Discipline: Multidisciplinary spatial installation / Museum sculpture

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Context: Created within the framework of DeKANTFABRIEK (Ninove, 2018) as an autonomous, spatial installation designed to interact flexibly with the architecture of the exhibition space.

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Methodology: 28 hand-sculpted white ceramic sculptures positioned on individual white plinths with integrated silent loudspeakers, physically interwoven into a single social sculpture through a visible network of rope and plastic cables.

 

​Concept and Vision

STAKEHOLDERS for a MORE connected World is a monumental museum installation that uses 28 sculpted ceramic heads to examine human expression, the communication vacuum, and the necessity of essential dialogue. Created in an era defined by geopolitical fragmentation and societal walls, the work functions as an urgent call to open our eyes: as a society, we are all in the same boat and must start talking with one another again, rather than living past each other.The installation demonstrates the compelling urge to speak, yet simultaneously reflects the tragedy that the voice fails to reach the other. It functions as a mirror that forces the viewer into deep self-reflection on how we must rebuild communication from the bottom up.​

 

Spatial Design and Materiality

The physical structure directly confronts the viewer with the inability to achieve genuine communication within an over-technologised world. The 28 ceramic sculptures function as the primary protagonists and key figures within the space. In place of the mouth, inscriptions such as “Talk to me / Talk to me not” have been applied—a powerful symbol of the silencing and the barriers that regulate human interaction today.Each sculpture is positioned on an individual white plinth in which a loudspeaker is integrated. These speakers, however, are deliberately disconnected; they remain functionally dead, enveloping the space in an impressive, tangible silence. Universally, the plinths and sculptures are inextricably interwoven by a complex, binding network of plastic cables and ropes. This network reflects the paradox of our modern age: we are technologically and digitally connected to the absolute maximum, yet authentic, meaningful human connection is absent.

 

​Interaction and Visual Impact

The installation forms an on-site landscape that completely redefines the gallery environment, compelling the audience to navigate around and look through the intricate web of connections. The stark visual contrast between the pure white ceramic heads and the industrial complexity of the non-functioning cables creates a dramatic aesthetic tension.By freezing the potential of sound through the deliberately silent, built-in speakers, the visual impact shifts from an acoustic expectation to a profound physical experience of stillness. This confrontation challenges the viewer to question their own role as a stakeholder in a fragmented yet hyper-connected society.

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