The Falling Man Projects
About Jeroen Zwaap
About Jeroen Zwaap
In several projects the artist deals with the impact and implications of having seen Richard Drew's 'Falling Man' image as he tries to answer questions like: why is this picture such a strong resonating one? How did this image shape the view on the American trauma? What are the moral implications of watching a man falling to his death?
"Although I cannot exactly remember what I felt when I saw the image of The Falling Man by Richard Drew for the first time, I can imagine what I felt. I can imagine that I saw the human vulnerability in the most intimate of moments in a human life. The grace of it. The calmness aimed head-down towards the inevitable. I must have seen the juxtaposition between the graceful fall and the horrific timeline that lead to this fall. I think I did not understand the power of photography yet (do I today?), but I must have seen how time had been suspended and created an aura, or maybe even a protective shield, of timelessness around the person.
And although there are no recognizable facial features, I would’ve recognized myself in this person. I would have asked myself: what would I feel, what would I do?
​
In several projects the artist deals with the impact and implications of having seen Richard Drew's 'Falling Man' image as he tries to answer questions like: why is this picture such a strong resonating one? How did this image shape the view on the American trauma? What are the moral implications of watching a man falling to his death?
"Although I cannot exactly remember what I felt when I saw the image of The Falling Man by Richard Drew for the first time, I can imagine what I felt. I can imagine that I saw the human vulnerability in the most intimate of moments in a human life. The grace of it. The calmness aimed head-down towards the inevitable. I must have seen the juxtaposition between the graceful fall and the horrific timeline that lead to this fall. I think I did not understand the power of photography yet (do I today?), but I must have seen how time had been suspended and created an aura, or maybe even a protective shield, of timelessness around the person.
And although there are no recognizable facial features, I would’ve recognized myself in this person. I would have asked myself: what would I feel, what would I do?
​
In several projects the artist deals with the impact and implications of having seen Richard Drew's 'Falling Man' image as he tries to answer questions like: why is this picture such a strong resonating one? How did this image shape the view on the American trauma? What are the moral implications of watching a man falling to his death?
"Although I cannot exactly remember what I felt when I saw the image of The Falling Man by Richard Drew for the first time, I can imagine what I felt. I can imagine that I saw the human vulnerability in the most intimate of moments in a human life. The grace of it. The calmness aimed head-down towards the inevitable. I must have seen the juxtaposition between the graceful fall and the horrific timeline that lead to this fall. I think I did not understand the power of photography yet (do I today?), but I must have seen how time had been suspended and created an aura, or maybe even a protective shield, of timelessness around the person.
And although there are no recognizable facial features, I would’ve recognized myself in this person. I would have asked myself: what would I feel, what would I do?
​
In several projects the artist deals with the impact and implications of having seen Richard Drew's 'Falling Man' image as he tries to answer questions like: why is this picture such a strong resonating one? How did this image shape the view on the American trauma? What are the moral implications of watching a man falling to his death?
"Although I cannot exactly remember what I felt when I saw the image of The Falling Man by Richard Drew for the first time, I can imagine what I felt. I can imagine that I saw the human vulnerability in the most intimate of moments in a human life. The grace of it. The calmness aimed head-down towards the inevitable. I must have seen the juxtaposition between the graceful fall and the horrific timeline that lead to this fall. I think I did not understand the power of photography yet (do I today?), but I must have seen how time had been suspended and created an aura, or maybe even a protective shield, of timelessness around the person.
And although there are no recognizable facial features, I would’ve recognized myself in this person. I would have asked myself: what would I feel, what would I do?
​
In several projects the artist deals with the impact and implications of having seen Richard Drew's 'Falling Man' image as he tries to answer questions like: why is this picture such a strong resonating one? How did this image shape the view on the American trauma? What are the moral implications of watching a man falling to his death?
"Although I cannot exactly remember what I felt when I saw the image of The Falling Man by Richard Drew for the first time, I can imagine what I felt. I can imagine that I saw the human vulnerability in the most intimate of moments in a human life. The grace of it. The calmness aimed head-down towards the inevitable. I must have seen the juxtaposition between the graceful fall and the horrific timeline that lead to this fall. I think I did not understand the power of photography yet (do I today?), but I must have seen how time had been suspended and created an aura, or maybe even a protective shield, of timelessness around the person.
And although there are no recognizable facial features, I would’ve recognized myself in this person. I would have asked myself: what would I feel, what would I do?
​
In several projects the artist deals with the impact and implications of having seen Richard Drew's 'Falling Man' image as he tries to answer questions like: why is this picture such a strong resonating one? How did this image shape the view on the American trauma? What are the moral implications of watching a man falling to his death?
"Although I cannot exactly remember what I felt when I saw the image of The Falling Man by Richard Drew for the first time, I can imagine what I felt. I can imagine that I saw the human vulnerability in the most intimate of moments in a human life. The grace of it. The calmness aimed head-down towards the inevitable. I must have seen the juxtaposition between the graceful fall and the horrific timeline that lead to this fall. I think I did not understand the power of photography yet (do I today?), but I must have seen how time had been suspended and created an aura, or maybe even a protective shield, of timelessness around the person.
And although there are no recognizable facial features, I would’ve recognized myself in this person. I would have asked myself: what would I feel, what would I do?
​
The Surveillance Projects
Looking is an Act of Choice (2020)
The Waiting Room (2020)
The Machine Gaze (2020)
Looking is an Act of Choice (2020)
Overal waar we zijn en waar we gaan, worden we bekeken; wordt ons gedrag gemonitord en, op vele manieren, gecontroleerd. Post-911 angst en de daaruit voortvloeiende technologische ontwikkelingen hebben veel samenlevingen in de armen van de continue surveillance gedreven. Meeste surveillance wordt verkocht als een belofte van veiligheid, beveiliging en service.
'The Surveillance Projects' is een serie van projecten uit 2020, waar ik de machtsverhoudingen onderzoek tussen hen die bekeken worden en zij die bekijken; de machinale beeldtaal van CCTV en hoe de betekenis van en onze relatie met ruimte en plaats hierdoor wordt beïnvloed.
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In 'Looking is an Act of Choice' onderzoek ik de fragiele grens tussen de publieke ruimte en de ruimte die we thuis noemen. Kan de thuis-ruimte ingezet worden als counter-strategie tegen de almaar dieper binnendringende surveillance samenleving?
Het raam als bijna onzichtbare scheiding tussen de publieke en de privé ruimte, maar waar ligt de grens op ethisch gebied? In 'The Waiting Room' zet ik deze vraag centraal door de kijker te verleiden deelgenoot te worden van een obsessief voyeuristisch project die de machtsbalans tussen de kijker en de bekekene op scherp zet.
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In 'The Machine Gaze' onderzoek ik de beeldtaal van de beveiligingscamera. Gekenmerkt door de emotioneel ontkoppelde waarneming verandert een parkje in een vervreemdend schouwspel.
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Everywhere we are and go, we are being watched, our behavior is being monitored and,
in many ways, controlled. Post 911 angst and forthcoming developments on technology has driven many societies into the arms of continuous surveillance.
Most surveillance is being pushed and commended as a promise of safety, security, and service.
The Surveillance Projects are a series of projects from 2020 where the artist explores the power balance between those being observed and the observer, the " visual machine language" of CCTV, and how this affects the meaning and importance of the space and place.
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In ' Looking is an Act of Choice' I explore the fragile boundary between the public space and the space we call home. Can I use the home-space as a counter-strategy against continuously deeper penetrating surveillance society?
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The window as an almost invisible border between the public and the private space, but where lies the boundary from an ethical perspective? In 'The Waiting Room' I centralize this question by seducing the viewer to be complicit of an obsessive and voyeuristic project, which exacerbates the power balance between the observer and the observed.
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In 'The Machine Gaze' I explore the visual language of CCTV's. Characterized by the emotionally disconnected observations a little park transforms into an alienated scene.