Artistic research in film

When is my position changing reality

and when is reality changing my position?

Inside nature, outside the square teaser

The trailer for Inside Nature, Outside the Square introduces my research into the role of the body in perception, and how our experience of space and time is shaped by the way we move, look and position ourselves.

The work explores how movement and bodily position affect the way an image is perceived within and beyond its frame. Rather than treating the viewer as a fixed observer, it considers perception as an active process of looking, moving and discovering.

I saw a bird in the bushes

Eating a red berry

and a second later shitting it out.

The bird flew away

If I’d passed by a few seconds earlier

I wouldn’t have seen the bird

and I might have not seen the bush

Inside nature, outside the square installation

video and mixed-media installation

Inside Nature, Outside the Square explores the relationship between the moving image, the body and the position of the viewer.

Developed from footage gathered in the Netherlands, Vietnam and Spain, the installation brings together fragments of everyday encounters, landscapes and observations. Rather than forming a continuous narrative, these fragments remain open: moments that have been noticed, remembered, displaced and brought together again.

The different screens and structures approach the frame not simply as a boundary around an image, but as something spatial. As the viewer moves through the installation, images appear, disappear and shift in relation to one another. Looking becomes a physical process in which position determines what can be seen.

The work asks how we construct meaning from fragments of reality, and what happens when the act of looking becomes part of the image itself.

are they having a quarrel?

Inside nature, outside the square, mixed media installation, 2018

When a person disappears off screen,

does the person disappear in time? or does he fall off the screen?

I think they are fighting..

wait.. no, what?

they are hugging.

What do you see in the frame? and do you also see how it is framed?

By moving around, it allows the spectator to experience different ways of looking at and understanding the pieces making up the installation.

They are experiments about what happens in the brain, about memory, and the need to piece together fragments of reality in order to make sense of it — or ultimately, to create our own reality.

It’s about the rhythm of looking: the way I, as a viewer, build the image by looking at the entire set of frames or through each frame individually. It’s an invitation to actively construct meaning, rather than passively absorb and endure

Instead of imposing on a story through the act of montage

the video sculptures impose on the body and movement of the spectator.

its about the act of looking

to invite the spectator to create its own perspective and story.

Like a window it can be a surface, a reflection and an opening.

it is a tool for light and space.

it opens, it closes; it separates spaces of here and there, inside and outside, in front and behind.

it is a place where surface meets depth and where transparency meets boundaries.

Each piece approaches looking differently.

What does it mean to participate in a reality — to be in the scene, not just watching?

I love fishing when there's no wind

This film began while I was walking around Durgerdam with my camera in hand trying to find something worth filming. Instead I got into a conflict between my desire to capture the action of a specific moment and the reality that I always seemed to record too late, only catching glimpses and traces of what had already happened.

Eventually, I stopped chasing the action and instead set the camera at a fixed point, recording for an extended period at a particular corner.

I listened to snippets of conversations from passing cyclists or walkers. I overheard fragments like: 'Everyone thinks different things,' 'If we cycle too fast, we’ll get flashed!' or 'I loooove fishing, when there’s no wind!' I thought, 'What are these people talking about?' and found it amusing. I started reflecting on how conversations, when taken out of context, can sound absurd to an outsider, and I could relate to the fragment: 'Everyone thinks different things.'At some point, I stopped at a spot where two campers were fishing, having a conversation that ranged from daily activities to philosophical topics, while increasingly strange events and characters passed by. Captured out of the context of daily life: 'I love fishing, when there’s no wind'.

A day in life, a life in a day

This video installation continues my exploration from the previous work, "Inside Nature, Outside the Square." It revisits past travels in Spain (Sevilla), Vietnam, and Serbia (the countryside), while also reflecting on more recent journeys in The Netherlands (Amsterdam and Landsmeer). Through a collage of documentary videos, reflections, and memories, I delve into these experiences, capturing the essence of everyday moments and celebrating the beauty found in the mundane.

The narrative unfolds in a similar manner to the earlier installation, presenting fragments of past travels that showcase relationships in various cities, the richness of nature, and the passage of time. This work serves as both an intimate diary and a meditation on memory, art, and the fleeting nature of beauty.

In this film, I strive to blend a sense of nostalgia with a deep appreciation for the present, inviting viewers to find their own meanings within these glimpses of life.