He was tired of waiting

I am staring intently at the corners of your mouth

Sophisticated, old and abandoned

(In English for a change) Some buildings are like carcasses with a beautiful bone structure, slowly falling apart. In spite of their deterioration, the original splendor remains. The interiors in the pictures underneath, for instance, where once occupied by dozens of students. Standing in one of these spacious rooms I can visualize the past. By reading and analyzing these young men and women tried to outsmart the world and their friends. Seated in large wooden chairs they unraveled mysteries, books, papers, pen and notebook piled up in front of them.

 Once I entered the old library I became speechless, such grand architecture, with the ceilings and pillars decorated with intricate patterns, abandoned for almost fifteen years. Imagine this place as it might have been, with people burying their noses in books, lazy or occupied, shaded by large tropical plant. If a pot of coffee or tea was involved, it would have been more like a private library.

 However, the deterioration was evident, plasterwork crumbled and colors were faded. Still as in the movies, the rays of sun illuminating the interior made it look inhabited, a place to meet with friends or lovers.

pick-up

William Kentridge

Last year I saw a documentary about the work of William Kentridge, a South African artist who expresses himself through animation, prints and drawings. He was filmed while working on a play, a fascinating piece in which the environment was altered by film projections. The actors were sometimes huddled together in a small cabin, a storm of letters and images closing in on them. I have to admit that I was unable to grasp what the story was about although fear, solidarity and the pressure of a group were recurring themes. Underneath I have included some of his works. The first movie shows his interest for how things are perceived and how perception can be influenced.

toilet

fiat panda rally vissen

Nadat ik erin had toegestemd de auto van een vriend te beschilderen, in het kader van een rally, duurde het nog geruime tijd voordat er een geschikt onderwerp hiervoor boven was komen drijven. Een auto associeer ik met het vaste land. Als contrast zouden er vissen op de zijkant van de auto mee kunnen rijden. Zodoende was het onderwerp bepaald. Echter, goudvissen leken mij afgezaagd en koi qua vorm niet geschikt; een lantaarnvis Myctophidae daarentegen kon goed gecombineerd worden met het lampje van de richtingaanwijzer. Tot slot was de combinatie van dieren, vis en fiat panda lang niet gek.