What an incredible ride winning the @idfadoclab Award for Immersive Non-Fiction. Words cannot express how much this recognition means to me. Two years ago, I made the scary decision to focus on my own work. It was a leap of faith, but one I felt I had to take. Now, this award confirms that I’m on the right path, allowing me to truly focus on what I want to create and express how I feel.
As my hero André 3000 once said: “I only work on feeling; feeling is my only barometer of what I’m doing.”
It was both terrifying and deeply vulnerable to create a work about my own body image. I was afraid it might come across as selfish. But through this process, I realized that how I feel about my body isn’t just a personal problem—it’s a reflection of how the world treats anything outside the norm. It’s like an ink stain imprinted on my mind.
In this vulnerability, I found a connection with you, the audience. What felt like such a personal struggle revealed itself as a universal, invisible issue. The root of oppression lies in making us feel alone in our struggles, disconnected from a collective experience. But after sharing this work, I felt part of a group. Shared pain truly is halved pain.
I could not have done this without @lenammeijer@marijnbrussaard@daanborrel@nederlandsfilmfonds@afk020@idfadoclab@stichtingniemeijerfonds@amartefonds
Last photo made by @elodierenout
We behoren tot de laatste generatie die volwassen werd zonder smartphone, en de eerste die ouder wordt met een apparaat dat nooit uitstaat. Samen met @de_balie organiseren wij een avond die de blik van de jongere generatie naast die van de oudere zet, en onderzoekt hoe technologie, zelfrepresentatie en online idealen ons lichaam, relaties en zelfbeeld beïnvloeden.
Tijdens deze avond duiken we dieper in de thema’s die in PISS POOL centraal staan: het oudere lijf, digitale zelfvernieuwing, AI en de druk van een cultureel ideaalbeeld. Programmamaker: Ianthe Mosselman. Met o.a: @gerdalentenhavertong , Lydia Schouten, @marian.donner , @maximegarciadiaz , @lisaschamle , @biancavdschoot , @suzanboogaerdt .
14 februari 2026 - 20:00 uur
📸 @lisaschamle
#debalie #boogaerdtvanderschoot #pisspool
when I had just given birth, so many professional healthcare workers examined my body. I didn’t mind; during that time my body felt like a vessel, no longer mine.
in a strange way, it was liberating
They asked for consent to check, to see, to touch, all within such a short and vulnerable moment of my life. At a certain point I thought: please stop asking. The mental space it took to consider whether to give consent cost me more energy than the checks themselves. Just do it, I thought.
When they looked at my scar, they said: Your scar is so pretty, you won’t even see it when it heals.
and I remember feeling stunned. Had anyone asked whether I wanted the scar to disappear? It is proof that I gave life. Why would I want it to fade?
when they looked at my belly they said, so… when did you get these stretch marks?
In the last three days of my pregnancy, I answered.
Ah, such a pity, they said.
This is what it looks like now. It is still healing, and maybe it will fade one day.
I hope my new tiger skin does not fade. I hope I will stay proud of it for the rest of my life.
l’origine du monde, a self portrait, 2026
