During Transformatiestudio nr.1: warm of koud at CC De Adelberg (2024), the work was physically realised for the first time. Visitors eagerly applied bandages — randomly, layer upon layer, sometimes to the point of concealment. The being’s skin began to grow, thicken, and deform, as if a disease were spreading.
The act of applying bandages symbolises how problems are often approached: through superficial gestures that fail to reach the core. Each bandage appears caring, yet collectively they contribute to a shared deformation. The problem disappears from sight, leaving behind a strange, new body.
To record this gradual transformation, photographs were taken at regular intervals. The images reveal not only the changing form but also the accumulation of human intervention — the visible trace of collective good intentions.
After the exhibition, the work once again awaits a new context — a space where it can continue to grow, layer by layer. The intention is for the alien’s body to eventually transform completely through the accumulation of these collective actions.
An extraterrestrial being sits on a pedestal. In 2013, the sculpture was conceived as a thought experiment: visitors would be invited to apply adhesive bandages to the creature. The gesture was meant to expose how humans attempt to solve problems — through visible acts of care that rarely touch the core. At the time, the concept remained unrealised, an idea waiting for contact.