Femke Hoyng

As a child, I envisioned my future like this: I'd become an illustrator and work in the kitchen of my house in the countryside. I'd look outside and see cows. And that's exactly what it is now, in France.

ANIMATOR / FILMS

To train as an illustrator, I attended the Gerrit Rietveld Academy of Fine Arts in Amsterdam. A Film department was just opening there at that time. I was drawn to it, and I started making cartoons.

After graduation, the television broadcaster VPRO launched the well-known children's program "Villa Achterwerk," for which I could create TV series. It was pure heaven: the money was endless, and the ideas couldn't be too crazy. Ultimately, I created more than 25 series and films for four Dutch broadcasters.

At the same time, I received grants from various funds, enabling me to develop my ideas for abstract animated films. These were shown in cinemas, at film festivals, and on television.

I also taught animated film to children, artists, and as part of company outings.

PHOTOGRAPHER / PHOTO BOXES

While traveling the world, I took a lot of photos. I found photography challenging: a still image like that had to be incredibly good. I found animated film much easier, because movement and the addition of sound create a more focused image.

Born with one eye, I was always curious about how you perceive depth with two eyes. I couldn't achieve this in reality, but I could create my own depth by physically introducing depth into a photo: With scissors, I cut the layers from a paper photo, saw the shapes from a sheet of plywood, and stack (glue) the sheets with the photos on top of each other. It's a subtle depth effect, but I see it!

I call my work "photo boxes." Later, I added animated film using the "timelapse" technique, which records the real world at a manipulated speed.

The photo boxes are exhibited at various locations.

CERAMICS

After 25 years as a TV and film maker, I retired.

At my home in France, I built a ceramics studio because I wanted to make my photo cabinets out of clay. Using a special technique, I can bake photos onto ceramic at a high temperature.

After working "clean" with film and photography, it took some getting used to the oily clay that sticks to your hands, but I quickly saw the many possibilities for creating more spatial work.

I am a descendant of the HOYNG family, originally from India, who settled in the Netherlands in 1850 and established many chic interior design stores, selling, among other things, high-quality and stylish tableware collections that combined functionality and aesthetics. When I discovered clay, I discovered a strong desire for consumer goods (tableware). I design bowls, plates, and vases and make molds for production purposes. These are sold to private individuals, shops, and museums.

I love designing things that don't yet exist, like my WineBox, a ceramic "box" you can use to hold a large bag of wine, fruit juice, or cooking oil. It suddenly looks super chic!

I also designed the French Cheese Dome, perfect for a slice of Brie or Camembert.

And the charming Snail Family Bowl.

FLIPBOOKS

I create flipbooks from short film clips from real life. They show animals experiencing something. The accompanying story is written in verse. The goal of the books is to make people aware that animals also have feelings and needs.

GRAVE WREATH

Using an old French technique, I create grave wreaths with wire and glass beads. A main shape is wrapped with flowers and leaves and optionally decorated with a photo of the deceased. These can be either people or animals.

In some old churches in France, you can still find old examples, such as in the village where I live.