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Louise Seijen ten Hoorn
Born 1977
Lives and works in London, UK
www.luzzious.com

Louise Seijen ten Hoorn doesn’t have a particularly straightforward, methodical way of working.
On the one hand she has ideas which she delves into and expands upon, other times she just
experiments directly with the materials and lets the process take its course. It is very exciting
when the initial ideas start seeping through into the making process and that is when she knows
she has something to work with.

Her background is in jewellery and metalwork. However in recent years she has experimented
with various materials such as polymorph, which is a plastic that becomes soft and malleable
when soaked in warm water. It sets to a hard bone-like material once it has cooled down.
Attitudes Passionelles evolved from a fascination with the phenomenon of hysteria as it was
portrayed by the forefather of modern day psychology, Jean-Martin Charcot, in the late 19th
century. Charcot staged photographs in which the women of the French Salpetriere hospital
acted out their attacks of hysteria on his command. This resulted in a collection of weird and
wonderful photographs, reaching far beyond their intention of being medical illustrations.
These polymorph sculptures are an exploration of this sense of hysteria, uncontrollable fi ts and
contortions frozen in stop motion.

LOUISE SEIJEN TEN HOORN has exhibited her work in a number of group exhibitions including; Offi ce Sessions,
East India Dock, London, UK (2014), Winter Pride, Tobacco Dock, London, UK (2014), Stimuli, Vibe Gallery,
London, UK (2013), Frozen Explosions, Vibe Gallery, London, UK (2013), Rock ‘n’ Roll Zoo, Vibe Gallery, London,
UK (2012) and Interior Hysteria, The Palatine Gallery, London, UK (2012).

Right and next pages: Attitudes Passionelles, 2013, Polymorph, Rope.
h: 30cm w: 20cm d: 20cm, Artist’s Collection. Photograph Credit: Carla Gradiski.

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