was realised during my two years of research at the janvaneyck Academy in Maastricht. I am interested in social organisation and revealing the unexpected obstructions which occur in public spaces but I am also interested in the less tangible yet profound obstacles involved in learning English.

 

Recent project: Let me be your dictionary

 

Installation; Material: Eight drawings 115 cm x 85 cm and five wooden wottoros. 120 cm x 200 cm,2005

Obstacles occur in any space no matter how well organised that space is. How do people actually find their way around these obstacles? Do they wait passively or do they develop some creative way to manoeuvre around these ‘blocks’?

During my first year as a researcher at the Jan van Eyck I collected all kinds of material that was thematically connected to my research theme: Obstacles and Spatial Organization. I collected images of accidents, images of the Tour de France (I was extremely impressed by the logic of the movements of the peloton) and images of the city of Maastricht.

Furthermore I collected videos and drawings. Throughout the year I had ammassed a lot of information and material. And all the while I was working on my biggest personal obstacle: language. Being in an environment where people spoke mostly english, I had to quickly find a way to be able to speak the language.

In the evenings I grabbed the Guardian newspaper from the tables or fiddled them out of the paper container. I also studied the dictionary for hours. I think by now I have read it word by word. With this installation I want to give some insight on how I try to find my way around my biggest obstacle: The Language. I don’t speak English fluent yet, but if you want me to be: I can be your dictionary.

(This project has been made possible by the support of Unesco)