Why animals? Because they teach us who we are.
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A conversation in the summer of 2022 – about closeness, perception and the beauty of silence.
Why animals? Why them in particular – and why in spaces that are actually designed for humans?
Because they bring a sense of calm that we have lost.
Animals know no hurry, no masks, no staging.
They simply rest in their natural state.
And when they lie on a sofa – surrounded by familiar things, in rooms we control – something unexpected happens:
A moment of true silence.
Not stagnation, but depth.
What happens when you look at such a picture?
First you see the sofa. Then the animal.
And at some point, if you look for a longer time, you begin to feel that there's something in the air.
The animals' posture, this complete relaxation, acts as an antidote to one's own restlessness.
It invites you to become still – so still that your own breath becomes audible again.
Perhaps one shouldn't even try to understand it immediately.
Perhaps looking for half a minute is enough.
Then into the eyes.
And at that moment, the room begins to work.
The animal remains calm, but everything else changes – the light, the perception, perhaps even something inside.
Is this effect intentional?
Yes, but not staged.
The position of the animals is not a pose.
It arises from the idea that true strength lies in tranquility.
Anyone who experiences this tranquility understands: This is no coincidence.
This is the natural state of equilibrium.
And that's exactly why these images feel so right – almost healing.
What is Brandhoek in one sentence?
An invitation to look again – without a goal, without judgment, simply with an open heart.
Brandhoek
Animals teach us who we are – through their silence, their posture, and the art of simply being present.
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Author: Brandhoek ᛫ February 2022 ᛫ Cape Town
This work - The Invisible Judge - is from an earlier Brandhoek collection from 2022 and is no longer available.
It remains part of the Brandhoek archival archive – a symbol of the beginning of a new perspective.