WITH SOFT WONDER
Every Monday morning, Museum IJsselstein transforms into a storytelling studio, where people with dementia and their caregivers create, discover, and experience together.
The focus here is not on loss, but on encounter, sensory experience and shared meaning-making.
An art and research pilot in IJsselstein
Met Zachte Verwondering is the art and research project that I developed for people with dementia and their caregivers.
We do not work for, but with the participant and the informal caregiver.
Both are full-fledged creators, discoverers and meaning-givers.
In the studio we work with:
• painting and drawing materials
• smell, sound and tone
• movement and rhythm
• museum objects
• playful, sensory assignments
• co-creative working methods for participants and informal caregivers
It's all about the moment of contact: seeing, giving, receiving
— that one small gesture in which connection becomes visible.
Wonder as a gentle way of looking
In this project, wonder is not a trick.
It is a way of being present: open, curious, without judgement.
We don't start with what someone can no longer do, but with what does respond, stimulate or touch them.
Wonder opens up an in-between space — a place where encounter is possible, especially when words sometimes fail.
We work inspired by Kasper Bormans, Andries Schinkel and theories on sensory memory and relational care.
Art & care in equal partnership
Everyone brings valuable knowledge and sensitivity:
• the participant — presence, own rhythm, sensory responses
• the caregiver — proximity, shared history
• the artist — artistic imagination (in various disciplines), creative thinking, process-oriented action and open experiment
• the healthcare professional — practical experience, structure and context
Together a triangle of attention is created:
lighter, more human, more sensual and more connected.
Development, artistic direction & research
I developed the concept, method and research line of Met Zachte Verwondering.
My work focuses on:
• co-creative working methods for participants and informal caregivers
• the artistic and substantive structure of the workshops
• guidance of the participating artists
• research into wonder, sensory memory and relational care
• documentation, reflection and analysis
• developing a language of attention
My own art practice forms the basis for this:
wonder as a way of seeing, acting and connecting.
Pilot & Research Trajectory (2024–2026)
With Soft Wonder is a pilot and a research project.
I'm researching how wonder, co-creation, and sensory work contribute to connection, meaning, and well-being. The research results will be delivered in the summer of 2026 and shared with artists, healthcare professionals, regional partners, and involved families.
After the summer, the project will continue through the Lekstroom, so that the working method can be sustainably rooted in the arts and healthcare practices of the region.
During the process I share reflections, observations and developments through my own channels.
More about the project: www.metzachteverwondering.nl
Participate or collaborate?
Or would you like to talk further about art as a form of care?
You are very welcome!