Hyperarousal

Hyperarousal addresses the materiality and visibility of identity and memory. Without appearing myself, I tie in with the tradition of female self-representation by recording my hair loss on 46 photograms over a period of one and a half years.

Hyperarousal addresses materiality and visibility of identity and memory. Without appearing myself, I use my body as main subject of my work. Once again, I tie in with the tradition of female self-representation by journaling my increasing hair loss on 46 dated photograms over a period of one and a half years.

Hair is a physical manifestation of our life and holds emotional weight and memories. The loss of hair is connected with the loss of vitality and youth. An everyday sign of aging and the transience. Collecting my brushed out hair and recording it in a diary-like feel on photograms is my strategy to cope with this and to oppose something. Hyperarousal is also about the process of creating and the conditions - when does it start, why does it stop, what happens during the periods when no photogram is created - what do voids tell?

Using the technique of photogram, I connect both - materiality and time. A photogram is an image made by placing an object on a light-sensitive surface and exposing it to light. A direct translation of the physical contact. At the same time, the photogram reveals materiality previously not visible to the naked eye: The tangled nests of hair with dust and dander are transformed by exposure on date-stamped 4x5 inch sheet films into fine, translucent formations. Physical and ethereal at the same time. The unexpected and the non-perfect are intentional and part of my artistic practice, which is influenced by the aesthetic concept wabi-sabi.

The photograms as well as the 46 household jars with my collected hair are part of my ongoing “Femme au foyer with ambitions” cycle.