Which work of art made a lasting impression on you?
When I saw 'Le Refuge' by Stéphane Thidet in Museum Voorlinden in 2017 I was intrigued. A wooden cabin was placed in a dark room, illuminated by spotlights and inside the cabin it rained cats and dogs (not literally). I was looking at a refuge, a place that I normally feel very safe in, that now felt hostile, unfamiliar and eerie.
This work might imply that our real refuge lies within ourselves or in our environment, but it made me think about everything we're spoiling and our Great Mother taking revenge.
What camera do you prefer, and why?
I'm currently working with a 6x7 medium format film camera. It requires time to think about the best possible frame. I can only take 10 pictures per roll of film. This way I have to make choices and it makes the selection process afterwards easy. The disadvantage of my camera is that I have to carry it when I'm hiking. It's heavy like a bag of bricks. Mountains are a recurring theme in my work, a world where different rhythms apply. Film photography fits this setting: it's a step back in time, a patient and tactile process.
What is your biggest fear or enemy?
That our peaks will be no longer white, our lands too dry, our rains too acid, our ice too liquid, our forests burned and species long gone.
Which photos are on your walls at home?
Photos of Géraldine Van Wessem, Sarah Hermans, Geert Goiris,…
What is your motto?
What happens to the hole when the cheese is gone?
What are you proud of?
That I find a way to do what I love.
Thank you, Catherine!
How we met
Somewhere in 2016, when I first began to dream of Quiet Company, I got to know Catherine's work through her photographs we featured on Big Next Festival posters at Democrazy. I contacted her to talk about my vague idea for Quiet Company. She's was enthousiastic (and patient). I'm forever thankful, Catherine!