'Home Sweet Home Sick' is a project that took place during 3 months as an artist-in-residence in 7x11 in Ypenburg, NL. Ypenburg is part of the Dutch Vinex neighborhoods; newly developed, rather anonymous looking residential areas where the residents have all recently moved. For the project, 9 residents volunteered to describe their feelings of homesickness. For each participant, a series of drawings was made, reflecting their feelings of loss.

T1

Drawing for T., homesick for how things used to be

21 x 21 cm, colored pencil

After an initial interview, a drawing was made, and another appointment scheduled, for the participant to return and make comments on the drawing. Based on these remarks, another drawing was made, and so on until a conclusion was reached.

T2

21 x 21 cm, colored pencil

Ultimately the subject of the drawings became the process of searching for something that cannot be recovered.

T3

21 x 21 cm, colored pencil

Though it eventually became clear that it would be impossible to return to the thing that was longed for, something else appeared in its place; namely that art can sometimes be a consolation.

T4

21 x 21 cm, colored pencil

At the end of the period of 3 months, an exhibition was held in the building where the residency was housed in Ypenburg.

Series of 4 drawings for T. and 5 drawings for R.

M. was homesick for her old house in the center of the city. Her reaction on seeing this drawing was, "The color isn't right. But it's empty, so it still holds a sort of promise inside of it. But the lines should still move from the edges into the center."

M1

21 x 21 cm, colored pencil

"No, this isn't it. This is too abstract. And this color isn't right either. And the shape of the roof is wrong. This is a pointed roof, it's too common; it should be longer and more narrow, like a house in the city."

M2

21 x 21 cm, colored pencil

"The shape of the house is good, but not the color of the city. The red should be intenser, busier; this looks too much like brick. And there is too much of a difference between inside and outside, there should be more interaction between the house and the city."

M3

21 x 21 cm, colored pencil

"The house is now right, only there should be more interaction between the inside and outside, as if the house stands in a ray of sunlight. And the colors should be brighter, like in a mosaic."

M4

21 x 21 cm, colored pencil

"Yes, this is perfect. I've fallen a little bit in love with it."

M5

21 x 21 cm, colored pencil

Series of 4 drawings for A., 6 drawings for C. and 5 drawings for M.

L. was homesick for spontaneousness. When she saw the first drawing her reaction was, "This looks like a contemporary condolence card."

L1

21 x 21 cm, colored pencil

"Homesickness is always a distance between two points; to feel it you have to have left something behind you. Where you are now is somewhere else that where you used to be. This drawing is better than the first one, it's lighter and has more color. But what should be next? I don't know, it's your drawing..."

L2

21 x 21 cm, colored pencil

"No, this isn't it. I liked the second one better."

L3

21 x 21 cm, colored pencil

"No, not really, I still liked the second one better..."

L4

21 x 21 cm, colored pencil

Series of 4 drawings for L.,  and 5 drawings for H.

Series of 6 drawings for B.