Explanation of my art work Since 2001 I have mainly produced video installations and performances. In these works I explore the border between what is perceived as reality and what as artificial. My installations and performances are manifestations of my investigations into different representations of reality and how these different representations interact. Human beings and their conditioned ways of perceiving are hereby the central subjects. Therefore in my performances the human is physically present and in my video installations, human is depicted with the head only or (whole/part of) the body. Human scale is maintained to save intimacy with the audience. For this reason I also use the suggestion that the video makes eye contact with his audience by making the performer to look into the camera lens while shooting. I examine the representation of reality, both at psychological and social culture range. For the work at psychological range, I often use myself as the starting point and I am the main actor in the work. I often create suggestive spaces – that refer to concepts, thoughts and emotions in one’s head – into which the audience may glimpse. On the other hand are the social/cultural aspects of my work which are predominantly site-specific and directly relate to the immediate surroundings. Mostly I invite other people to perform in these works. The constructions of my video installations are simple and modest. I use raw materials such as glass, construction wood, metal plates, bamboo or existing furniture. With the help of pneumatics, mechanics, electronics and computer programming my installations are interactive. It seems that something happens in the environment of the video image in immediate connection with that what can be seen on the video. Some installations are directed and programmed like that and in others reacts the video image directly at circumstances in the surroundings; like a shower of rain or the call for prayers which resounds 5 times a day in Islamic countries, A residency of three months at Cemeti Arthouse in Yogyakarta (Indonesia) in 2006, brought me new insides in my own position in the world through experiencing a different mentality, lifestyle and habits. This stay had an enormous input on my work and personal development and has a lot of influence on my later work. Since then I have been going back to Indonesia and made some site-specific installations and performances. Unfolding Perspectives (2007) is an example of a kinetic interactive video installation that addresses social and cultural issues. In this case it concerns the effects of the devastating earthquake which just happened in Indonesia which for me the cycle of destruction and renewal and how people are dealing with it. The installation exists from a bamboo construction on a wooden table of 2.4 x 1.4 square meter and a height of 190 cm. The construction shows four arthropod posts which are somewhat come to a point. The posts are connected with each other in the middle and at the top with long bamboo sticks. Once every 6 minutes the bamboo construction collapses with a lot of noise. After half a minute the construction gets up again. (Think of squeeze toys which collapse as you push the bottom.) Half under the construction on the table is situated a 15’ tv monitor on which is shown the bust of an Indonesian woman. The woman looks around her in peace and looks now and then her audience in the eyes. When the bamboo construction collapses, she seems to be scared stiff and hides under her arms for protection. After a little while she starts carefully to free herself out of her position and fright. An example of a work where I played with a psychological suggestive space is the kinetic interactive installation Opposites Attract(2008). In a space next to the wall are situated two 28 inch tv monitors. In a loop of roughly 7 minutes are shown a naked man and a naked woman who are each separately sitting in a wooden box. They are occupied with their own activity. The woman draws birds and plants on the walls of the box and the man folds airplanes and plays with them. Sometimes they try to find in vain contact with each other by knocking on the walls. In the middle of the space, opposite of the two monitors are hanging the two wooden boxes (of 1,2 x 1,2 x 1,2 cubic meters). They are suspended from the ceiling. Synchronic with the video images, physical sound sounds from the boxes when the woman or the man knocks the walls. The sound supposes that it is about live registration like security cameras are capturing the woman and man who are really locked up in the boxes. The sound is brought out by kinetic knocking machines by which the sound sounds real. The video installation I love me, I love me not (2010) is an example of the inner struggle which is the consequence of on the outer world projected thoughts. When entering the L formed space you will hear a voice continuously softly repeating: ‘ I love me... I love me not... I love me... I love me not...’. Around the corner in the L formed space is suspended a rough wooden sheet of 120 x 70 square meters on which a life-sized images is projected from neck till knees. She is picks the peddles of a flower till only the heart of the flower is over. Meanwhile the peddles are quietly falling down on the concrete floor. This is made visible by another projection from a projector behind the wooden screen. When the peddles are all picked the video starts again. Next to video-installations i also do public performances, often in collaborating with other artists. Public performances are for me an effective way to deconstruct stereotypes and to show a conscience of diversity. What is it I project into the streets (2010) is an example of such a public performance. I’m standing in public domain, at a busy cross, in a market or square. I’m holding a big round mirror in front of my head which I slowly move in all directions. Instead of my head the spectators are seeing themselves, then back the air, bright sun light, a piece of a tree, a passer-by, … --- Thanks to Ella for helping me translating in English