Sunday, 22 April 2012
Tuesday, 10 April 2012
Portrait of a Sculptor - Ynskje Penning
It is two o’clock on a Friday afternoon, as I make my
way along the narrow stone alley of the Uurwerkersgang. I pass the Harmonie
buildings of the Rijksuniversiteit on my right, complete with its boundary of metal
bicycle racks, filled to capacity as usual.
A little further down on the other side is Ynskje
Penning’s gallery, and as I approach I can see she is less than amused by the
fact that an enormous silver-coloured car has been parked right in front of the
gallery, blocking the entrance completely. Fortunately, there is just enough
room for us to squeeze alongside the car and into the gallery.
The interior is surprisingly more spacious than the
outside had led me to believe, and its wooden beamed ceiling and white painted
floor give it an airy feel. Atmospheric, scenic and portrait paintings cover the
walls from a guest exhibitor, Jacqueline Kasemier. Ynskje’s sculptures sit at
intervals on long low black plinths around the room or in the two glass cases
either side of the door. There is a small reception desk on which a neat pile
of one of her historical novels Emo’s
Labyrint is stacked; she is a published author too.
We head upstairs to her studio, but before we can
start our talk, there is a customer. He buys a signed copy of the
aforementioned book and talks at length with Ynskje about her work. Pen and pad
in hand, I stand and listen, jotting down facts as he covers areas I had
planned to ask about myself. Curiosity satisfied he leaves, and Ynskje and I sit
down with cups of Camille tea, surrounded by her work and posters of past
exhibitions on all sides.
Always interested in art, Ynskje wanted to study at
art school, but was advised by her parents to follow a study that would offer
her a way to make a living. In their eyes it was hard to earn a crust in the
arts. Taking their advice, Ynskje studied to become a teacher and taught for a
number of years. It was only after her marriage and the birth of her daughter
that she decided now was the time to follow her passion. So, she gave up
teaching and started writing and sculpting.
She learnt the sculpting tricks of the trade as well
as clay and wax basics at the Kunstencentrum. After that, it has been a long continual
search spanning thirty-five years, coupled with sheer determination and an
invaluable study of anatomy. The results of this can be seen in her bronze
busts, where not only the physical but the essence of the person is present. In
her words, sculpting is more complicated than painting, as it has to make sense
for the whole 360 degrees of the head. Also, whilst a portrait may be emotive it
must be timeless.
A commissioned work isn’t realized from a selection of
photos, (and where relevant) sittings alone, it often involves the whole family as
well as friends. Ynskje uses their reactions to gauge her work’s authenticity,
and no sculpture is finished until both parties are absolutely satisfied; a
portrait must be tangible, and if she has done her work well, often it can be
confrontational too. She gives the example of the man who commissioned a
portrait of his then deceased wife; he wanted a younger, timeless version, not his
wife aged sixty-two. By studying photos of the woman taken over the years, it
was possible for her to create a bust which brought back the striking youthful face
of the woman in her younger days, for a cast in bronze. Constructive comments from
the family helped along the way with necessary alterations, and, she knew she
had succeeded when the woman’s brother-in-law exclaimed “This is her!”
Her personal sculptures differ greatly in style; her
inspiration comes from both people and animals, with a particular love
of human characteristics in the latter. To illustrate this point she motions to
the coffee table and her piece of a mother elephant and child; a study full of
movement, with the baby pulling on the mother in much the same way as a human
child would do. In contrast to her commissioned work her human figures are
simple, with unnecessary detail removed and stylized so that the essence and
glance remain. Male models are harder to come by, so her subjects are generally
female, voluptuous and curvaceous, often carved out in a white stone.
Her other passion is writing, and she has over sixty
books to her name, including historical novels and children’s books.
Oftentimes, she will have to research an historical era before embarking on a
new project; this can mean delving into hundreds of years of history. Her most popular to date
are Emo’s Labrint and Storm Vloed, in their second and fifth
editions respectively.
I ask Ynskje if she has any advice for anyone
interested in starting a career as a sculptor. From her position seated calmly
in the middle of the sofa, with her hands folded in her lap, she tells me that
sculpting is a dying art; few sculpting courses remain in The Netherlands, so
interested parties often have to travel abroad. Also, you have to ask yourself
some serious questions; do you think you could earn a living from it, and if
not or it doesn’t turn out to be as you expected, what do you do then? It takes
a long time to become a sculptor; you have to be driven, learn to look and be
prepared to give it all you’ve got. The world of three dimensions is a long
road to travel upon and as her father said: “You can want it, but you have to
have the opportunity.”
Should you want to see more of Ynskje’s work, from
April 2012, her work can be viewed in her new studio: Emmalaan 7, 9752 KR,
Haren.
Thursday, 5 April 2012
What's Hot What's Not - Beam me up Scotty
The next step in the evolution of sky travel seems to have resulted in the partial dispensing with the check-in staff.
Booking online, checking in online and printing out your boarding pass at home, to avoid the queues at the airport, has become standard procedure for most people, but at Schipol Airport
I am ushered by KLM ladies, impeccable in their bright blue uniforms and practiced smiles, to an area with a series of short queues of fellow travelers. It is here we wait for our turns at a row of waist-height white and silver cabins, each with automated, latticed metal mesh fronts that open and shut at intervals, like hungry mouths.
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My first reaction is that I’m about to be enjoy a new kind of treatment at a wellness spa, but the surroundings quickly put that idea to rest. The cabins look reminiscent of the decor from a set of the popular sci-fi series, Star Trek of the 70’s, and, as I suppress the urge to shout “Beam me up Scotty” at the top of my voice, I can’t help wondering if they have finally mastered the art of moving objects from one place to another, through space and time.
I realize I’m not the only one who’s new to this procedure, as I listen to the whispered anxieties of the Australians behind me, who then proceed to watch what I do, eagle-eyed. Blind leading the blind, I’m afraid, but, when the illuminated screen to my left requests that I heave my suitcase into the cabin, handle upwards, I oblige. A quick scan of the boarding pass and all your details appear along with the suitcase’s weight, and your allowance of 23kg. You are then asked, if this is you - ‘Press yes’. Momentarily, I wonder what kind of devilish chaos I could create if I chose ‘No’, but decide not to piss-off my fellow travelers by holding them up for my own amusement. ‘Did you pack your bag yourself’, is smile-worthy, but the potential ensuing sarcasm would be lost on a machine, at least in this century. And yes, I did omit: sharp objects, bombs, and nerve gas…this time!
All correct so far, the baggage label is printed out with the idea of being attached to your bag’s handle. Seen it done a million times, it should be easy you’d think - it’s not - the sticky part is very sticky indeed, and if you don’t get the ends attached to each other in one go, you run the risk of adding long tresses of hair, the machine wall and any rogue small children into the equation.
Final ‘Yes’ pressed and the metal mesh descends, partially obscuring the visibility of the luggage. When it opens again - abracadabra! - the suitcase has vanished. Good to go, I turn on my heel and throw a parting comment to the queue behind me: ‘And, your luggage is never seen again!’
Ok, now to spoil the magic. It does not de-materialize, the floor does not open up and swallow it, nor is there a vertical wind tunnel to dramatically suck it out of sight. If you peer through the mesh, you will see, disappointedly, that the floor rises to an incline, knocks over the case onto a conveyor belt, which then carries it off (hopefully) to the loading bay.
With time to spare I trot through passport control, and decide to opt for a drink at a bar and a spot of people watching. A different one to last time’s rip-off experience, where to my surprise a glass of white wine cost me € 9,25; gob-smacked, I gave the woman behind the bar ten euros, and said ‘Keep the change’. This time, however, a glass of cold Heineken and bag of Doritos came in at the saner cost of € 5,60.
So, with this new development in sky travel - avoiding scary scenarios like the one out of the 1986 film, ‘The Fly’ (David Cronenberg), in which Jeff Goldblum accidentally merges with a housefly during a teleportation experiment - I wonder how long it will take before I’ll be able to step into the cabin too and be ‘beamed’ to my destination.
Hear an excerpt of the story read by Alison Day: HERE
First published in the Connections magazine, Spring issue #35, 2012
View all issues of Connections HERE (editor, designer, illustrator: 2006-2013)
Tuesday, 3 April 2012
Tuesday, 27 March 2012
Eat Me
When it comes to re-defining our wasteful throw-away culture, in the ongoing battle to save the environment, this bright idea turns us into the re-cycling implements. David Edwards (Harvard University Professor and biomedical engineer), who brought us breathable food in the form of ‘Le Whaf’ has just brought out the new idea of edible containers. This means that after we have consumed our food and drink, instead of throwing the wrapping it comes in away, we will be able to consume that too!
Apparently, the packaging is made out of something called ‘WikiCells’, which are natural food membranes held together by electrostatic forces and are said to be thin delicious membranes. For the future, a ‘WikiCell Machine’ is also on the agenda, so that we can create our own packaging ourselves.
I like the idea that the choice of what to package and how much, is finally reaching the hands of the consumer, but how much of this delicious stuff would one actually want to consume? Waste reduction aside, I would imagine it could also change the face of packaging design, when it comes to shape, colour and maybe even smell.
Thursday, 22 March 2012
Letters Never Sent
Hot off the press, in the hands of Jo Parfitt (Summertime Publishing).
Recently, I was asked by Jo Parfitt of Summertime Publishing to help with the re-publication (4th) of Letters Never Sent by Ruth van Reken. This involved resetting the internals and designing a new cover. Designing the cover was wonderful - it does something when one of your designs becomes a fully-fledged book cover! Resetting the internals, however, was initially not so wonderful and became a very steep learning curve for me indeed: learning a new program, intermittent major rants, as well as loads of cups of tea. But now, mission accomplished, it's out there and I'm very pleased to have been involved in its re-issue.
Letters Never Sent, is a series of letters written in retrospect by Ruth van Reken to her parents. Although never actually posted in letter form, it is her way of documenting her earliest childhood memories, not only for them, but for herself too. In the letters, she tries to explain the separation and loneliness she experienced, whilst her missionary parents were out doing 'God's work' on placements in other countries than where she was.
From a young age, Ruth didn't see her parents for long periods of time, and we can feel the struggle and ensuing sadness inside her. We follow her journey from young girl to adult woman; notice her unwavering faith in God and her attempts to be happy and 'cope'. Often-times she is aided by a deep self-examination and an underlying feeling of shame, which emerges as her survival mechanism. All this is coupled with supportive friends, teachers and supervisors - her second family at boarding school - who help to establish her identity. Later, we are privy to her continuing journey through life: her marriage, the start of a family, and eventual following in her parent's footsteps.
Ruth van Reken is one of many whose childhood circumstances have led them to be referred to as TCK's (Third Culture Kids). This classification arises when a child lives in a third culture to which it is not native and is alien to those cultures its parents originate from. Although not a native to the third culture, the child will take it on in order to form an identity, and in doing so help to stabilize feelings of unrest or insecurity. As the movement of people the world over increases, so do the number of TCKs and global nomads at large. As a result this story may evoke a few 'Aha!' moments or a sympathetic understanding from those with similar histories.
Letters Never Sent is an insightful, poignant and interesting read for all, regardless of your religious affiliations.
For your own copy of Letters Never Sent, you can purchase it on Amazon as a Kindle edition or as a paperback .
Review: Expat Bookshop (16.04.12)
© Alison Day Designs
Wednesday, 21 March 2012
Pompous Poppy Bowl
This papiermaché bowl features a favourite design of mine that of Pompous Poppy, but there's only one available...to purchase it (plus other Alison Day Designs originals), visit my online shop here
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