(Dis)place

The photomontage series (Dis)place focuses on an exploration of complex expression, representation, and communication of personal trauma. In this work, I explore emotional deprivation and the traumatic affects of it.

The photomontages are based on recurrent dreams in which I move through buildings with constantly changing interiors, creating a labyrinth-like experience and evoking emotions such as perplexity, helplessness, and anxiety. Various compositional strategies are applied in both the photomontages and soundscapes to simulate the impenetrable experience of a labyrinth.

The Labyrinth as metaphor

The labyrinth as metaphor is a central theme in the photomontages and sound installation. I explored the ambiguous experience of traumatic memories through visual and musical labyrinths. The labyrinth as metaphor can be experienced in two contrasting ways. In a literal sense, a labyrinth has two viewpoints according to the beholder’s perspective. A viewpoint from the inside which makes the labyrinth seem impenetrable. A viewpoint from outside which let the viewer experience the labyrinth as a complex and logical structure.

The blurred boundaries between past and present, inside and outside, is a characteristic of the symptomatic “acting out” of the post-traumatic experience. The reception of art representing trauma can result in an over-identification with the post-traumatic emotions expressed in the artwork. This over-identification can transfer the shock of trauma through the structure of representation. In order to prevent the over-identification or over-appropriation, the viewer must communicate from a critical distance.   In these works an exploration of the inter-subjective process takes place and compositional strategies are used to create doubling ‘effects’. The aim of these artworks is to create a potential space for self-awareness and self-reflection in order to create distance and reflect critically on the problematic process of trauma.

Image and Sound Installation