Johnny Theodorus Wiekhart

HKU Utrecht

 

I distillate tactile experiences in an attempt to position myself in a constantly changing reality.

In this society where everything is possible and within reach because of the internet, a digital shadow becomes one’s identity. Because of this surreal wonderland I feel the irresistible urge to connect to all that’s tactile. With my work I counter the distant way the internet makes me feel to the world around me. By isolating the unique qualities of a material in an abstraction, the way a work has been made is not immediately readable. An active approach is provoked where curiosity makes the spectator aware of themselves in relation to the work.

By adding the third dimension to a painting, the shaped canvas becomes a symbiosis between painting and sculpture.

By removing the shaped canvas from the wall it becomes a freestanding object.

By adding movement from within the work a constantly changing image can be created.

In my most recent work, I added time; a clockwise 360 degrees turning black latex sphere covered in painters oil. The work turns a full circle in one minute. Because of this slow speed and the high viscosity of the oil, the liquid will evenly spread. This makes the latex an even more infinite black, slowly deforming the reflections of the space around it.

This work embodies the uncontrollable urge to reinvent the whole form to create an even more sensory experience.

 

https://www.instagram.com/johnnytheodoruswiekhart/  

Caroline Kilg

HKU Utrecht

 

Kos Inc.

Kos inc. allows you to hack the computer of the eccentric billionaire Charlie Kos. Navigate through physical puzzles and unlock the digital world.

The player controls the game through a console reminiscent of an 80’s arcade while the visuals on the screen and audio echo this.

 

http://kilg.nl/ 

Domas van Wijk

ArtEZ Arnhem

 

Domas sees himself more as a composer of things than a curator. ”I connect what already exists. Here I find myself having more in common with a plumber than a painter or sculptor”. Domas makes sound installations of recognizable readymade products. By combining products that have nothing to do with each other on first sight, the current functions of the objects are ignored. Creating a new reality in which Domas’ ever-increasing desire for authenticity and genuineness, questioned.

 

http://www.domasvanwijk.com/

Robbin Veldman

ArtEZ Zwolle

 

LEVEL DOWN

“Game addiction is a growing problem among young people. As a graphic designer, I feel responsible to do something about it. From my own experience, I know that gaming is very entertaining, but it can also drag you out of reality. My goal with LEVEL DOWN is to create awareness about the causes and consequences of game addiction. Young people from 12 to 15 year olds can hardly be influenced when it comes to game addiction. Therefore it is important to bring this topic early to the surface for discussion, what I do with an interactive animation aimed at 8- and 9- year olds. This animation contains a combination of both my painted illustrations as digital techniques, which refer to the connection between reality and fictional game world.”

 

www.robbinveldman.nl

Jip van Leeuwenstein

HKU Utrecht

 

A Diverse Monoculture

 

A Diverse Monoculture is questioning the future relationship between man and nature.

Can we use technology to find a new balance in our habitat? By creating new predators for ecosystems taken out of balance by man.

 

Introducing a predator in ecosystem has been tried before, but usually it resulted in catastrophic failures. For example in Australia the cane toad was introduced for fighting the sugarcane beetle. Which resulted in a toad plague.

 

Designing a new robotic predator has the advantage of never losing control. This will allow for searching a new balance within the ecosystem in a controlled and careful manner.

 

http://www.jipvanleeuwenstein.nl/

GABRIELLE GIJSBERS

ArtEZ Arnhem

 

if (jobDone) {

     haveFun();

}

 

This installation, or machine, consists of old computers that have finished their office jobs and now can have fun for the rest of their lives. They play with each other by tossing images around in their own network. They each edit the images in their own way,  and their processes can be heard in real time. With this project I want to encourage people to rebuild their old computers or experiment with other electronics that aren’t fully broken yet.

 

http://www.gabriellegijsbers.nl/

Paul Jansen Klomp

FMI Groningen

 

Light table

 

12 fluorescent tubes are placed in a regular pattern on a wooden support. A small computer lights and dims each tube, with a unique frequency for every tube. Coils close to the power lines are directing the current flow to the tubes. These signals are amplified and made audible through 12 loudspeakers.

 

http://paulk.nl/

Jip de Beer

FMI Groningen

 

Web Spaces

 

With Web Spaces Jip de Beer presents the structure that normally remains hidden beneath the surface of web pages. What you see in a web browser is constructed by stacking rectangular elements on top of each other with a variety in size, color and function. Take the Google search bar for example, a plain white surface, which actually has a complex support structure underneath. When explored in the interactive dual screen installation, Web Spaces – Architectural Explorations, the 2D web page transforms into a three-dimensional skyscraper, a city, or even an alien space station.

 

http://jipdebeer.media

Lee McDonald

FMI Groningen

 

Machine#6

The machine series depicts military vehicles, such as a helicopter or as a truck, made from soft cardboard and various other cheap and fragile materials. The viewer is often invited to enter or interact with the machines, although the outcomes are often pointless – for example, blowing up a balloon just to destroy it. Sometimes these absurdities are congruent with the senselessness of war. Their idiocy comes forward in silly details, for example, a helicopter with tiny, pathetic wings or when objects reach a climax and produce strange sounds. In addition to its engagement with political topics, Mc Donalds entire body of work scrutinizes the seriousness of art through its scrappy aesthetic.

Extract Text from FMI Graduation catalogue 2017
Written by Anna-Rosja Haveman & Vanessa van ‘t Hoogt

 

http://www.leemcdonald.co.uk/

Stan Haanappel + Koen van Geel

WDKA Rotterdam

 

THE FINITE BATTERY 

 

Mobile technologies creates ways to keep us connected, yet we still have one crucial problem: batteries are provisional.

This project reflects on our personal relationship with precious metals that power our phones.
We investigated the anxieties which a dead battery brings, the tricks we use to conserve capacity, and the ways it signals us when there is no power to perform. This search has focused on narratives involving the interaction between humans and batteries. It has also taught us pragmatic insights, such as we spend half of your daily battery power scrolling into the unknown.

As practitioners, we provoke, reflect, and give form to narratives that speak to the hidden relationships we have with our everyday technologies. In this case, we speak of a new daily duty to keep your smartphone alive. 

 

http://stanhaanappel.nl/

 

https://koenvangeel.hotglue.me/