Charlotte Jonckheer   1: PAPER / Impermanence 




Impermanence and circularity are recurring themes throughout my practice. Not only are they tied to the material I work with ‘paper’ they also serve as guiding principles in my approach to design, such as reusing my own material waste and considering the object's afterlife. Working with paper inevitably involves accepting change. At every stage of its life, paper can become something else. Its uses are almost uncountable, which is emphasised by the possibility of recycling. Because paper is lightweight, flexible and inexpensive, it lends itself to experimentation. It is ideal for creating large shapes, projecting ideas and testing configurations. It is humble yet intellectual, practical yet poetic. Paper always holds the promise of something else.


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Impermanent Matter Series
I began my 'Impermanent Matter' (IM) series of paper collages using leftover material from the atelier. Since making mistakes is an essential part of my design process, I often end up with various types of CPC waste. Accepting chaos, disorder and chance is not only part of life, but also a concept referenced in Paper, Chance and Deconstructivism by Dorothea Eimert (Paper Art 6: Deconstructivist Tendencies. Paper, Chance and Deconstructivism by Dorothea Eimert in Paper Art 6: Deconstructivist Tendencies). It also fuels the creative process. This is especially true of paper, given its volatile nature. These unpredictable shapes and textures of the leftovers become sources of inspiration. Coincidence also challenges me to embrace aesthetic choices that are sometimes different from those I would normally make. I have developed a production process for my paper collages (IM), whereby I select the elements to be combined, but leave the final composition to chance. It's an exciting process that consistently yields surprising results, which I can then reframe to achieve the desired balance.