An interactive outdoor installation that uses sensory experiences to evoke presence and connection, inspired by interactions with people with dementia. I was invited by Kunstlab Deventer to create an artistic interpretation based on my observations at a day care center for people with dementia to exhibit during an art route. I spent several days engaging with the activities and participants, which inspired me to create an installation focused on presence and sensory experience. 

What happens when the past and present fade from memory, leaving only distant, blurred fragments? What if others remind you of who you once were? Who are you now, in your body? What do you feel in this moment? What if we slowly let go of the construct of who we think we are and transition into what remains of our physical experiences? These questions inspired me after spending time at day care center Erve de Poll.

In this work, my friends, family, and colleagues—people who know me well or who have briefly but intensely shared moments with me—sit in a hot tub, connected through the liquid medium of water. They are my collective memory. Ask them questions about the work, they can clearly describe what it’s about. My own memory is not available today. The essence of my liquid collective memory circulates, nebulizes, and merges into a greater whole, slowly landing on your body as you lie beneath it. Be in the moment, surrounded by fresh-cut grass, beneath a blue sky, feeling the sensations in your body, allowing thoughts to drift away, letting everything around and within you flow freely.