Luca Beel
After studying Photography in Ghent, visual artist Luca Beel now mostly shoots architectural projects or interiors. When she can, she spends most of her time in her atelier. Here, she experiments with colour, material and textures, looking for the perfcet fit. In her inspiring, welcoming home, she talks about life, work and her sweet tooth.
1. How would you describe what you do?
I’m a freelance photographer, with a main focus on architecture and interior, and other subjects I believe interesting. Apart from that, I love spending time in my atelier to make things. I design objects and furniture. At this point, the biggest part still goes to the design process but a few objects have already been developed, and I hope to finish a lot more of them.
2. Cookies & milk or crisps & cola?
Definitely cookies and milk. Way better.
3. How do you start your day?
When the alarm rings, my first thought is ‘Damn, I don’t want to wake up’. But even if I don’t want to, I try to get up at a decent hour to get the most out of my day. I mostly end my days thinking I had to do so much more, so it’s good to take a head start. After I get up, it’s the usual, I guess: check social media, brush teeth, have breakfast and make a planning for the day.
4. If you could time travel, where would you go?
I’d love to go back to the age of the classic renaissance and baroque painters. Not because that age seems so much fun to live in, but to see how they were able to create so much stunning, intricate pieces of art. We went to Italy regularly when I was little, and I was – and still am – amazed by all the stunning architecture and art you come across there. It’s mind-blowing how they were able to build complex structures without the technologies we know now. But that’s a hard question actually, as there is so much I want to discover and learn more about.
5. How did you start?
I started with photography in high school. I always had my camera with me, we were basically inseparable. That’s how I rolled into photography in college.
Afterwards, I did have a bit of doubts about it. I thought about it a lot, wondering if my work was good enough. I was knotted up with myself and missed a functional aspect, to be able to see it as more than ‘just art’. That’s how I kind of rolled in to the world of design. I just decided that, if I wanted to make something I would first decide what I want to make and then see what medium fits best. When I want to do portraits, the medium can be clay of it can be photography. I start from an idea and that will automatically lead to a matter or a medium.
6. What inspires you?
It’s hard to pick just one main source of inspiration, but when I look at this person’s work I really think: that’s amazing, that just works. And that person is Arne Sierens, theatre maker at Compagnie Cecilia amongst others.
When I was little, I went to one of his plays and that was just amazing. He portrayed my family life so spot on, it was poignant. It was delightful to watch. I recognized so much of it and I think it’s amazing how he was able to portray that story so well.
I followed him ever since and have gotten so much inspiration and energy from it to try and make beautiful things too
7. What's your all time favourite design or piece of art?
I don’t really have one favourite object or design. There is so much that I like, so many beautiful pieces so I really can’t pick out just one. I think my one, ultimate, favourite piece still has to be made, and I’m curious to discover it.
8. What does the future have in store for you?
If I could pick one thing I would do the rest of my life, I would spend a lot of time in my atelier to test and design things. I like what I do now, and I’d love to keep doing this a while longer. But it would also be interesting to look for a different internship every week, to do and see something entirely different.
It’s doesn’t have much to do with the craft in itself, but I love to control and discover a matter myself.
9. What do you consider your own masterpiece?
I don’t have that many objects that are being produced yet, and at the moment and don’t have time to start a lot personal photography projects. But I do have a lot of ideas floating around in my head, and I’m sure one of them will be it, I just don’t know when and how it will turn up. The process behind a piece is as important as the final outcome for me, so that’s an important aspect as well. At the moment, I’m working on a halter or weight, and I really enjoy digging deeper into this. So maybe that’s my highlight up until now.
10. If you could give your younger self one piece of advice, what would it be?
Work a lot and work hard. There’s so much I would want to do, learn and discover, so the sooner I start, the more I would be able to do during my lifetime.
