When designing, I usually start off with a clear theme to attach to the narrative that I need to impart. The theme of the City of Mechelen Prize for Design in 2000 – ‘The Chair’ – not only dovetailed perfectly with the way in which I work, but it was also a subject that had captured my attention for years. The Chair served as a seedbed for things that I felt to be important at that time both for my personal and artistic development. What that might otherwise signify is explained by Geert Bekaert in Chapter 3 of “In de luwte” – his extensive contribution to this book.