Martine founded m-ART early 2009 as an overall name for her artwork. Her restless mind changes from architecture, to jewellery, photography to the occasional painting.
She got initiated in the arts and crafts during high school and has been using this as a creative outlet ever since. It’s her air to life, without it she wouldn’t find the balance in everyday mundane life.
Her passion for photography grew while traveling around Europe during her architecture studies and continues ever since to expand her technique. She studied photography for a year in 2003 in Leuven (BE) and did a short course in mid 2008 in Melbourne (AU) to improve her skills. Now she is currently undertaking a diploma in Melbourne (AU).
When she gets her camera out she is intrigued by the decisive moment that photos can capture and by the story behind the objects and the people. She sees the beauty in every day life as well as making banal every day object or event more abstract, mysterious and surreal.
She photographs ‘raw images’ as her view is that life isn’t that ordered or planned the way you want it to be, there are loads of informational motion picture being viewed by our eyes constantly. A photograph represents one way of looking by choosing a unique composition and dealing with light and colours. Using the viewfinder to accentuate this beauty is where she feels most comfortable in.
When she’s not behind the camera, Martine likes to work with her hands, she loves painting, and designing or making jewellery. Coming from an architectural background where a lot is image based these days, she hasn’t been making physical models and is using the arts and crafts medium as an outlet. It works therapeutic for her as well, she feel she is somewhere else in a dreamy place where there is no limits to the imagination. The creative process can be time-consuming, but she finds it challenging and rewarding. Specially going to markets and hearing what people like plus see them wearing her designs gives her a thrill and makes her want to run back home and design more new things.
Working with resin in her final year of architecture in 2002, Martine learned to appreciate its roughness and the unpredictable form it has during the pouring process.
After a short course in resin and jewellery making mid 2008 in Melbourne (AU) Martine expanded the potential of the resin medium. Getting a piece out of its mold is always an exciting thing to do, it’s never the way you thought it would be, even after trial and error. Her latest collection are the jigsaw puzzle pieces to be used as keyholders, pendants or brooches.
The design concept of m-ART aims for a multi-functional usage, the buyer has the option of how to show off the piece, wear or use it.
Sustainability is another aspect to the designs. Whenever she can she utilize recycled materials or re-using materials, e.g. off cuts of aluminium or acrylic sheets, using tram cards and maps as experimental packaging of her creations. By this she is trying to find an alternative option to minimize her footprint in which ever process of her art.
“Transforming the way we SEE, as PERCEPTION is everything. Knowledge leads to awareness, awareness leads to responsible design. If you wish to draw pleasure out of life, you must attach value to the world” Arthur Schopenhauer
