Over pijn en puddingbroodjes
In 'Over pijn en puddingbroodjes' (About Pain and Pudding Rolls), Iris in 't Hof investigates the impact parental divorce can have on a child's life. Her personal journey is the starting point for a documentary film where she looks back, asks questions, and re-engages with her parents and sister. In this film, Iris literally takes control of the narrative, taking steps to write her own history, separate from her parents.
This research leads to new personal insights, but also highlights the value of creating space for open and equal conversation. From this need, she designed an interactive board game, both complementary to and independent of the film. The game invites participants to an open discussion about the themes surrounding divorce, in an accessible and playful way. The focus isn't on the divorce itself, but on the world around it: loyalty, responsibility, grief, and comfort.
Her working method is rooted in 'social design': where design isn't an end in itself, but a means to stimulate connection and reflection. During her research, she interviewed other children of divorced parents using a 'conversation piece': they sat together on a large pink sheet of paper covered with paint, crayons, and pencils. Participants were invited to draw intuitively while talking. The movements on paper — lines, colors, shapes — offered insight into emotions and moods that sometimes hadn't yet found words. It served not only as a visual translation, but also as a safe space where conversation could emerge spontaneously and gently.
Iris works at the intersection of audiovisual, graphic, and social design. Her approach is personal and investigative; she combines her own experience with theory and conversations with others. For her, design is a way to create space — for nuance, for the invisible, the unspeakable, and for what may chafe.
'Over pijn en puddingbroodjes' doesn't offer ready-made answers, but poses new questions. Not to solve, but to connect. Only then can true understanding emerge.
