artist statement

Joeke van der Veen

Joeke van der Veen (1994, The Netherlands) strives to create a connected world for children and adults. Her work can be described as sensitive, inquisitive and engaged. At her studies at the Willem de Kooning Academy Rotterdam Joeke discovered her passion for experimental research. During an internship at Studio Claudy Jongstra she combined this passion with her fascination for raw materials such as wool, silk and natural dyes. Afterwards, the spinning, weaving, dyeing and felting techniques were used for an in-depth research project at the research institute Waag Society. The project is called Human as Resource, and attempts to reduce the pollution of the wool industry by considering the human body as a source of materials. After her studies, Joeke developed her

“ creating a connected world ”

love for crafts and experimental research by exploring the area of new technologies, such as 3D printing, lasercutting and CNC. During her residency at Pier 9 in San Francisco and her work at several makerspaces and her own company Meekit, she used these maker skills to empower (refugee) children and to create a community of young makers. The idea of being connected with yourself, others and your environment has always been characterizing the projects of Joeke.Her latest project, The Pudding, embodies her answer to the lack of connection in a fast, digital and capitalistic world. The Pudding is a metaphor for the bigger whole that connects us with each other and the world around us. Through poetry, theory, philosophy and imagery, Joeke researches The Pudding and contributes to a connected world.

find more info at: www.joekevanderveen.com

portfolio

Joeke van der Veen

do it yourself together

Meekit was founded to motivate young makers to work with technologies and use their creativity. Ever since, Meekit has transformed in a total concept consisting of three elements: an online platform, maker activities and toolkits full of materials. Meekit was funded by a crowdfunding campaign at Voordekunst.nl and designated “Project of the Month” by Voordekunst Kiest. In cooperation with Bouwkeet, Gembird B.V. and Heutink B.V.Ongoing project.

Building a community of young makers.

connect + cre-aid

Connect + Cre-Aid started with the question what refugee children need most. A safe home and their family, of course. But also a new feeling of connection with themselves and the world surrounding them. The project contains 52 cards with challenges, a notebook and a toolkit. By (re)connecting, the children are encouraged to feel trust again and to find joy in the simple things of daily life. Once the children feel connected, they can start to shape the world around them. In this context, creating has so much more to offer than only the skill to “make things”. Being able to create, means being able to create your own safe place and maybe even your own future. In cooperation with Irma Smegen.Ongoing project.

Empowering refugee children to (re)connect.

the pudding

It’s the idea of full connection with the world around us, that is essential for The Pudding. In a time where we’re living as autonomous individuals, solely focused on success and power, we’ve lost connection with everything of value. We tend to see our successes, but also our failures, purely as a result of our own actions. The Pudding is a metaphor for the bigger whole that connects us with each other and the world around us. Through poetry, theory and philosophy, the idea of The Pudding is being explored. The beliefs and observations are supported by great historical and contemporary thinkers, such as Baruch Spinoza, Charles Darwin and Daniel Kahneman.Ongoing project.

Offering a sense of awareness and trust in the bigger whole.

We see the water running, and recognize the flow, not the drops.

We see the leaves moving, and point at the wind as the driving force.

We see the trees collapse under the heavy snow, and do not condemn.

We see the moss, green and alive in one place, dry and arid in the other.

Instead of blaming the moss, we accept the circumstances as the breeding

ground of the living.

Then we look at ourselves, and we see the drop, not the flow.

We point at the movement, and are blind for the driving force.

We condemn the weakness, and are not capable of recognizing the breeding

ground under our own feed.

human as resource

The only way to keep the fashion industry profitable for ourselves and our environment, is to keep looking for alternative materials, resources and techniques. Human as Resource introduces the human body as a source of materials by investigating the possibility of using human materials for the production process of wool.In this project “menschenwater”, also known as urine, is used for its bleaching and degreasing effect on wool. Afterwards, the urine can be recycled as fertilizer for farmlands. This provides a whole new vision on the human body and the production cycle of textile. In cooperation with Claudy Jongstra and Waag Society.2015 - 2016

Designing a whole new production cycle.

A garment is nothing without the body. The body gives shape and form to the garment. But what if it is the other way around? Let the garment work as a medium to express emotions while listening to the language of the body. By using folding techniques and interactive technologies, such as the Arduino and a bending sensor, a garment was created that measures the emotion of the body and expresses it through color. In cooperation with Michelle Lievaart.2015

unfold

Using technologies to express emotions through garments.

The digital world has been providing us with a veil of anonymity. Our privacy is fading away and we are becoming more and more a number to our society. As a result we try to blend in with our urban environment, like chameleons. This series of photographs explores a new perspective on the human body and the role it plays in our society. In cooperation with Kim van Aalderen, Maartje Leek and Robin Hendriks.2014

disconnected from this world

Exploring the connection between citizens and their urban environment.

frameworks

The design field is changing. Internet and technologies make it impossible for design to remain exclusive. Boundaries between designers and users become blurred. By giving users access to their design process and seeing them as a source of value, designers are developing a new design approach: participatory design. The essay Frameworks proposes a new division of roles for the designer and the user within a design process. A group of participants joined the writing process by using the Cadavre Exquis technique, a method mainly used by poets to finish each others poems. The result is a participative essay about participatory design.2014

Transforming the designer into a developer of frameworks.

curriculum vitae

Joeke van der Veen

Joeke van der Veen

www.joekevanderveen.cominfo@joekevanderveen.com

Bachelor ‘Lifestyle & Design’

Willem de Kooning Academy Rotterdam2012– 2016

Researcher at Joeke van der Veen, creating a connected world2018 – present

Founder at Meekit, building a community of young makers2016 – present

Workshop assistant at Bouwkeet Rotterdam, makerspace for underprivileged youth2016 – 2018

Steward at Stadslab Rotterdam, makerspace of the Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences for creative technologies2015 – 2016

Volunteer at Printroom Rotterdam, presentation space and publisher dedicated to artists’ publications and riso printing2014 – 2015

work + experience

general info + education

Summerschool ‘Science Through Theatre’, Greece2018

Graduation internship at Waag Society, Amsterdam2016

Artist in Residency at Pier 9, San Francisco2015

Internship at Studio Claudy Jongstra, Spannum2015

residencies + internships

Installation ‘Draw It Together’ at the Eindhoven Maker Faire, Twente Maker Faire, Makkum Art, Into The Great Wide Open, Vlieland and Kinderboekenweek, Rotterdam2017 – present

Exhibition ‘Finals’ at the Willem de Kooning Academy, Rotterdam2016

Exhibition ‘Digital Craft’ at art and tech center V2, Rotterdam2014

exhibitions + installations

Contributions for The Future Society NL2018 – present

Lecture ‘Creating Creates Happiness’ at Shanghai Toy Fair, STEAM Convention and several primary schools, ChinaIn cooperation with Irma Smegen2018

Printed article ‘Co-Design With Children’ in STEAM Magazine2016

Online article ‘Human as Resource: How human materials can help us reconsidering our production system’ at Waag.org2016

Self-published article ‘Frameworks: How participatory design transformed the designer into a developer of frameworks’2014

publications + presentations

find more info at: www.joekevanderveen.com