David Claerbout

The passage of time is a central theme in David Claerbout’s work. He creates ‘frozen’ video installations in which he combines historical photographic material with film and uses modern digital techniques to manipulate the result. Claerbout’s method is highly meticulous. His attention to detail leads to production processes that can take years. The resulting experiences are poetic and meditative, balancing somewhere between static photography and moving film footage. What at first appears to be a motionless scene is revealed to contain subtle shifts in light, shadow or perspective. 

In this way, Claerbout prompts the viewer to see and experience time differently – not as a linear and purposeful phenomenon, but as something that stretches and condenses itself. In Ruurlo, Borculoscheweg, 1910 (1997), he reanimates an old photo of the titular village by adding a gently swaying tree. While the tree seems to have come to life, as it were, its movements are trapped in an endless loop. In Shadow Piece (2005), he animates a modernist architectural photo by digitally adding passers-by. They try unsuccessfully to open a closed door, even as we see their shadows crossing the threshold. The past is brought to life and yet at the same time remains out of reach.

These works exemplify two important aspects of David Claerbout’s art: time and light. By manipulating these elements, he disrupts our perception of events and elicits questions about authenticity. Are we looking at a piece of documentary footage or a reconstructed simulation? His oeuvre walks the line between fact and fiction, making the viewer aware of the fragile trust we place in images.