The strange and lighthearted project Soap Species stemmed from a pure fascination with the indescribable power of anthropomorphic and animal-shaped objects. Researching the relationship between these objects and humans has led me to the whole rich topic of soap. The soap carries a remarkable symbolic load and a noteworthy, perhaps controversial, history.
And our relationship with soaps is rather bizarre when analyzed. Soap literally gives up its body for the cleanliness of humans.

Is the story of soap a tale of a heroic loyal soap or more one of brutal exploitation of soaps’ loyalty? What implications and feelings would arise if we learned that soaps are in fact conscious beings? To convey these worth-sharing thoughts, I was carving creatures out of soap to enhance the awareness that the act of washing equals diminishing.

The Soap Species project was developed during the Pre-Master program at Design Academy Eindhoven and featured in the resulting exhibition, Playgrounds at the end of March 2024.