Something came in between

I'm currently working on my conceptual project - one that’s close to my heart - called something came in between. It’s about all the less pleasant sides op parenting. The little letters in the imaginary contract you didn’t read. The ones that on one is telling you about, but all parents recognise. The ones that break up your daily structure you’re trying to find with a newborn or young child. 

And besides the fact that the title is about all interruptions in a parent life, it also refers to my own lifecycle. It has been my biggest dream coming true to have and raise three sons in the past nine years, but it was quite an interruption to my artistic career. 

After all those years I finally feel the headspace again to add a conceptual layer to my tuft works and I’m happy to be able to share my processing of recent years with you in this way. 

Ik ben momenteel bezig met mijn conceptuele project - een project dat me nauw aan het hart ligt - genaamd "Something came in between". Het gaat over alle minder prettige kanten van het ouderschap. De kleine lettertjes in het denkbeeldige contract dat je niet hebt gelezen. Hetgeen waar niemand je over vertelt, maar die alle ouders herkennen. Die dingen die je dagelijkse structuur verstoren die je probeert te vinden met een pasgeborene of jong kind.

En naast het feit dat de titel gaat over alle onderbrekingen in het leven van een ouder, verwijst het ook naar mijn eigen levenscyclus. Het was mijn grootste droom die uitkwam om in de afgelopen negen jaar drie zoons te hebben en op te voeden, maar het was ook nogal een onderbreking van mijn artistieke carrière.

Na al die jaren voel ik eindelijk weer de ruimte in mijn hoofd om een conceptuele laag toe te voegen aan mijn werken en ik ben blij dat ik mijn verwerking van de afgelopen jaren op deze manier met jullie kan delen.

Leaks

You only have to think about feedings and it already starts. And just when you think you have it under control, you'll see a child crying in the supermarket and, out of reflex, you'll start leaking spontaneously.

80 cm x 90 cm

tufted with loop- and multiple cutguns

100% mothproof wool

including poplar wood frame

Privacy

The feeling that you can't sacrifice any more self-respect, that you can't even have a peaceful moment to yourself in the bathroom. But even with a whining child on the other side of the doorknob, the small room can feel like a blissful sanctuary.

70 cm x 90 cm

tufted with loop- and multiple cutguns

100% mothproof wool

including poplar wood frame

Dinner mess

With love and hope, you set the plate of food on the table and pull up the high chair. It can happen either out of enthusiasm or disapproval, but who has to clean it all up again?

107 cm x 142 cm

tufted with loop- and multiple cutguns

100% mothproof wool

including poplar wood frame

I'm done!

If they say this, it means you can start working. It stinks, but it's also an intimate connection that I feel grateful for. The fact that a child feels comfortable letting you do this indicates how much they love you.

86 cm x 114 cm

tufted with loop- and multiple cutguns

100% mothproof wool

including poplar wood frame

Explosion

Isn't this the softest and cuddliest exploded diaper you have ever seen?

61 cm x 102 cm

tufted with loop- and cutgun

100% mothproof wool

including poplar wood frame

Reflux

Quite often you can recognize a young parent by this mark on their back. It usually makes them feel ashamed and proud at the same time.

71 cm x 88 cm

tufted with loopgun and cutgun

100% mothproof wool

including poplar wood frame

Spilled milk

With every turnover the pattern is a surprise again.

30 cm x 30 cm

tufted with loopgun and multiple cutguns

100% mothproof wool

including poplar wood frame

Appelstroop

The typical Dutch spread all first sandwiches are topped with. After the first bites you will make these on a daily basis.

33,5 cm x 43 cm

tufted with loopgun and cutgun

100% mothproof wool

including poplar wood frame

Pacifier

The golden key to silence and tranquility. It's the lifesaver that you never want to lose or get dirty.

30 cm x 30 cm

tufted with loopgun and multiple cutguns

100% mothproof wool

including poplar wood frame