Amber Veel on her fascination with in-between space
In conversation with artist Amber Veel about her fascination with in-between spaces, the transitional moments in existence, and how this translates into her artworks.
The origins of her fascination
Let's start with the core of your fascination. What makes in-between space so intriguing to you?
I think the in-between space is very interesting, because that is the space in which one form of existence transitions into another form of existence. That very area of transition, constitutes the essence of existence. It's actually about how different forms of existence work together.
I think you are defined as an individual by the contact you have with others; whether that is with another animal or with a plant. But where that one individual begins and the other ends is a very fuzzy area. It's fluid, it merges slowly. My fascination lies in the area where things are not quite clear, where things are fluid. Precisely because I can't grasp it.
Has there been a specific moment in your life when this fascination arose?
I think it was always in me, from an early age. As a child I collected jars with all kinds of small objects, such as bones and plant roots. That vaguely defined area fascinated me. Later, as a nurse, I explored the skin as the boundary between body and environment. That led to my interest in border areas, in-between spaces, transitional moments, both in bodies and in natural elements such as trees.
How did you come to realize from the skin that this in-between space is also between trees?
Because growth and decay is also my interest. When is something still a body and when does it pass into the world around us? You can see that in my artworks, such as the work with the fox and metamorphosis. Then came the realization that the mycelium, with its metabolism in the earth, also forms such an in-between space.
mycelium
What is mycelium?
The mycelium is like an ingenious network of connections that moves nutrients, similar to a road network or the Internet.
Do you also see similar mycelium between people?
Between people, this is social behavior. We have a conversation and exchange information, just like a mycelium does. Some even believe in a collective consciousness in which we are all connected.
What was the process of creating the artwork?
A lot of reading and doing research. I got a lot of input from ARTIS and looked up nature, such as the dunes and my own garden. I studied root structures at Wageningen University. The actual drawing took about a month.
The artwork as part of the museum
Het kunstwerk laat zien dat alles met elkaar verbonden. is. Alles stroomt en is constant in beweging, waarbij continu nieuwe verbindingen ontstaan.
Amber Veel is kunstenaar en verzamelaar van natuurvondsten. In haar werk staat de tussenruimte en het overgangsgebied centraal, daar hoopt zij iets van grip te vinden op het vaak zo complexe bestaan.
Amber Veel
