Maria Oosterveen
Maria Oosterveen joins our matching program where she will develop Crrrshd 1.2, a new iteration of her previous performative wearable piece Crrrrshd 1.1.
Crystalline structures
Tense, uncomfortable, dark yet mesmerising. The crystals’ growth is visible to the eye, like someone who breaks and grows slowly over the years.
Crrrshd 1.2 is a is a full-length wearable piece in which chemical physics meets circular design and handwork. The performative garment is a combination of 3D-printed pieces which are tied together by free-style crocheted sections. The dress is also partially overgrown with crystals which are derived from skin-safe salts and interact with the movement of the wearer. With each of her movements, the different surfaces of the dress rub against one another and cause bits of crystals to fall off. These leave their trace in space and on the body of the performer before being regrown over and over again. Through this process, she questions our society's assumptions about what kind of material are deemed renewable.
As part of her research process, Maria explored the relationship between different organic patterns found in nature and their effect on the growth of crystals. The patterns were drawn from onion cells, eukaryotes and beehive structures and had an impact on the shape and formation of the crystals on which they were grown. These results are incorporated into the final design.
Profile
Maria Oosterveen
Maria Oosterveen combines her prior background as a chemist with her love for handcrafted materials in her artistic practice. She often uses performative instruments and evolving materials to question the interconnection of technology with our bodies. Her work draws equally from careful scientific methods and the handcrafting women of her family. She holds a degree in Analytic Chemistry from Hogeschool Saxion, a bachelor in Art Science from Koninklijke Academie van Beeldende Kunsten (KABK) and is part of the artist run community iii.