the Manual series

The Manual series emerged from the realisation of how self-evidently symbols and images can replace or even transcend the use of words. Visual language agreements make it possible for us to understand signs and depicted gestures for the usage of tools in (instruction) manuals. Visual language is mainly determined by cultural practices and time; it is relatively independent from linguistic boundaries.

Cultural practices and consequently the use of visual language are changing at an accelerating pace due to technological innovations. Instruction manuals with static images are, for example, increasingly being replaced by digital moving images.

My compositions of fragments from manuals and tool catalogues play with the limits of static visual language to convey meaning. The new 'manuals' simultaneously document the culture and time in which they are created. The fossil appearance hints at their approaching status: will they be valued as cultural heritage and preserved, or simply forgotten?


This series was created during a residency stay in 2022 at Allanbank Mill Steading, home and studios of Charles Poulsen and Pauline Burbidge. It consists of 52 works, two of which are not numbered but named after Charlie and Pauline, who facilitated the realisation of the series.

The individual works come served in a pizza box, which is simultaneously their certificate. They can be presented horizontally (laying) as well as vertically (hanging), due to a piece of wood on the back.