© Aisha Zeijpveld, Thomas Rosenboom. Portraits of writer Thomas Rosenboom for Volkskrant Magazine.
I find Aisha Zeijpveld’s work undeniably captivating but what first caught my attention was the particular way I found it being promoted at Ignant. Here’s an excerpt: Aisha does all her editing by hand. No photoshop, no easy tricks, just scissors and whatever material she needs to create the surreal effect she wants. She sketches onto the photographs, outlining the figure in an unusual way, whilst modifying shapes into something slightly different.
It’s curious that we now find ourselves promoting manual work as it, for itself, was a sign of quality. It shows just how mush humanity is trapped in a nostalgic mode and is unable to evolve beyond traditional methods and behaviours. Every now and then, after a few decades of fervours developments, we begin to look back and resuscitate the ‘way we were’.
Don’t get me wrong, I am very fond of manual processes and have always enjoyed and prefer its results, but my point is that the process does not define the work, it only defines the author. And of course, if you believe one thing and the other are inseparable, then choosing manual or technological processes, direct or abstract work, become decisive questions when thinking about the quality of a work of art, but are they?
© Aisha Zeijpveld, Tokyo Ohayo, 2012.
© Aisha Zeijpveld, Valerio Zeno. Portraits of Valerio Zeno for Volkskrant Magazine.
© Aisha Zeijpveld, Untitled, from the fashion series What remains, 2012.
© Aisha Zeijpveld, Myrthe van de Meer. Portraits of writer Myrthe van de Meer for Volkskrant Magazin.
© Aisha Zeijpveld, Tessa Rose Jackson. Portrait series of singer-songwriter Tessa Rose Jackson.
© Aisha Zeijpveld, Suzy Glam eyewear, 2014.
© Aisha Zeijpveld, Saint Laideur, 2014. Lookbook dutch fashion designer Shanita de Vries.
N I H I L S E N T I M E N T A L G I A, 
Totally agree. Plus this cut and paste approach of mine is just one way to depict an image, I use several ways. Depending on the concept.
Maybe they like this hand crafting because they can relate to it more? Because they could have done it themselves, if they had used their imagination? Maybe thats the appealing part of it?
Digital techniques are often perceived as an easy trick, like some sort of button you can press to make the impossible happen. Which is nonsense ofcourse….It still needs imagination, vision and skills. In my opinion.
It’s the thought behind a picture that counts.
Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment Aisha. The emphases on the manual is also a trend, like the discourse on authenticity. I think both are an attempt to resist the next level of automation of labour and lost of individuality. All the best to you, Sofia.
All the best to you too! Aisha