Citadel of Solitude
The video installation ‘Citadel of Solitude’ was part of the group show ‘Grofweg Bruut!’ on view from April 12 to July 5 2024 at Paviljoen Welgelegen in Haarlem. Seven artists with a shared passion for brutalist architecture show their work: Jessica Assmann Zwaanswijk, Piet Zwaanswijk, Charles Bruijn, Alex van Zanten, Bethany de Forest, George Anderson and Ronald Ruseler.
Citadel of Solitude
The video artwork “Citadel of Solitude” is a non-narrative film about the psychological and emotional implications of individualization and polarization, in a society where human well-being is threatened by indirect danger, cultural shifts and social changes.
The narrative of the film is non-traditional and there are no physical characters to be seen. The story is told through associations between images of architecture, interior space, objects and abstract concepts that serve as visual context. The setting for the film is the imposing, sometimes stark landscape of brutalist architecture. The film visualizes abstract representations of complex emotions in contrast to the minimalist construction of the architecture.
Combined with the ominous soundtrack, it creates a nuanced dialogue about the influence of fear and threat on the human psyche.