1. Where were you born and where are you from ?

I’m born and raised in Bergeijk, a small village in the south of The Netherlands. Around 10 years ago I moved to Eindhoven, where I am currently still live.

2. What is your first memory connected to the art world ?

I think my first connection to the art world came quite late. It started when I saw work of Adam Neate featured in a tv commercial, a street art artist from London. Seeing his work, and other graffiti artist got me convinced to go to art school. During Art school my interest in art and design really exploded.

3. Have you always worked in the art/design field ?

Besides the occasional side jobs when I was younger, I tried to work as soon as possible in the design field.
During my art studies I did internships at a few design studios and ended up working as freelancer at those studios. The freelance work was perfect job next to my school work. I learned a lot from them and could implement what I learned directly in my own work. Now, after graduation I still work for some of those studios and some other contacts that I got through them.

4. What led you to the design creation ?

The first art school I entered had many different directions and departments which I could choose. To be honest, I really didn’t knew by then what direction I wanted to go within the creative field. I was still exploring all the possibilities which were there. I basically choose the direction in school where I could use the workshop the most, since this was for me the most fun part of school. Making stuff, exploring materials, etc. From there I slowly moved more and more towards products, furniture and design.

5. How would you describe your creative process and it influences ?

I’m interested in how stuff is made and why it is made in a certain way. I can easily spend an entire evening watching videos of people or machines making things, whatever the final product is.
This fascination of craft, production technique and material is also always my starting point of my creative process. I look at a material or at a technique and start experimenting with it and finally I try to transform it in something new.

6. Could you describe a typical day of your work ?

My day at the studio always starts with coffee and emails. Afterwards I try to always do some thing in the workshop, since I want to keep making and not sit behind the computer to much. In-between I’m often sketching, working out new ideas and browsing through my art books for references.

7. Why did you choose the specific materials you work with ?

Since graduating I mostly work with metal. I remember I used to hate working with steel. I challenged myself back then to learn to work with a new material and different production techniques, so I ended up with a big love for metal. Now I feel it’s time again to start challenge myself to work with a different material once more.

8. What are the technical particularities of your creations ?

My current work is based on material tension. My furniture collection is made without the use of any screws, welds or any other fasteners, and make it look as clean and simple as possible, which was the biggest challenge of them all. The different components of my furniture pieces are connected by tension in sheet metal, which holds all the pieces where they should be.

9. What advices could you give to beginning artists who would like to create sculptural design works ?

My advice is to just start making, and keep on making, reflecting and making.

10. If your works had to belong to a design movement, in which one would you define it ?

Bauhaus

11. What designers have influenced you ?

Enzo Mari, Piet Hein Eek, Gio Ponti, etc.

12. What contemporary designers do you appreciate ?

Jonathan Nesci, Max Lamb, Johan Viladrich, etc.

13. What contemporary artists (in any kind of art) have you been inspired by ?

Donald Judd, Andre Volten, Richard Nonas, Ellsworth Kelly, Scott Burton, Carl Andre, and many more.

14. If you had to summarize your creations in one word or sentence, what would it be ?

My work is straightforward; the appearance of the objects are a consequence of material and technique.

Proust Questionnaire with very short answers (one or a few words) :
(The Proust Questionnaire is a set of questions answered by the French writer Marcel Proust. Other historical figures who have answered confession albums are Oscar Wilde, Karl Marx, Arthur Conan Doyle, Stéphane Mallarmé, Paul Cézanne…)