Alien Care
Transformations
Start 2013 - Alien Care
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.
2024 - Bandage Phase 1
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.