The Transformed Bell is a reimagining of the church bell as a sculptural object and instrument. In the 17th century, the brothers François and Pieter Hemony created the first truly tuned bell: they gave the customary bell form a coherent harmonic structure—combining a strike note with a precise overtone series. In collaboration with Royal Eijsbouts, a leading bell foundry, I introduced a radically new shape—a bell cast as a cone. Achieving a full harmonic range in this unfamiliar form required the invention of a new internal acoustic profile, developed through cycles of modelling and testing over a period of twenty years. In this way, the project continues a Dutch tradition of innovation in bell-making.

Homage to Japanese Lacquer is an artistic investigation of one of the world's oldest paints. Lacquer (Chinese qi, Japanese urushi) is the sap of the lacquer tree (Toxicodendron vernicifluum), and it has been used across East Asia for nine millennia. Known in the West as Japanese lacquer, it is a highly exacting medium that demands years of experience and precise working conditions. For this reason, the project unfolds in collaboration with lacquer masters, as a sustained dialogue between conceptual approach and craft knowledge. Through this exchange, the lacquer steps beyond its traditional decorative and cultural role to become the primary subject itself, its inherent properties and possibilities guiding the work.

Harmen Brethouwer