In the past years Emma van der Put has investigated the possibilities of using public spaces as ‘ready made’ sets in her videos. While filming she chooses not to stage, but to work with the opportunities that arise during observation. With this approach she questions to what extent she allows herself to intervene in the filmed situation. In the first instance the presence of her camera and its influence on her perception are the main intervention.
For every video Van der Put selects a specific location or situation. With this decision, the framework of the film is determined. In her position as an observer, she tries to maintain a balance between empathy and detachment. Even though she is physically part of the crowd, the telescopic lens of her camera is creating a distance, a private space within the public space. During the editing process Van der Put tries to access the moment she has captured even further by deconstructing the footage. By doing this, the footage becomes detached from the actual situation that took place. The more she reflects on that situation and reviews it, the more her personal interpretation will come to the foreground. When editing her material, Emma van der Put is primarily focused on how she can formulate her ideas about the situation she filmed. Therefore editing is, in contrast to her observational attitude while filming, a phase of a more radical and personal interference with the filmed material.
Emma van der Put was born in 1988 in ’s-Hertogenbosch, NL. She lives and works in ’s-Hertogenbosch and Brussels. Van der Put studied at AKV St. Joost, ‘s-Hertogenbosch (2006-2010, NL) and was a participant at De Ateliers in Amsterdam (2010-2012, NL). She worked as an artist in residence at Lokaal 01, Antwerp (2014, BE) and at WIELS, Brussels (2014, BE). Her work was part of shows at a.o. TAC – Temporary Art Center, Eindhoven (2021, NL); 2nd Biennial of ‘Kunst in de Heilige Driehoek’, Oosterhout (2021, NL); Mu.ZEE, Ostend (2020, BE); tegenboschvanvreden @ The White House gallery, Lovenjoel (2019, BE); Ketelfactory, Schiedam (2019, NL); MILL, Brussels (2019, BE); Loods 12, Wetteren (2019, BE); Rijksmuseum voor Oudheden, Leiden (2018, NL); Atelierhaus Klingental, Basel (2018, CH); A Tale of a Tub, Rotterdam (2018, NL); WIELS, Brussels (2016, BE); Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen (2016, NL); IDFA Paradocs, EYE Film Museum, Amsterdam (2015, NL); Museum De Pont, Tilburg (2015, NL); Lokaal01, Antwerp (2014, BE). Works by Emma van der Put are part of international private and public collections.