On the Soft Edge of Space

Dutch contemporary artist Marleen Sleeuwits, known for her photography, objects and installations, challenges the imagination in her new artist book, On the Soft Edge of Space. In her visual experiment, the artist presents a four-tiered representation of space: her own photographs of in-between spaces are placed in a scale model, which she then photographs and arranges in the space of a book. The elegantly designed hardcover publication, covering seven years of work and with 200 full-bleed images, creates a maze-like, immersive experience for the viewer. The bare walls of the model offer no context so the viewer feels projected into a timeless vacuum. As we leaf through these rooms, we wonder: when will these spaces come to life and who will lead the waythe room or the user? Like the Light and Space artists of Southern California, Sleeuwits touches upon questions of how spatial qualities alter the viewers perception viscerally. Essay by Basje Boer, Edo Dijksterhuis and Freek Lomme.