Initially there was just one project / concept I was working under. Everything I made fell under ‘World Communication’ the theme I started at the Academy in Rotterdam. When I was processing the pictures from Istanbul in 1996 I felt this could develop into an interesting series of cities. This was the moment I started calling these works Virtual Journeys, creating two paths in my work: Cities & Senses.

Virtual Journeys – Exploring Cities Through Images

The senses only became a new, separate, path in 2023. I came across some of my old works where I used the word pairs before. When I used the texts in my earlier work they expressed a discrepancy between the images used and the text. They were not as layered as I use them now. As a young art student I just thought they ‘looked cool’. Realising that these word combinations today are almost the opposite from our daily lives where the media overload is ever present they have more value for me then ever before. This made me want to work with them again. As I felt this would be a different type of work I make with Virtual Journeys this became the second path in my work.

The works created in the Virtual Journeys all follow the same path. I start with an interesting story/walk in a major city where I take between 1000 and 1500 pictures on a 7-10Km walk. About one photo every 5 seconds. These pictures are then processed and presented in a collage-style pages. The odd one out here is IST28Y where I revisited Istanbul 28 years later.

Senses – Art Through Word-Pairs

What I create with the word-combinations in the senses project differ much more in their appearance. Up to now all have sub-series like the gradients, mythologies or graffiti where I focus on one aspect or one idea in combination with the senses. The Gradient series uses marketing techniques to grab attention and then invite to introspection. In the mythologies I combine the senses with mythologies from different cultures that have similarities. The Graffiti works have a discrepancy between the spontaneous, quick nature of the medium and the introspection. The Senses allow me to explore, experiment more freely how I can create connections between cultures and people.

The Intersection of Cities & Senses

Although different in appearance and way I create them, both paths often overlap in inspiration. Behind the scenes there are ideas developing that combine the both paths. As an artist one is always observing and forming ideas, inspiration comes from everywhere. A confluence is to be expected. This dual path reflects my ongoing search for connections between people, cultures, and experiences.