In Shields and Shelter I applied step by step the guidelines that I have developed to achieve safe and comfortable zones using my own fear experiences. These guidelines involve architectural concepts like shielding and view, shadow and light, flexibility versus rigidity. The perfect safe zone to me is a flexible space which gives one freedom and privacy but which is not enclosed. As basis for the design drawings I used an aerial photo from Google Earth of Flevoparkbad. From each towel, I constructed lines of sight from 120° angle views. Through shading these 120° triangles a map emerges with different degrees of surveillance. The darker the area, the more views. At the darkest areas the view must be blocked. Therefore I developed shields, which can be slided along rails that follow the lines of sight. This allows the bathers to adjust their exposure to others according to their own wishes.

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2006-2007 Mediamatic, Amsterdam Exhibition Design

2002- 2004 Mediamatic, Amsterdam Legal advisor and financial manager

1999 – 2001 Thümmel, Schütze & Partner, Law firm, BerlinLegal advice in the field of
German and European business law

1998 – 1999 GlobaLex, International alliance of law firms, Brussels Legal advice in the
field of European law, international legal relations and German business law

1997 - 1999 Court of Appeal Berlin, Articled clerkship

Doctoral thesis

1995 -2000 “Cross-border injunctions of consumer organisations“
Humboldt University of Berlin

Studies

since 2011 Master Interior Architecture at Sandberg Institute, Amsterdam

2007 – 2010 Architectural Design at Gerrit Rietveld Academie, Amsterdam

2004- 2006 Architecture at TU Delft (not finished)

1999 Second legal state examination in Berlin

1995 First legal state examination in Berlin

1992 - 1995 Law studies at the University of Hamburg

1990 - 1992 Law studies at the Albert Ludwigs University of Freiburg

The Steim building is full of objects, furniture and architecture from the past 27 years. We did not wanted to replace this stuff with new furniture, but organize and emphasize the variety of all objects with their own story. We put the objects and architecture “on stage” by painting their own - artificial - shadows. If furniture is moved or replaced after a certain time, geometric shapes remain on the walls. This way, the objects leave their traces. We painted shadows on three floors and in the concert hall. The images show a small selection of the whole variety.

The sea was filmed for patients of the St Jansdal hospital, who could watch the sea with their waves, tides, surf, and sounds 24 hours per day live on their televisions from their beds. Every 5 minutes - i.e. 288 times a day - a film still was shot and saved on an ever-growing online archive. In addition to live images of the sea on their televisions, the hospital’s patients also received a weekly post card featuring sea images that were shot during the previous week.

On the roof of the central operating building of the Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management in Zeeland (Ir. J.W. Topshuis), we positioned a camera in a special outdoor housing, which recorded the sea and sounds for a period of a year (2009). This gave the patients a "window" to the sea. Like the (diseased) human body, the sea is an example of a strong cycle that we cannot control, a self-regulatory cycle.

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The purpose of this intervention was to create a safe zone within a fear space (elevator) and reverse the fear situation: Instead of being locked up in the cage of the elevator, being exposed to the gaze of the passengers and losing control, I was the observer myself, I could play with my hiding (one moment I was perfectly hidden, another moment my voice was recognized) which enabled me to regain control over the situation.

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