« Square, triangle, chimney on top. Such a simple shape, but with so many possibilities. I have been playing with it in my own designs for years. And fascinated as I am with this shape I started handing out handmade little wooden houses to see what others would do with it. »
Koen de Wilde
When I got this tiny wooden house, it instantly awoke my curiosity. It wasn’t just its external appearance which fascinated me. I wanted to know what was living inside it.Therefore, I started to imagine all the possibilities to open this little object made by hermetic and strong walls. And I gave life to it. A poetic world began to emerge on the white pages of my sketchbook, characters appeared, interacting with the house, getting in and out, crossing it, navigating it… Then, during a workshop in Metz, where I went to experiment with etching, aquatint and monotype for the first time, I decided to use those new techniques for this project. I wanted to give to my drawings a particular dimension, and etching seemed perfect. During 2 days, I released those few prints, which try to bring us beyond the reality, questioning us with humor and lightness about relationships such as inside/outside, inhabitant/habitat. Transformed into a boat, a train, a garden or a box, the primary function of the house is distorted. Inspired by the french photographer Gilbert Garcin, I played with scales, which strengthens the unusual and strange aspect of those etchings.
![](https://www.johannarousseau.fr/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Toi-moi_aquatint-copie-697x1024.jpg)
![](https://www.johannarousseau.fr/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Drijvend_Dérive_monotype-copie-725x1024.jpg)
![](https://www.johannarousseau.fr/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Acclimatation_monotype-copie-1024x426.jpg)
![](https://www.johannarousseau.fr/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/24-façons-douvrir-la-maison_etching2-copie-1024x694.jpg)
![](https://www.johannarousseau.fr/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Expulsion_etching-710x1024.jpg)
![](https://www.johannarousseau.fr/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/De-buren_Les-voisins_monotype-1024x753.jpg)
![](https://www.johannarousseau.fr/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/HUISNR_boucle-1024x576.gif)