Isa van der Heijden

We live in a system where goods lose their value at lightning speed, and we have become accustomed to everything being replaceable. We throw away what is broken, discard what is out of fashion, and what we no longer need ends up in the landfill. From there, we ship our junk en masse to the far corners of the world, where it disappears from our view and, with it, from our minds. Others may concern themselves with what happens to it after that.

Our consumption behavior has led to a throwaway society, but the problem is that what we throw away is never truly gone. In reality, we merely shift our problems onto someone else's plate. That makes it all the easier to look away and evade our own responsibility.

In this way, the true costs of producing and disposing of all those flows of goods remain hidden, yet they are certainly paid for in the form of environmental damage, health problems, and human rights violations. It shows a lack of responsibility to shift those costs onto others. This system is ultimately unsustainable and calls for a thorough overhaul.

In my graduation project, I investigate alternatives to the linear logic of producing, using, and discarding. My starting point is a part of Manuel Delanda's theory, which posits that material never disappears but constantly changes form and application. This means that one should value ‘waste’ differently; not merely as a residual product, but as an essential element in a cyclical process.

This insight, which offers me the opportunity to look at seemingly worthless material differently, is therefore a guiding motif in my work. I have systematically investigated the possibilities and qualities of items and materials that are thrown away in my own environment. By looking close to home rather than on an industrial scale, the problem remains tangible and concrete. In this way, I can experimentally investigate how these residual streams can lead to new applications through transformation and reinterpretation. By taking responsibility for these residual streams myself, space is created for other ways of thinking and making. Central to my work is how parts relate to one another and how every element, no matter how small, influences the whole. To me, systems are not abstract concepts, but something we are all part of and can therefore influence.

My work process is both systematic and intuitive: collecting, analyzing, testing, failing, and starting over. Sometimes I draw on existing techniques, sometimes I develop new ones, or unexpected combinations emerge.

The work resulting from this is not a closed design, but an element within an open system. Instead of a linear chain, I propose a circular and regenerative approach in which materials are continuously reused, acquire meaning, and can continue to evolve.

My work is a critical response to the current system of production and consumption, and offers an alternative perspective on how we deal with it.

sa.vdheijden@hotmail.com

Telefoon: 06-15304483