2024

an immersive multimedia spatial installation combining photography, painting, sound and text

14 photographies by Valerie Reding, W120cm x H180cm

painting by David Weishaar, The Heart Is Ours, W300cm x H200cm

soundscape by Lou Drago, 1h02min, loop

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The transdisciplinary artist Valerie Reding creates with monsters a compelling space to share the powerful stories of those that have experienced abuse in interpersonal relationships - stories that get so often hidden and silenced in our society. Combining photography, painting, sound and text in an immersive and poetic multimedia spatial installation with contributions by Lausanne-based painter David Weishaar, Berlin-based sound artist Lou Drago and Valerie Reding's own photographic work, monsters fiercely reclaims the monstrosity that is projected on survivors and those who speak up against abuse (of power) and systems of oppression. This eclectic work is an empowering celebration of the liberating power of one‘s voice, resilience, healing, solidarity - and love. It is also a sensitive and thought-provoking reflection on the figure of the monster and the complex interconnections between interpersonal and societal power relations.

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Valerie Reding created 14 vibrant, staged photographic portraits of individuals who have survived abuse in interpersonal relationships, highlighting diverse gender and sexual identities as well as cultural backgrounds to explore intersections of personal and systemic power dynamics: Aron Smith, Bast Hippocrate, Pauline Canavesio aka BORA, Robyn Cloé Iyongo, Salou Sadras and William Cardoso. Inspired by the aesthetics of 19th century Freak Show posters and Susan Sontag’s concept of camp, Reding crafted surreal, superhero*ine alter-egos of the subjects, using humor and bold colors to explore authenticity through artifice and sublimate trauma into empowerment. Through intimate, consensual collaboration over several months, Reding designed and hand-crafted body extensions, accessories and makeup tailored to their identities, fostering body positivity and restoring confidence. On the day of the photo shooting, Reding transformed Aron, Bast, Pauline, Robyn, Salou and William into flamboyant and beautiful monsters. By focusing on direct gazes, the portraits celebrate the resilience and humanity of the individuals, reframing their experiences without objectifying or reactivating their pain. The photos are entirely created in the camera, without any CGI, as Reding enjoys working with materials and bodies in space, aiming to provide an empowering and transformative experience, not only to the viewer, but also to the participants.

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To highlight the importance and transcendental power of collective solidarity, Reding invited painter David Weishaar to create a mystical and poetic yet monumental triptych The Heart Is Ours, featuring Aron, Bast, Pauline, Robyn, Salou and Will. With his painting, Weishaar revisits and reinterprets some of the thematic and iconographic elements of Botticelli's series of paintings Nastagio degli Onesti, in order to offer a symbolic re-reading of this tale from the Italian Renaissance that served as a moralistic warning to any woman refusing marriage. What could Nastagio have rediscovered, centuries later, during his stroll through the forest? The forest is as dense and all-enveloping as it used to be, but the sky is hellishly red, radiating. The twilight scene, perhaps “post-rave”, echoing a group ritual, now represents a frieze of united individuals, facing the viewer with sharp, luminescent eyes. The dogs are by their side, defiant, guarding the recovered heart. Several whispers can be heard, seemingly emanating from the swamp. They sing: The Heart is Ours!

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Besides the photographies and the painted triptych, the public will be able to listen to the poetic testimonies of the survivors that Reding portrayed. The silencing of abuse survivors is a key mechanism to hide and sustain abusive power relations. So, with these sound recordings, Reding amplifies the power of their voices. The audience will have access to cards with a QR code, that they can scan and then use their own smartphones to listen to the voices of the people portrayed. As the subject of abuse can be triggering for some people, it was important for Reding to ensure that the public has control over when they listen and stop listening to the testimonies. Furthermore, using phones to listen to the stories creates an intimate human experience through the feeling of proximity and vulnerability.

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To complement these voices and the visual elements of the spatial installation, Reding invited sound artist Lou Drago to create an oneiric ambient soundscape. Drago has been exploring the healing potential of sound for many years in their artistic practice. The soundscape that they composed for monsters invites listeners into a mirror world, meandering through several moods with inflections of sci-fi surrealism. Yet, it ultimately holds listeners in a tender embrace, cocooned in frequencies chosen for their soothing properties, creating a salving counterweight to the subject matter.