2017 Alienation

This project documents Jaap’s hospitalization for open heart surgery. He captured his experience of the hospital environment.

“Where am I? I am a little cold, I see unnatural light and I hear unfamiliar sounds. Is this the infirmary or the desert or the moon: it makes no difference to me. They ask me questions. They are trying to be nice to me, but they are not my friends. They don’t understand me. I am not anxious nor restless. If I take a deep breath, that’s not because I am shocked, but I have apnea. I feel lame limbs and lack of affection, warmth and touch. I wander around and then it becomes quiet. We do not belong in a hospital. You’re much better off healthy.”

A book called Vervreemding (Alienation) has been compiled on this subject, with which Jaap graduated from the Photo Academy Amsterdam in 2017.