The Genius and Me
Project details
- Year
- 2023
- Programme
- Bachelor – Photography
- Practices
- Commercial
- Minor
- Commercial Branding
“The Genius and Me” is an intimate exploration of legacy and memory mostly through exploring my grandfathers video archive.
My fascination for my grandfather started in 2020 when I saw one of the films he had directed on a big screen for the first time. He was a filmmaker. Unfortunately, when I started my own journey of becoming a filmmaker, he had been suffering from dementia for 10 years and could not tell the stories once lived. But I had so many questions for him, that I started this project to search for answers. But because of his condition, my only reliable source of information were video’s, whether it were home-video’s or movies he had directed.
The documentary ‘’The Last Genius, a Film about Salvador Dali and Me’’ directed by my grandfather, is a project that features an almost identical journey of discovering an artist’s works and motivation through interviews and field research. As was Salvador, so was Bob –a film about the Genius and Me.
In “The Genius and Me,” as I delve into my grandfather’s video archive, I’m confronted by the interplay between Baudrillard’s concept of simulacrum and Susan Sontag’s notion of photography as a “sublimated murder.” While Baudrillard posits that simulacra become truth in themselves, Sontag’s perspective forces me to recognize the inherent loss in capturing moments through a lens.
Through a video installation, making use of multiple screens based on technological progression within the world of camera’s and viewing equipment, “The Genius and Me” transforms into a dance between simulacra and the mortality enshrined in visual documentation. Through this project, I not only reconnect with my grandfather’s legacy but also engage in a reflective discourse on memory, identity, and the intricate nature of capturing life through a camera.
About me:
As a photographer and audio-visual maker, my work navigates the tension between traditional photographic sensibilities and emergent digital technologies, capturing a dialogue between reality and hyperreality. What does the visual-medium specific communicative ability look like in the future? And how will we tell stories when we’re not limited by technology anymore?
Through making, I strive to push the boundaries of visual mediums and explore the endless possibilities they offer in order to transcend traditional storytelling and unlock the full potential of our communication in the future.
