Research Catalogue

A new filigrane sound object (or series of objects) in the making, w.i.p.

Research Paper of the Royal Academy of Art, The Hague, 2024 BA Photography Summary: You don’t see what I see. I don’t see what you see. Eyes as hatches passing through reflections of the world around. Electromagnetic radiation translated into visuals. Interpreted by mental processes in the brain. As a woman who used to work in the corporate world, is a mother and an aspiring photographer, I am interested in the topics of gender equality and feminism, seen as inequality based on power relations that are culturally constructed in society. Regarding these topics, I find mostly written or text-based outings. The nature of the topic results in either stereotype or cliché imagery we see in the media, that are detrimental in acquiring an equal basis for everyone. Using case studies, I analyze photographic work related to the gender inequality and power structures. The theoretical framework applied is from Nicholas Mirzoeff (British-American, 1962), Professor of Media, Culture and Communication at the New York University and is derived from his book ‘An introduction to Visual Culture’ (2023). This theory distinct ‘visualizing’ (what is commonly seen, the ruling power) and ‘visibilizing’ (introducing different perspectives as response to the ruling power). Mirzoeff elaborates on this by comparing the Spanish word for power, ‘poder’, meaning “static, constituted power” with power as ‘potencia’ which according to him has a “dynamic constituent dimension… our power to do, to be affected and to be affected by others.”. To me he connects visualization with exposing what the systemic power wants us to see, while ‘visibilizing’ is exposing the views that are not dictated by that overarching power but that have the freedom to show different perspectives and views. For the case studies I chose ‘The Table of Power I & II’ of Dutch Photographer Jacqueline Hassink (1966-2018) analyzing economic power and role of women in the higher echelons of companies. A work consisting of board rooms photos of the forty largest industrial multinational companies at the time (1994 & 2009, Table of Power I & II respectively). In ‘Female Power Stations: Queen Bees’ (1996-1998) she reflects upon board rooms of female leadership countered against their dining tables at home, all set up to receive guests. A diptych of power (work) vs. traditional qualities (home). I continue with the work ‘Performance Review’ (2020) of American photographer Endia Beal (1985). ‘Performance Review’ is about fitting into traditional corporate culture layered with outward signifiers of difference, navigating the corporate environment based on unconscious biases. We are part of the system, whether we like it or not. Me aiming to trigger a change with photographs is what drives me to be a maker. By not taking things as truth or fixed, by challenging the status quo, and by knowing that there are always different perspectives to look at things. I feel I am challenging the visualization of things, and therefore affect people around me. It’s me creating a ‘potencia’, a dynamic constituent dimension, that fights the ‘poder’; it’s within my power to do and my photographs will enable that.

Schedule, updates and resources for the Working Group Performance and Pedagogy at PSi 29: Assembly, London, UK. Organized by Vanessa Damilola Macaulay, Leigh Anne Howard and Adelheid Mers (coordinator)

Rasmus Albertsen is interviewed by Rasmus Albertsen about his film stop-motion animated film: "The Holy Mushroom". The text reflects on Albertsens thoughts about his proces: writing the story, creating the characters and the scenography. Furthermore it's about imperfect animation, nostalgia and archetypes.

How do you find a balance between the fun spark of creativity versus practicality and productivity, so that you can realize your ideas? Through examining the insight learned during the process of making an animated short film, this paper explores how to protect the creative spark and tackle some practicalities though a creative process.

The Past is Rotting in the Future: Exploring the Aesthetics of Absence in Daily Life, embarks on an exploration of absence within the human daily life, examining its manifestation through relations, processes, and objects. It seeks to understand how absence is not merely a void but a significant presence that shapes perception, memory, and imagination. Through a multi-disciplinary approach that integrates personal narrative with academic writing, this research investigates the ways in which absence is performed, textured, and materialized. Central to the thesis is how photography, as both a personal and artistic practice, serves as a critical medium for discussing and visualizing absence, navigating through personal experiences of loss, and broader philosophical questions about how absence influences and constitutes our understanding of the world.