IN CONTEXT
Free work & commissions
Image making almost always starts with analog photography for me. Commissions I love to do are the ones that are close to my free work.
A commission I happily received by city council of Tilburg was to make a temporary artwork for public space, a 108 meters mesh ‘wall’ of images around a construction site in between the LocHal and train station of Tilburg. At the base of the work was the idea to create a sense of stillness and contemplation to counterbalance the chaotic atmosphere of the site.
“Wij zijn een stad van makers. En juist in deze stad en deze omgeving is kunst en cultuur heel belangrijk. Een uniek project zoals dat van Claudia den Boer, over meer dan 100 meter, past daar perfect bij.” – Marcelle Hendrickx, Wethouder Cultuur in Tilburg.
Another commission I loved to make was an image essay for a publication by CAST, Centre for Architecture and Urbanism in Tilburg. The question was to explore the quality of the city as living environment. With this essay I worked with questions such as ‘What defines living quality? Or rather who defines it? Does quality ensure a sense of home and belonging? How powerful of powerless can architecture be in this? With this image essay I aimed to show multiple perspectives on the quality of the city as living environment.
I strongly believe in the idea that places have a major influence on our state of mind.
Collaborations & research
I love to make books, two I’ve made in collaboration with designer Rob van Hoesel & publisher The Eriskay Connection.
“To Pick Up a Stone is a study of perception itself – of the nature of our engagement with the world, of the way that photography mediates this engagement, and of the way that the camera, the image and the book form can work together to capture the full intensity of perceptual experience.”– Eugenie Shinkle, reader in Photography at University of Westminster’
“Beautiful artistic approach.”
“Amazing book! An experience for our eye and our fingers.” – responses of the public
Research project and publication Verborgen Stad is an example of a multi-disciplinary collaboration with architectural firm Ontwerplab and students of AAS where we approached the ribbon structure of the city Tilburg from multiple angles.
“Verrassend (en ook overtuigend) zijn de fotografische essays van Claudia den Boer. Zij plaatst opnamen van in onbruik geraakte delen van de linten direct naast opnamen uit het landelijk gebied (…) die de rurale oorsprong van de linten glashelder maakt.” – Sjoerd Cusveller, recensie Verborgen Stad, S+RO 1 2011
In collaborations with performing arts, specifically dance, I expand my photography to the space of the stage.
Within multi disciplinary project YMOI, for which I was invited to Malaysia, I made photo series Silent Witness about the artisans of Malaysia, using themes of place, space and stillness to tell the story. The exhibition, dance piece and a short documentary were part of Butterworth Fringe Festival 2018 aiming to bring attention to and reflection on a part of Malaysia’s cultural identity that is fading.
Dialogue
Dialogue is about connecting and can deepen empathy. Collaboration with other people in other disciplines is like a dialogue to me, but I also like to exchange as a teacher, a museum guide, by giving workshops and participating in artist talks.
“Thank you dear Claudia for such a sensitive work and edition. I enjoyed our conversation a lot.” – Laura Carbonell, Punto de Fuga, Bogotá, Colombia
“Claudia heeft oog voor haar omgeving en haar open houding tegenover andere kunstenaars in samenwerkingsverbanden maken dat ze een waardevolle ‘speler’ is.” – Ivonne van der Velden, curator Willem Twee kunstruimte Den Bosch, projectleider, adviseur Beeldende Kunst.
