Homage to Japanese Lacquer centers on urushi, a medium characterized by a high degree of specialization. Its use demands planning and precision under tightly defined conditions, leaving little room for improvisation. The project is therefore realized in close collaboration with lacquer masters, where artistic decisions are tested against the medium’s strict material logic. Through this exchange, all aspects of lacquer come into view, presented on their own terms.

The Transformed Bell is a reimagining of the church bell. Since the seventeenth century, when the Hemony brothers established the principles of harmonic tuning, the bell has been defined by a precise relationship between form, material, and sound. In collaboration with Royal Eijsbouts, the traditional bell profile is replaced with a radically new form while preserving its acoustic structure. These works, referred to as Bell Bronzes, appear as static objects, but remain fully functional as instruments.

Harmen Brethouwer