States of Humanity (1997)

Fifty-five New Yorkers were interviewed about six sculptures that form States of Humanity. They were invited to choose one sculpture that reminds them of a personal experience. Vermeulen's intention was to collect a numerous of "New York" stories and turn them into a screenplay for a feature film. Vermeulen used a small hi8 video camera to shoot the interviews and visuals of street life NYC. Despite his intention, Vermeulen edited the footage. "These talking heads speak for them self." Since the film "States of Humanity" introduced the first six "Eggy" sculptures seen through the eyes of fifty-five New Yorkers, this documentary would become a key work in Vermeulen's career. The premier was at the International Film Festival Rotterdam in 1997. After these six States of Humanity (SOH) sculptures, Vermeulen named the egg shaped figure "Eggy" and branded SOH as a trademark. He produced more than twenty SOH sculptures in the public spaces. And produced so far twenty-nine SOH productions, among others films, multi media installations, exhibitions, video clips, an opera, books etc. Several SOH sculptures are collected in international collections.