images



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notes


¹ china ink illustrations for the project i opened a bar

² lyrics of the song i opened a bar by Sophie Hunger

³ map of a Neukölln (Berlin) bar 

⁴ mapping research about the use of light and space in a bar’s context (Stratumseind, Eindhoven, the Netherlands)

⁵ l-night sign used when I was organizing meetups for lesbian women in Eindhoven, the Netherlands

07. Bars and illustrations (?!)

I have a special relationship to bars. They are my favorite place to be surprised, meet people I would otherwise never meet and… conduct research!

For a mapping course given at Design Academy Eindhoven (2016), I have researched the effects of light and space in the context of the bars of Stratumseind, a famous bar street in Eindhoven. I have visited more than 30 bars during the research. My final map depicts the lightning situation, the spatial arrangement of the bars and some of the conversations I had in the bars, aiming to shine a light on the special atmospheres of bars.

I am fascinated by what makes a bar such a social place, a place where one feels welcome, a place to let the time pass, a place to have conversations with friends or strangers. To me, it becomes an extension of the living room. Where does this familiarity come from? I am fascinated by this feeling and I am drawn to exploring what creates it in various ways. My project L as in Walking is also related to the feeling of acceptance and welcoming in public space, which is closely related to these questions.

A project in Berlin in the months of November to December 2019 has brought me back to the bar theme. Inspired by the song I Opened a Bar by singer Sophie Hunger, I have illustrated each verse of the song. In the given bar scenes, experienced moments as well as imaginary situations are merging. As the frontier between reality and imagination starts to blur, so do the depicted bodies which are transforming from human to monster.