What inspired me in April?
Timeless images, crafted sound, and technology that feels like myth.
From a futuristic hoverbike to a sculptural speaker that could have been excavated from an ancient site, from Steidl's obsessive book production to Katia Berestova's poetic stillness, everything I explored this month touched on transformation. The merging of past and future, silence and sound, visibility and imagination.
This newsletter is a reflection of that ongoing fascination: how we shape the intangible into something we can hear, hold, or feel - and how sometimes the most powerful stories live in what isn't immediately visible.
Sculptural Sound: Andrea Mancuso’s Pyramid Speaker
At the intersection of ancient symbolism and modern design lies Andrea Mancuso’s pyramid-shaped speaker, a standout piece at Ibiza’s Soleille Gallery. Crafted from marble, its textured surface and geometric form evoke the grandeur of ancient civilizations.
What draws me in is its silent power. It feels like an archaeological artifact — timeless and grounded. But then it speaks. The embedded speaker turns this sculptural object into a sonic experience. A true statement piece that bridges the spiritual and the functional. A relic with a voice. Visit Soleille Gallery here
How to Make a Book at Steidl (2010)
A documentary as precise as its subject.
A must-see for anyone who loves books, photography, or simply the art of obsession. How to Make a Book with Steidl follows Gerhard Steidl - the legendary printer and publisher - as he collaborates with icons such as Robert Frank, Josef Koudelka and Andreas Gursky.
What struck me most was the almost monastic devotion with which Steidl approaches every detail. The ink, the texture of the paper, even the sound of the binding - nothing escapes his scrutiny. The documentary itself reflects his intensity: meticulous, immersive, and full of quiet tension.
I recognize that passion. This deep need for things to be exactly as imagined - not just close, but right. Only with that kind of attention to detail can something become what it was meant to be.
Lifting Off - No Longer Just Science Fiction
Sometimes the future is so close you can almost touch it. Or ride it - like the Volonaut Airbike, a futuristic hoverbike that looks like it just stepped out of Dune. This ultra-light, jet-powered machine hovers gracefully above the ground and immediately recalls the ornithopters of Arrakis: fast, agile, and built to navigate extreme terrain.
What strikes me most is the sense of autonomy this design embodies. The rider is floating in the open air, with no screen or cockpit between him and the world. It's raw, direct and visually stunning - exactly the kind of elemental experience I associate with the Dune aesthetic.
Out of Time - Katia Berestova
Some books don't just show you pictures - they slow you down. Out of Time by Katia Berestova is like stepping into a dream that moves between shadow and light. Her black and white photographs are raw and poetic, often showing places or objects that are falling apart - yet somehow feel full of life.
What I love is that she lets things be what they are. She doesn't try to fix them or stage them. Cracks, peeling walls, silent faces - they all become part of something beautiful. You can feel her deep connection to what she sees. It's not just photography, it's a way of living and observing.
This book is perfect when you're in the mood for something slow, honest, and full of feeling. It reminds me that even in dark or broken places, there's always something glowing underneath.
Seeing the Unseen
There's a quote by Man Ray that hit me like a thunderbolt:
"I paint what cannot be photographed, what comes from the imagination or from dreams or from an unconscious impulse. I photograph what I do not want to paint, what already exists.
It stayed with me - this idea of separating what belongs to the outside world from what lives only in the mind.
Then I came across the work of Duane Michals, who took this idea even further. His photo sequences and handwritten texts go beyond the surface of photography.
"I believe in the imagination. What I cannot see is infinitely more important than what I can see.
That really resonates. Especially now, when so much is visible, immediate, and literal, I find myself drawn more and more to what can't be seen.
Echo From Beyond, my own AI-based project, takes me into that same space. These images don't capture reality - they echo something deeper: dreams, memories, things that feel like they belong to another time or dimension. I use AI not to mimic the world, but to channel something outside of it. These are places that never existed, yet somehow feel familiar.
Like Man Ray and Michals, I'm chasing the unseen-not to escape reality, but to reflect the parts of it that we can't always describe with words.
What’s something you saw this month that made you pause? I’d love to hear from you.
See you next month,
— Bastiaan
Beautiful selection! Katia Berestova is a real treat to the eye.