Christa van der Meer

My work is a visual investigation into the relationship between people and objects. I am specifically concerned with the way in which we identify with objects and project our feelings onto them. For example, we can feel endearment for a small plant, we can name cars (Wanda the Panda) and we can emotionally bond to an old sweater. A recurring theme in my work is the anthropomorphic; attributing human characteristics to non-human beings and objects. The origin of my practice lies in fashion. The decision to abandon the production of clothing collections creates space for me to focus on the relationship people have with clothing and other objects, and to develop this through constantly changing project forms. This quest is central to the collective Das Leben am Haverkamp, consisting of Anouk van Klaveren, Dewi Bekker, Gino Anthonisse and myself. By uniting ourselves, we try to free ourselves from categories and expectations: we create a free zone in which we can question and reinvent the importance and meaning of fashion in our time. Together we reflect on fashion as a phenomenon in relation to identity and as a collective system of unwritten rules.