The touchables are part of a work that I presented at my graduation exhibition at the Gerrit Rietveld Academie entitled collection. ‘Collection’ consists of a cupboard filled with strange, colourful objects made of glass, feathers and textile. There are also two large, strange plush objects and a very small ‘human body’. The cabinet is modern, but its contents are reminiscent of art and curiosity cabinets: a presentation of naturalia, man-made art, and exotic objects. 

The touchables have an organic look but are so strange that you have no idea whether it is a plant, an organism from the water, a strange animal form, or an art object. The coloured flock and feathers give an exotic impression. Their unfamiliar appearance evokes curiosity and astonishment. When you touch them, they often feel very different than you would expect. They put you on the wrong track, give you a different perception, and show you that what you see with your eye is not necessarily what you feel with your hands. Sometimes there is an unexpected sound. 

With ‘collection’, I wanted to give the audience a special experience by also letting them feel the objects, because I have a great need to touch things myself. I like to know whether something feels soft or hard, cold or warm and whether it is a heavy or light material. The tactile experience contributes to my overall perception of things. In a museum, I often feel the need to touch a work, which, unfortunately, but understandably, is not allowed. I wanted to do this differently for my exhibition. When collecting things, I indicated that people could pick up the touchables and feel them. People really liked being allowed to touch the objects. However, this permission apparently also gave them the idea that they did not have to be careful. I was no longer comfortable and changed my plan of approach. I said nothing more about touching and decided to observe the visitors. Many people couldn’t resist a sneaky touch. Some asked me if they could touch a work. When they were allowed to feel it carefully, or I put the object in someone’s hands especially, the experience was totally different: people were attentive and concentrated. The exclusivity of the experience and the awareness that something is vulnerable and valuable turned out to have a great influence on the experience.

I made the touchables in a two years. They are various objects made of glass and textiles, for which I worked with different techniques such as glassblowing, blowing in sand, sandcasting, moulding, hot-forming, sandblasting, grinding, etching, flocking, stitching and glueing.