The Alcove Project: Bell

The Alcove Project: Bell is a site-specific, participatory project developed as a living archive of stories, emotions, and memories materialized through manual techniques. Established within the TENT special program (March 2025 – June 2026), the project facilitated 17 sessions with 77 participants in Rotterdam, becoming an intimate monument to this community.

​

The centerpiece of the project is the artwork “Bell”, part of my series “Spring”, which addresses the trauma of witnessing the ongoing war in Ukraine. The artwork asks: what kind of future will grow from today’s ashes and ruins? What are we grateful for, and what do we hope for, so that despite a traumatic past, the world around us becomes kinder?

​

In search of an answer, I turned to the tradition of votive offerings – objects created as expressions of gratitude or prayer. In this project, these pieces act as “time capsules.” Through symbolism and materiality, they make personal experiences visible and reflective.

​

The process began with collective writing sessions where participants shared stories, memories, dreams, or hopes – either anonymously or openly. Using hand-crafted cards featuring various materials, symbols, and colors, they visualized the potential form of their narrative. In my studio, I reflected on these texts and translated them into physical objects. My practice merges traditional craft with experimental methods and both natural and synthetic materials, giving each narrative a tangible form. Each new object added to the Alcove transformed the space, keeping the archive dynamic and interconnected.

​

A key element of the project is its ephemerality: upon completion, all objects were gifted back to the participants. The archive thus transitioned from a physical installation into a decentralized network of personal connections and digital documentation.

​

The project was made possible with the support of TENT and CBK Rotterdam

​

The photos of the Alcove space and groups of objects are by Aad Hoogendoorn