When you are lost deep in your own thoughts the world round you does not exist. You walk down the street, traffic races past, but you hear and see nothing. You are aware of where you are in a general kind of way, but the details remain unnoticed. This idea is called up in the semi-interactive video-installation by artist and 3D-specialist, Martijn Veldhoen. A projection screen has been set up in a dark space. The viewer enters and sees a horizontal, slowly-rotating city and country panorama on the screen, totally lacking in atmosphere. There is no life to be seen and the sound does not betray any form of activity. The locations the viewer sees passing by on the screen are 'stripped' clean. All movement has been removed. The shots that are used here were taken in New York, Portugal, France and Holland. They pass over each other unnoticed, 'crossfades' or other signs of film editing are not seen. This is an odd kind of reality. The surroundings have been manipulated by the artist and have a disorientating effect. When the viewer stands under a spotlight attached to the ceiling, a movement detector is set off and the situation changes. Suddenly there is a tremendous bombardment of sound and image that is in total contrast to the restful panoramas just experienced. Everything comes alive and the viewer is unexpectedly roused from his/her own dreams. All sorts of images appear on the screen and we see and hear fragments from city life and nature: cars, pedestrians, aeroplanes, birds, etc. 'Dislocations' is playing a game with reality and illusion, time and place. The viewer is able to make a choice between two extremes of reality. That of calmness and restfulness as though you are in dreamland, or that of everyday reality with all its noise and hustle and bustle.
– Marieke van Hal
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Martijn Veldhoen ° 1962, Amsterdam (The Netherlands)
Lives and works in Amsterdam (The Netherlands)
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