Art Director | Scenic artist | Prop & Model maker

About

Merlign design diorama miniatuur miniature miniatures maquette maquettebouw modelbouw scale model packshot setdesign setdesigner artdirector artdirectie artdirection Merlijn van de Sande setpainter decorateur production design modelmaker special props propmaker artdepartment set decor art Amsterdam film series music videos kunstenaar kunst artiest artist

 
 

A Journey of Discovery…

through miniature wonderland and the beauty in imagination.

 
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By Merlign Design

Art director | Scenic artist | Prop & Model maker

Photography: Peter van Leeuwen


Merlijn van de Sande is a Dutch art director and artist who lives and works in Amsterdam.
What inspires her is the force of creating a new, self-built, ethereal world and the illusion that such a created world evokes of an existing 'real' world.

But what is 'real'? Everyone creates their own perception of reality based on the experiences and expectations that we have. Merlijn finds it interesting to play with this question, to deceive our eyes by creating a composition with natural and industrial objects and everyday materials that she gives a new meaning by changing proportions, color or perspective. In her artworks, the spaces are not literal representations of existing places, but rather combinations of extant and imagined landscapes and architecture.

The relationship between handcrafted aesthetic and narration is the basis from which Merlijn works when it concerns a commission for film, commercials, photography, television series or music videos. Merlijn helps to design and create everything you can imagine and turns your ideas, decors and props into the illusion of reality. 

Merlijn’s work have been featured in several arthouse films such as ‘Rain Anyway’ by Gust van den Berghe and ‘Take me somewhere nice’ by Ena Sendijarevic and has helped to bring to life the advertising campaign concepts of clients including Adidas, Apollo Vredestein, Hertog ijs & CarNext.

Merlijn graduated in 2008 from the ABV Tilburg with a BFA in fine arts & art education and in 2014 from the Dutch Film Academy with a BFA in Production Design. She has found her passion in creating and turned her passion into her work.

creativity is the natural order of life. Life is energy: pure creative energy.
— Julia Cameron