Why animals? Because they teach us who we are.
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A conversation in summer 2022 – about closeness, perception and the beauty of silence.
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Why animals? Why them in particular—and why in spaces that are actually designed for humans?
Because they bring a calm that we have lost.
Animals know no haste, no masks, no staging.
They simply rest in their nature.
And when they lie on a sofa – amidst familiar things, in spaces we control – something unexpected happens:
A moment of true silence.
Not standstill, but depth.
What happens when you look at such a picture?
First you see the sofa. Then the animal.
And at some point, when you look longer, you begin to sense that there is something in the air.
The attitude of the animals, this complete relaxation, acts as an antidote to one's own restlessness.
It invites you to become silent – so silent that you can hear your own breathing again.
Maybe you shouldn't even try to understand it right away.
Maybe it's enough to look for half a minute.
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 intended – this effect?
Yes, but not staged.
The position of the animals is not a pose.
It comes from the idea that true strength lies in calmness.
Anyone who feels this calm understands: This is no coincidence.
This is the natural state of balance.
And that's exactly why these images feel so right - almost healing.
What is Brandhoek in one sentence?
An invitation to look again – without goal, without judgment, simply with an open heart.
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Brandhoek
Animals teach us who we are – through their silence, their posture and the art of simply being there.
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Author: Brandhoek ᛫ February 2022 ᛫ Cape Town
This work - The Invisible Judgement - comes from a previous Brandhoek collection in 2022 and is no longer available.
It remains part of the Brandhoek Archives – a symbol of the beginning of a new perspective.