One of the few things I can remember from history class at high school was the ‘stand und spielbein’ position which was widely used in Greek sculpture. Where the standing leg supports the body, the playing leg can move freely.
I asked my friend Stella to come to my studio to photograph her ‘spielbein’. At the end of the shoot Stella washes her blue ‘spielbein’ clean. From that moment I saw a ritualistic act happening in front of me. I made a connection between the ‘standbein’, as the masculine side in a person, and the ‘spielbien’ as the feminine side in a person. So she was cleaning her spielbein as an act of cleaning the feminine side in her.

'Ze vraagt zich af of zwervers ook to-do lijstjes maken.'

'Op een dag zoals vandaag zou ze wereldleider willen zijn omdat er dan veel keuzes en beslisingen gemaakt kunnen worden. Misschien is een dag niet genoeg.
Als wereldleider zal ze zichzelf van kant maken, als activistische daad.'


'Ze denkt dat de doden de stoplichten besturen, al weet ze dat het niet zo is, toch gelooft ze het.'

'Sinds kort heeft ze een boormachine,
ze draagt vaak joggingbroeken,
vind het fijn dat je als fietser kan afstappen en dan voetganger bent.'


'Zou water willen zijn. Je komt dan overal doorheen, je bent overal.
Water valt ook op andere planeten te vinden.'

'Ze wilt dat het goed met je gaat.
Ze wilt dat het goed met je gaat.'

Toe, Val
Text (fragments) written by Trees Heil
in collaboration with Judith Bruynzeels and Maarten Van Hinte on physical theater and text
Played by Thyra Jansen, Felix Draisma and Trees Heil
Likeminds, Factory 

Short stops, A search for the relationship between freedom and direction, 2019
It was a personal necessity that made me question the relationship between freedom and direction. I wondered how these themes can relate to each other, instead of only considering them as opposites. Stort stops consist of three parts. In the first part, I construct eleven group discussions. This is a subjective collection of sources from the visual arts, philosophy, and psychology. I let my favorite thinkers and visual artworks converse with each other. The conversations don’t provide fixed answers but point out ideas, questions, and possibilities. They show a diversity of visions and perspectives that come together and co-exist. In the second part an unplanned meeting between me and a stranger takes place. This sketch points out the interaction between me, the camera and the subject. A playing field is created where there is a constant switch between steering and being guided. The third part of the research is a log book in which I write the personal questions and insights that I gained throughout this research. These notes are an indirect reflection to the first part. With the different approaches in the three parts I aim to investigate the relationship between direction and freedom both visually as content-wise.

Designed by Marijn van Der Leeuw 21x14,5

Period Pride, 2019
With this project I question what is the physical and emotional state of women during their menstrual cycle and what role does it play in their life. This starts with a conversation. Different women shared their experiences with me and I responded with a visual interpretation to their stories. It is my intention to give the menstrual cycle attention and appreciation, show what is normally hidden and of such importance for the inner world and physical body.