But These Things Also.. / Men of Honour

52 pairs of crutches made of rose branches, cotton and kapok, with feet of moulding wax with pigment.                                                                                                                                           144 men’s portraits on canvas (15 x 20 cm each)

In 2003 I started the installation ‘But These Things Also…’, based on poems from the eponymous collection by the English poet Edward Thomas (1878-1917).                            
The installation was shown in Verwinden (B) in 2003, at the international exhibition Tempus Arti.                                                                                                                                          
My fascination with the work of English-language poets from the time around the First World War – both the so-called ‘war poets’ and the more pastoral poets – inspired an ever-growing installation. It began to look more and more like an effort to contemplate the past from the present. I was not only interested in the heroic deeds, the nationalism, the war targets or even, to a lesser extent, in the misery, death and destruction that go with war. Nor were idealism, loyalty and companionship my first concern. All those values that seem to be hovering over every war, screaming, interested me less than the personal lives involved. Themes that revolve around longing, stillness, hope, loss and homesickness. These are recurring themes in my installations, and they are also the feelings that affected me when I started to study the poetry from that period. With images that seem to lead back to the past, I tried to gain access to the individuality of these emotions.

In the exhibition ‘Mannen van eer…’ (Men of honour…)(Schijndel, 2006), for instance, not only the number of rosewood crutches with moulding wax feet was extended, but a collection of 144 (young) men’s portraits on canvas from the period from 1910 to 1930 was also shown. In the exhibition ‘Onze jongens’ (Our Boys)(Utrecht, 2009), the installation expressed my thoughts about soldiers on peace missions in our time.

Finally, after 10 years, the rosewood has been separated from the moulding wax feet, the crutches have been dismantled and the feet can resume their journey.

The first copied photo's for the 144 men's portraits on canvas 

Exhibitions:
‘Tempus Arti ‘, 14-6 t/m 14-9 2003, in Schijndel, Sint-Michielsgestel (Ned.) and Landen, Linden en Zoutleeuw (Belgium)
‘Men of honour', work of steel’, 18-3 t/m 29-4 2006, solo exhibition, KEG-expo Schijndel
‘Our boys’ ,3-1 t/m 1/2 2009 Genootschap Kunstliefde, Utrecht

'But these things also..': Carton labels for 52 pair of feet                                                                  
                                                                                                                                                                                                           

                                       First mouldings of men foot.                                 

                                        Paper protection for armpit support of tear linen, kapok and flannel.