MY SECRET GARDEN
HANGIN AROUND IN MY SECRET GARDEN.
A installation for the shop windows of BonBon Boutique a jewellery store in the city center of Amsterdam. A combination of cut out prints and collage.
All found images of the senses, slowly turn into strange litle creatures. And become new insects and butterfly's.
All found images of the senses, slowly turn into strange litle creatures. And become new insects and butterfly's.
All found images of the senses, slowly turn into strange litle creatures. And become new insects and butterfly's.
SWITCH, TURN YOUR DREAM ON!
Ssssssst, het rode licht brand! De opnames zijn begonnen. In de meest perfecte outfits van rijke, weelderige stoffen bezet met pailletten en epauletten. Bont van kleur en dier stappen de tv-helden mijn woonkamer binnen. Steeds veranderend van rol en gedaante bewegen de tv-helden over het beeldscherm. Ze entertainen de thuisblijvende bankzitter en voeren mij mee naar verre oorden en plekken die de tv voor je doet ontdekken. Langzaam word ik van de bank gezogen en hop ik het beeldscherm in. Alles kan ik hier zijn, alle dromen kunnen hier worden.
Samenwerking met Noun in opdracht voor Switch: On/Of
Collage, gevonden papier uit verschillende mediaHilversum 2015
photograph: By Liek
SWITCH TURN YOUR DREAM ON
#SENSECOLLECTION
MAKE SENSE a group show
Amsterdam 2015
MAKE SENSE
MAKE SENSE a group show
Amsterdam 2015
MAKE SENSE
MAKE SENSE a group show
Amsterdam 2015
BRAIN FLOW #1
a 100 collage series
Talk to: Marte Haverkamp
interview by the Volkshotel, Amsterdam
From making a chair at the age of 5 to studying fashion academy and now creating a series of collages inspired by her kitchen office. Our former Broedplaats tenant is currently displaying her intimate and slightly obscure collage series in two of our yellow Entresols. She has creativity running through her veins. Let us introduce, Marte Haverkamp.
Tell us a little about your creative background.
I’ve always been surrounded by creative people, growing up in a house where we made a lot of things ourselves. Both my grandmother and mother were always sewing beautiful dresses and knitting big jumpers. If anything broke my mother was fixing it. When I was 5 years old I wanted to make my own seat, so I hammered away in the garden for the whole afternoon, when it was time for Sesame Street, I finally had my own chair in front of the TV and… I fell through it. Of course I have no idea about ‘construction’ but the taste and passion for creating remained. After some searching for my passion in the fashion academy I arrived at the art academy, slowly leaving product design behind and increasing the amount of autonomous art work.Where do you find inspiration?
My inspiration mainly comes from astonishment with the world. The city, the people around me, the media, the way we interact, the speed of everything that passes by and then trying to put back a little bit of the quietness.How did you come to exhibit your work at Volkshotel?
Before the Volkskrant building was a hotel I rented a place in the basement – a large dusty workshop where I made 3D objects. I unfortunately had to leave and didn’t immediately find a new workplace so I relied on the kitchen table at home and there arose the series, ‘Brain Flow’. I had to find a way to make art with as little space as possible so I started with a new medium – collage. This was proof to me that with the urge to create and the artist in yourself, it does not matter whether have a studio or not. If I had stayed in the Volkskrant building I would probably not have made this series, so every disadvantage has its advantage.Can you explain your series ‘BRAIN FLOW’
BRAIN FLOW is a series of 100 collages where the main character transforms. Thoughts, they just keep coming. Unannounced and uninvited.They tumble over each other, by each other, and sometimes even into one another. According to F. Scott Fitzgerald the test of intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the mind at the same time, and still retain the ability to function. The same as when thoughts come into play with collages, multiple images, multiple worlds, these worlds collide, overlap and reinforce each other to form one original whole. In ‘Brain Flow’ the ‘main’ characters transform, so there will be new layers and insights. Look quickly and it seems recognisable. Look a little longer and you will be taken to an unusual, original world.Why do you think your Art is suited to Volkshotel?
The pieces in this series are quite small, so they fit well in the intimate spaces in Werkplaats. They’re also very colourful which is enhanced by the crazy yellow walls. Not to forget of course that without Volkshotel this series wouldn’t even exist.SHADOW CONSTRUCTION
Shadows do something no other product, human or animal can. It easily follows floors, corners, products. It seems fluid as it moves smoothly over various surfaces. By capturing shadows of different objects and then materializing them, I came onto new objects. Objects with a high level of recognition that make you look twice. Exciting from every angle they are food for thought. Playing with forms and shapes, lighting out existing objects and with their shadows creating new forms for new objects. A new object that I could never have thought up beforehand. The present works focuses mainly on this visual play and its aesthetics.
SHADOW CONSTRUCTION
SHADOW WALL CONSTRUCTION
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Recht voor mij hangen de wandsculpturen gecreëerd door Marte Haverkamp. De perfectie ervan is het eerste wat ik zie. Ongelooflijk. Shadow construcion.Aan de muur hangen twee objecten. De linker is kleiner. Het valt meteenop dat het schaduwen zijn van plastic tuin stoelen. Van die witte, de klassieker. Met van die licht wiebelende poten als je erin gaat zitten doordat ze meestal oud zijn en het weer in het plastic is gaan zitten. Van die stoeltjes waarin je neerploft na een te warme wandeling in bijvoorbeeld Italië of welk zuidelijk land dan ook; deze stoeltjes zijn universeel. Je korte broek te kort is om niet meteen het stukje blote huid vast te laten plakken aan het witte plastic. Terwijl je een grote slok neem van een koude cola en je geniet van een zeebries en een prachtige zonsondergang. Achter je op in het zand vormt zich ongezien deze schaduw. Ongezien en nu zichtbaar vastgelegd, als een bevroren moment aan de wand. In perfectie uitgevoerd wat alleen een vormgevende kunstenaar voor elkaar kan krijgt. Het toffe is dat de geobjectiveerde schaduwen nu zelf weer een schaduw geven als een eindeloos droste-effect. Waarschijnlijk is dit in de avonduurtjes met kunstlicht erop nog beter zichtbaar.
Het mooie van de ordinaire dagelijksheid van plastic stoeltjes is dat ze de inspiratie kan zijn voor een uitzonderlijk uitgevoerd kunstwerk.
Tekst: Lotte van Geijn
SHADOW WALL CONSTUCTION
A glimpse into an artist’s mind
interview by mrs Mokum, Amsterdam
Wouldn’t it be awesome to be an artist? No dusty office with a nagging boss, but inspiring colleagues and a cool studio. Marte Haverkamp (31) is an artist and with her studio situated in the building of ‘De Bonte Zwaan’, she fits into this idyllic picture perfectly. When I arrive at her studio – which overlooks the waters of the western banks of the IJ – I can’t think of anyone who wouldn’t exchange their uninspiring office for a life full of creativity and freedom. But like every other story, there is always more than meets the eye.
One thing I’d love to know about her work is how these beautiful pieces were created. What happens inside the creative brain of Marte?
“It’s very difficult to explain what exactly happens inside my head when I’m creating new pieces. Different thoughts cross my mind at certain moments, but it is hard to remember them all, as they’re constantly tumbling through, over and sometimes even into each other. The work from ‘HOOFD STROOM’ (BRAIN FLOW) – a series of 100 collages – is exactly about this string of thoughts. The collages of these series are consist of different layers, just like my thoughts do” A glimpse into the mind of Marte shows me that artists have a lot of brain flows that tangle up sometimes. The way she manages to transform these into some fine pieces of art however, remains to my opinion an art in itself.
A small corner in the room she shares with other artists is where you’ll find her workplace. The amazing collages, big and small, aren’t the only objects you can find here. Marte’s studio is filled with fabrics, patterns and inspiring pieces of art. One thing that can’t be overlooked is the ‘hotel’, simply constructed out of cardboard, which stands on top of her desk. “I created these two first,” Marte explains while she points at two stuffed animals shaped like the shadow of a rabbit. “I soon realized however, that although the animals were a great alternative for the fluffy puffy pink and blue ones we mostly see, the ones I made were too big. Such a big, grey rabbit didn’t make sense lying next to a small baby.” Marte decided to create smaller pieces too and ended up with the great idea to give these ‘Stuffed Shadows’ a home in the form of a hotel. But the animals are now ready to be ‘checked-out’ and leave the hotel with their new owners.Talking about the creative process of her work, Marte is clearly the passionate artist that you would expect her to be. But there also exists a bitter truth of reality in the romantic life of an artist. Never knowing how people are going to respond to new pieces and series can be scary sometimes. And the same counts for promoting yourself and your work.
“Facebook is a great way to overcome this fear. I can put something online, sit down and wait for the reactions to come up. But I can’t deny that it can be quite painful when I end up waiting for ‘likes’ on my post that never actually come,” Marte says laughing. “At the same time however, I can’t imagine a world without internet. How would I promote my art otherwise?”
Isn’t it true that meeting with people in person is still very important these days?
“Sure! A lot of people like to know the person behind the product. And I’m just like them. I mean, I never buy something online. Ever. That is also one of the reasons why I came up with the idea to sell my ‘Stuffed Shadows’ at the Local Goods Market. I visited an earlier edition of this market and there I realized that my products are not going to sell themselves.”
Artists, and other creative people are often not very good at selling ‘themselves’ and their work. Being a salesman or an artist usually is a very different field of work.
“A totally different field, yes. But it is funny that I actually manage to do these kinds of sales and marketing things for other people. When I am not working in my studio, I work at a wine bar. Here I ‘buy’ myself the free time that I need for creating my art. For this bar, I am responsible for the Facebook page; I come up with events and even make flyers to promote them. So why can’t I do the same for my own creations and products? While learning, I am already more capable of looking at my own work from more of a distance than I was before. This helps me to see and create the right strategies I need to sell and promote my art. Furthermore, I told myself to just say ‘yes’ to the requests that I often get from colleagues and friends. Even when I have no idea if I could actually do what people ask me to do. I rather lie awake at night, figuring out how to do it, than say no because I’m insecure about my capabilities. I’m constantly searching for the best ways to live my life as an artist. It is hard some times, but I love what I do and wouldn’t change it for the world. I’m still learning every day.”
DIMENSION LIGHT
TWIRLLIGHT
TWIRLLIGHT HANDLEIDING
COMMISSIONED
SWITCH, TURN YOUR DREAM ON!
Collage, mixed media.
Geboorte kaart
Uitgesneden tekening
Flowers in your head
Collage
Cut and paste of found images and colours
Zeurkous
Puppet
Mixed media
Puppets
Design for a music video
Mixed media
Loopie
Label design for Kleine Dreumes
Boek-etje
Graphic design
Little information book in the shape of a bouquet
Pelicaen Europe
Logo design
