A mixture of conceptual, commercial & interesting projects.
Positive Me, Campaign 2024
In this special collaboration with Korean activewear brand Positive Me, I explored the connection between fashion, sustainability, and the often hidden impact of ocean pollution.
Positive Me creates beautiful and functional activewear using recycled fishing nets, one of the most harmful forms of ocean waste. Our shared vision brought us together in Jeju island, where I was documenting a personal project about "plastic rocks". These rocks are unnatural formations created by melted plastic fusing with natural elements on the shorelines. These plastic-rock hybrids tell a haunting story about the way we consume, discard and forget.
But with this campaign we also want to show that we are not completely helpless in this waste crisis. Positive Me shows us through innovation there is a way to make a positive impact on our earth, for our body and peace of mind.
Een Knuffel, Memorial Book, 2022
A book that stands for solace and solidarity.
May 13, 2000 marks the day of the fireworks disaster in Enschede. A traumatic tragedy in the Netherlands. People from all over the Netherlands showed their supports by filling the area with flowers, cards and plush cuddly toys. From the overwhelming sea of support over 300 cuddly toys have been preserved.
Almost 20 years later in 2019 we, Monique Friesen and Ilse van der Woude, were asked by the municipality of Enschede and AKI ArtEZ to show these plush toys to the public again.
This resulted in in a book that was published in 2022. The main emphasis of the book is connection.
All plush animals are standing side by side, but with enough space to tell their own story.
Graduation show, RECOLLECTION, 2022
2020 was an absurd time to move to South Korea. All around the world borders were closing and no one knew what was going to happen. South Korea was still an unknown country to me, but every time I watched the news the Netherlands became more unfamiliar as well. For one and a half years South Korea became my home. I tried to engage in conversations and understand this new world around me. But the culture does not reveal itself so easily. Floating between these two cultures, I created a new narrative for myself. I resorted to my imagination to fill the gaps of experiences i could not immediately comprehend.
Plastic nature,
Ongoing project
During a walk on the beach some rocks caught my attention. During a closer inspection the rocks that looked natural, were formed by different types of plastic. These fake rocks are hiding in plane sight. After some research I found out that they are called Plastiglomerate. A relatively new rock which consist out of plastic particles mixed with natural sediment. These rocks are mostly found on the beach. They are seen as a potential marker of the Anthropocene, a new geological epoch, in which is about the human impact on the surface of the earth. It is a deeply sad and worrisome marker of human influence in nature. Now that our polluting waste is literally melting together with the nature around us. And therefore becomes invisible. Are you still able recognize the real rocks?
KITESURF & WING FOIL, Ongoing
Since moving to Jeju in 2021 I started to document a local kitesurfing and wing foil club. I tour with them across Jeju island, following the wind. And capture all the joys of this water sport. During the winter we all traveled to Vietnam where they also have a club and have been organizing specialized tours for over 18 years.
Suncheon, 2020
Our team was selected by the government of South Korea and JangJack to document the Suncheon area, for two weeks while touring in a camper van. As image makers and concept developers, we created film and photo material about the area of Suncheon. We did this in collaboration with local media, tourism and businesses in the Suncheon area. To stimulate tourism and awareness about this beautiful place. On our adventures journey we met a lot of friendly locals and who showed us not only the beauty of Suncheon but also the warm and kindness of the region.