How does technology inspire artists? In this feature, an artist explains.
Text Leonie Kapiteyn
© Photos Tiwánee van der Horst
Tiwánee van der Horst
Technology as a brush Text Leonie
For artist Tiwánee van der Horst, technology is no standard tool. It’s a catalyst for exploring the boundaries of art and creative processes. Van der Horst studied at TU Delft and completed her architecture studies in 2016 with the thesis: ‘The city as Canvas, Architecture as Painting. An intuitive approach to 3D-printing’.
In practice, she quickly realised that the digitisation of design processes in architecture had dramatically changed her creative contribution, so she decided to follow her own path in art. Van der Horst believes that technology and art are inextricably linked.
“I use technology to create my art. I question the tools I am given and think about how I can adapt them to better suit my chosen creative process. With my sculptures, I explore which alternative forms are made possible by using technology differently.”
From recycling to regeneration Van der Horst developed a 3D painting machine that enables her to create sculptures from melted, recycled plastic. It operates on a balance mechanism, which makes the relatively large 3D brush easy to control. She plays with gravity, the solidification process and the fluidity of plastic threads to create artistic shapes and structures and draws inspiration from painting, nature and architecture.
After years of working with recycled plastic, Van der Horst is now experimenting with algae bioplastic – a biodegradable material that decomposes within a few weeks. She’s exploring how to create landscapes and habitats from algae thread, which also calls on her fascination with textile techniques. One of Tiwánee van der Horst’s sculptures will be on display in the Plastics Lab of TU’s Science Centre at the end of 2025. This work engages with existing architectural elements of the lab and shows how technology and craftsmanship can be intertwined.