The Nature of Things

Humans are the only living beings who are aware of the finality of life. We are bound to accept this fact with total vulnerability. How can the transient nature of our personality be acknowledged in an individualistic society? Six years ago I set out to find an answer to this question in my photo series. While I started to work on the project my grandmother was diagnosed with dementia. Her disease carries within the starting point of my fears. If our personality completely disappears in the moment of our death, then we can think of dementia as that frozen moment in which, day after day, we slowly drift away from ourselves. Ever so slowly the original project has turned into a collaborative effort with her. While I’m watching my grandmother change both mentally and physically, I’m aiming to embrace acceptance; striving to experience the existing order in the world, in which the transience of life also plays a part. This collaboration had a great impact on my grandmother during which our relationship has also evolved. The reason I started to record videos was to show this personal aspect of the project: https://vimeo.com/900641485