Vibrant colours, nature and art, what a great mix for an animation. How did your wonderfully crafted film come about?

The Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam commissioned me with the goal to attract more visitors to the Matisse exhibition that has been on for the last few months here. So I responded with a creative idea to make a video to which people would respond positively, and also think about visiting the museum again.

Matisse was famous for his cut-outs, and he was always inspired by nature and the female form. So I sat in my usual coffee place in Amsterdam and came up with the idea of ‘cutting out’ the nature, literally. A simple idea, if executed well could be nice. What also added to the idea was that Matisse was ill later in life, and he wanted to bring nature inside of his apartment. I wanted the video to have a magical but sophisticated feel, as if an invisible artist was behind it all, orchestrating all of this. While keeping it a little subtle, so not hundreds of flying papers.

Apart from Matisse were there any other influences?

I love the work of artist/director Daniel Askill because he uses fashion, choreography and a strong sense of design in his work. My work is heading in that direction too.

You moved back to Amsterdam 18 months ago from working in London. What prompted the decision to move and how has your work been influenced by the move?

I moved back to Amsterdam from London 18 months ago because I felt it was hard to experiment and develop my voice in London. Every day of just living was a missed day of opportunity financially. The work/life balance was getting a little heavy towards one side. I feel since being back in Amsterdam there’s a wonderful crowd of young directors and other artists around me that I am actually in touch with (Amsterdam is small). We support each other a lot in our escapades and this put a lot of fun back in the work!

See production stills in Related Content