see my Instagram Reel (with the sound on) showing the small prop I made of the bed!
https://www.instagram.com/stories/highlights/17945042164570165/
or visit my instagram page nicvandersteegen and go to Reels!
House & Garden is from my current series “Homing Instinct” reflecting on notions of home, nesting, safety, and security. These works are motivated by colour and nostalgia, having a love for fabrics and historical references.
The draped bed might be seen to reflect luxury, opulence and decadence, but also the canopy makes for a safe and private enclosure, ensconced in rich fabrics. A bed can be seen as a symbol of home or retreat; and a garden can be a place for expression, solitude and enjoyment. It is also the enclosure, forming the boundaries surrounding the house, a double layer of safety and security, privacy and a sense of home.
I love to grow dahlias for their large blousy layers of petals, and the gradations of colour. The flower in bed represents notions of a home within a home.
Making props is a part of my creative process: using fabric and other materials to create an object that I can use in a stage set to create drama and focus by the play of light and shadow. The sculptural process also allows me to use my hands in a different way to painting. I have always been drawn to luxurious fabrics not only for their textures, but also the way the light captures the surface, particularly in shot silk where each turn of the form can be a striking contrast.
A visit to Versailles at the age of six, left lasting memories of canopy beds, rich fabrics and baroque gilding. Combined with a fascination for dolls house furniture and miniatures, inspired the making of this bed as a prop for this work.