Hoover once on a tiny island and do it systematically!
Teun is on his way to the phaeno when I talk to him about his work. He particularly likes to draw inspiration for his own works from classic films, novels and mechanical machines made of wood. The 47-year-old works in the technical department at the Science Centre Nemo in Amsterdam. He is particularly looking forward to finally seeing Paul Spooner's work "The Spaghetti Eater" (again) at the phaeno. This has inspired him to create his own work "bath time". In his bathtub, a person is naturally sitting in an abundance of LEGO® bricks.
But the idea was only in his head for many years until he was finally able to realise it in a work of art. When he was 10 years old, he found a brochure about the Cabaret Mechanical Theatre. He was so enthusiastic about the machines that he kept telling his parents about it until they finally took him there. It wasn't until 7 years ago that he found a way to recreate these wooden machines with LEGO® bricks and often interpret them a little differently.
Teun de Wijs.
The idea takes centre stage in his work. Once he has found it, it's always a case of try, try, try. Sometimes he spends more time discarding than actually making progress. He also looks forward to the visitors to the exhibition. It's especially nice when he sees the viewers of his works and they suddenly smile or grin. Then they have realised the little story that all his exhibits tell.
His son, who is 10 years old, now also enjoys building a wide variety of objects from LEGO® bricks. And his son also helped him to design the spaghetti eater a little differently. Because his spaghetti eater is now sitting in a bathtub full of bricks. Obviously, you can't eat them. So what else could the bathtub master do in the bathtub? For the son, the answer was clear: he scrubs his back, of course!
Bath Time.
When he wants to tell me more about his works, we are suddenly interrupted. Several tunnels interrupt the conversation. So I'm going to see him again at the phaeno. When I arrive at the phaeno, he is already there, setting up his work. His version made of coloured stones is now standing right next to Spooner's large work. And as soon as we say hello, he starts raving about Spooner. That's exactly how it should be. Spooner inspires Teun to create his works. And perhaps many LEGO® fans will be impressed by his work. Taylor, who builds his creations next door, is also a fan of Teun's work. I too am immediately fascinated by the stories told by each individual object.
As we speak, he is building his works from individual pieces at an incredible speed. He doesn't have a drawing of it lying next to him. All the instructions are only in his head. Take a look at Teun's accounts too.
Author: Andrea Behrens (Communication phaeno)
phaenoBricks can be seen at phaeno on 24/25 February and 02/03 March.
Numerous members of the Steineland Harz + Heide fan group will be available to provide information on both weekends.
The template for Bath Time.
The template for our main motif for phaenoBrick's "bath time" is our art object "The Spaghetti Eater" by Paul Spooner.
