Emma van der Put (Den Bosch, 1988) explores in her videos and cinematic photo collages the possibilities of using the public space as a ready-made set. Van der Put doesn’t stage during filming but works with the opportunities that arise during observation. The films stem from a careful examination of the urban public space. With this approach, she questions the extent to which she allows herself to intervene in the filmed situation. For each video, she selects a specific location or situation, attempting to maintain a balance between empathy and detachment as an observer. Even though she physically becomes part of the crowd, the telescopic lens of her camera creates distance, a private space within the public realm.
In her films, Van der Put scans the details of photos she takes within the specific location she explores, and then edits her archive into cinematic photo collages. Interested in how the future is visualized in the city’s public space through digital renderings and construction plans, Van der Put’s films ponder what these intended predictions can tell us about our current desires for the future and for whom exactly the imaginary future is intended. Emma lives and works in Brussels.
Photo: Koen Kloosterhuis