A Corner of Home Sarah van Rij
A Corner of Home
Sarah van Rij
Published 1 May, 2020
In the days that have passed and the days that are to come, we'll all be spending more time indoors. A Corner of Home collects photographic studies and new works made by artists in their immediate environments; small snapshots of the impulse to create.
Edited by Trine Stephensen and Joanna Cresswell
1. Where are you living at the moment and how has that environment shaped you creatively? Can you tell us about a favourite detail of this place and why?
I’m currently based in Amsterdam and peddle back and forth between there and a family cottage in the forest in the Veluwe. As I usually travel quite a lot, my home in Amsterdam is a really important base – it reflects my personality and the work I make, but is also a haven of peace. I love art and my home is colourful though balanced. The cottage in nature is a lovely escape, especially now. In times like these I really appreciate the beauty and space there is in nature even more.
2. How have you looked at the materials of home differently in the past weeks? Are there parts of it that have revealed themselves to you in new ways?
I have definitely started looking at details in my home differently in the past weeks. Normally I make most of my work out on the streets in all of those places I visit. Now, since the world has become a still life on it’s own and I’m limited in space, I have started focusing more on still life settings, and this includes working with things around the house.
3. Tell us about how you’ve been using photography lately? What are you making or putting in front of the lens?
As mentioned above, since covid 19 I have started experimenting more with still lifes – something I wasn’t doing before the current situation. If you have the urge to create in these times you have to be open and adapt to the space and its limitations. I can’t compare the work process and energy of creating still lifes with working on the street as it’s so different, but I do think it’s interesting diving into this part of my creativity.
