Billie van Katwijk

Can slaughterhouse waste become luxurious design? Cow stomachs are seen as a waste product. However, the rich, organic textures make these animal innards a fascinating material: Ventri by Studio Billie van Katwijk. Now on show at Kazerne, part of the exhibition CIRCULAR> MATERIALISTS.

Each of the cows four stomachs has different properties, shaped by their function in the digestive process. Some are like winding landscapes, others are almost reptilian. In a labour-intensive tanning process, she was able to transform their raw, natural aesthetic in a unique range of leathers.