Ingrid Langenhoven

Artist Catalogue

Virtual Exhibition

Under Construction

“This physical passage in space is however almost always accompanied by a passage of internal change of some kind as well” – Judith Westerveld (2011)

Over the past few years, I have grown fond of the process that buildings go through while being constructed. The scaffolding that envelops it acts as an exoskeleton signifying change, that something new is to come, or the repair of what is already there. A visible and external sign that a building or structure is in a temporary period of transitioning. The laborious process of breaking down, repairing, re-evaluating, and reconstructing will come to an end, but its inconvenience is necessary. My practice is concerned with the metaphorical representation of the restructuring and continuous building that takes place on an internal level (mind and spirit) as one navigates through life’s ups and downs. The invisible scaffolding that takes shape within us, as our mind processes moments in time, trauma and hurt. We are in a constant state of developing and changing, either breaking down old habits and bad memories or rebuilding values or emotional capacity. The precarious installations that embody my own interpretation of the internal transitioning phases, invites and encourages one’s own in-depth reflection. With shadows strewn across the walls, the exhibition space becomes a threshold of some sort. An in-between phase where the invisible process is given a visual and external form. One steps into the transitory experience, momentarily being within and surrounded by scaffolding. The body becomes the object that is now under construction.

The project developed out of the idea of a shared experience amongst people, which takes place hidden within. We are always told that we don’t know what other people are going through. We ourselves sometimes don’t recognize the process of healing and dealing that is taking place within us.