their strength by the over-repetition, and the shapes lost their detailed textures. It became boring, rather than thrilling. Just like the way I felt about my repetitive and strict city life, when I was actually trying to come up with something to break through this pattern.
I didn’t really put a lot of time and experimenation in these patterns (just repeating the images), so
maybe if I do in the a more exciting result may arise.

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Step 2: Exposing nature from different angles

2011-06-22T23:06:00.001+02:00

As Ton Lemaire describes in his book ‘Filosofie over het landschap’ (chapter ‘Herhaling en middelpunt’), the last decennia have seen several periods when people tried to change their life patterns. Eitherby escaping from a strict pattern in an attempt to find more freedom, or by aiming for the opposite: a stricter pattern because too much space and freedom cause fear for the unknown. I think the present is characterized by the latter, many people adhering to strict patterns. I however, think we should try to broaden and free ourselves.
I was personally getting crazy from the repetitive routine I was getting used to. Thanks to the many
hours I spent in nature during my trip abroad, I discovered a different life that gave me a broader
perspective and more freedom.
To show people that it certainly is feasible to change your life, it seemed logical to mirror my
landscapes, illustrating the enlightenment that can be achieved by looking from different perspectives.
As a result of the mirroring, images and shapes have been created: new landscapes, new lives.
Using these images, I started to work in 3D to create the depth that is experienced in a real landscape. I
brought to the front what was nearby in the picture and in reality and to the background what was further away.

As you can see, the new images have lost the resemblance to a landscape, which some of the previous
images still had. Only after longer inspection you will discover parts of nature.

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Step 1: My 'Graphic' look at nature.

2011-06-16T19:54:00.007+02:00

So my first step is obviously figuring out how I can visually show you my graphic look at nature.
Like Thoreau was observing plants and animals during his stay in nature, I started observing landscapes. I took pictures of the beautiful textures but I especially searched for a composition where I could capture the many different layers of a landscape. After a tiring selection of the millions of pictures I took, I ended up with a clear selection of layered landscapes.
To show my mentor what I meant with the many different layers a landscape is built with, I started to analyse my pictures. By cutting them out, based on the layers, and putting them together with enough white space between the different elements, I created analysed collages of the landscapes.
These collages clearly show the variety of forms, colours and textures each layer has but they also form totally new images.

Hong Kong.

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Introduction 'Concrete Jungle'.

2011-06-16T18:06:00.009+02:00

Before the start of my graduation project I made a nine months journey (incl. 3 months internship) through Australia and Indonesia. I wanted to travel because I felt stuck in a life pattern that I was increasingly unhappy with and that did not provide sufficient inspiration for my essay.

I was looking for a new environment with other cultures and novel adventures, away from the daily routine where every day looks alike, to get a fresh look at life again.

Upon return in The Netherlands, I found that the many hours spent in nature really had an impact on my development. I had grown personally, but also creatively. My look at nature had shifted from a touristic to a graphic view. This turned out to be a great source of inspiration.

As a start of my essay, I investigated the underlying reasons why I wanted to get away, the stages I went through, and why nature had come to play such an eminent role. To that end, among other things I compared myself with the philosopher Ton Lemaire and the adventurer McCandles, in whom I recognized a lot.

The many nature photographs I shot during my journey form the basis for my project. Intuitively, I soon knew that I would do more with them than just taking them back home as trophies.

I noticed that most tourists actually look at nature quite superficially and the notion settled that my graphic view could give added value. Building upon that, I went back to The Netherlands to delve deeper into the essence of this graphic look at landscapes and to find ways to visualize this. Next I looked for forms and means to translate my view on nature into creations expressing my experience and feelings.

Distributed over eight booklets, I present my theoretical investigation and the seven steps of my visual essay (graduation project): a quest for ways to express my views and feelings triggered by nature and bring these back into city life: first two dimensionally, and next also in 3-D spaces and objects.

The 7 steps of my project set and distributed in booklets (visual essay).

Because I haven't had the time yet and I like the idea of a blog, I would like to use this medium to share my practical process digitally. So every step gets his own post, and for those who think non-logical, it will start with my sketches, step 1 and it will end with my final product, step 7.

After step 7 I won't stop posting work, since its a never ending project. So hopefully I will keep surprising you with new products. There might even be a chance to buy my stuff soon, in a store that I'm planning to open (together with two other lady's) in my home-town Groningen, the Netherlands. This is still in progress but I will keep ya little curious animals up to date and otherwise if you really can't wait to buy something of this incredibly awesome but still poor designer, just drop me an email and we'll figure something out.
So I guess I told you enough about the meaning of this blog and my graduation project now. So I wont hold you up any longer and wish you a lot of pleasure with my work!

Anne-Marijn van Rooij

Expositie Design in Groningen

Nu ook te zien op arteko.nl !!

Step 7: Result

Step 6: 3D Space and Object experiments

Step 5: Searching for a form practice

Step 4b: Flipping around.

Step 4a: Back to nature

Step 3: What happens if I makes patterns of the new images?

Step 2: Exposing nature from different angles

Step 1: My 'Graphic' look at nature.

Introduction 'Concrete Jungle'.

♥