Light is a temporary intervention, a volatile substance that absorbs our senses. Graduated within the field of architecture, I quickly became more attracted to all kinds of possible expressions of light. Think theatre, film and later on experiments such as light installations, (autonomous) visuals and video with tBEDRIJF, a visual collective which I co-founded. ‘In’visible Space’ follows that same impetus. Light as the epicentre of my work, the visual sense as the essence of our digital age.

But what if I extract every possible light form from a space? What if that most used sense, our eyes, becomes suddenly useless in a room approaching total darkness?

You’re sent into a dark space. Thinking at first you’ve lost all control, you soon realize how there is no such thing as ‘pure darkness’. All your other senses are heightened: a higher awareness of the noises surrounding you and an increased attention to every tangible object around you. With that small ray of light at the beginning, your brain memorises certain spatial aspects in the void. In a way you gain more consciousness of your own position and relationship within a certain time frame or space. Creating abstraction through a black box and using art to compress the complex reality, you acquire a different perspective on and understanding about reality.

Via different instructions I play an ambiguous role. I make sure you feel confident, at ease and synchronized with the surrounding vibe. But then I also provoke you, test your limits, push you further in either releasing or holding on to control. A distant voice will guide you through 15 minutes of walking into the void, yet it’s up to you to decide whether or not you abide by the instructions set for you.

Letting go is a behaviour we’ve abandoned since childhood. Perhaps considered nowadays as a utopic competence, it’s a rewarding attitude to cope with the notion of here and now.