While researching my previous project Sky And Sand I came across a symbol that really stuck with me and visualized the story I was telling, a story about how the desert can blur the borders of reality. That symbol was a portal. Portals appear in movies like Alice in Wonderland, Being John Malkovich, Narnia and many more. Just like the desert, for me portals represent a gateway to another world or place. An escape from daily life and reality into the realm of dreams and discovering the unknown. I think the desire to creep into a little door and escape this hectic reality we lived in during Covid times (when this project was made), must be bigger then ever. A portal in our ‘real’ world, can be entered in different kinds of ways. I gave my portals a soft touch and comfort to use at home, where everybody has to be right now. A place where people can reflect on their life, or just dream about things. The Desert Portal tapestry pieces were made in collaboration with textile artist Max de Terpstra from Rotterdam.
Besides a symbol, a portal could also represent a mental cleanse from (bad) thoughts or spirits, it is a physical object connected with mental transitions. For an example, have you ever noticed walking through a door to grab something from another room, and instantly forgetting what you were going to get?
I'm happy I got to exhibit them in the Textielmuseum of Tilburg during a group exhibition of Nieuwe Zonderlingen. See the presentation below as well as the creative process behind the Desert Portals
