The alterity in me; water can’t drown, 2022
With soundscape by Hugo Bocarra
Museumnacht, NDSM-plein

For Museumnacht 2022, Rik Dijkhuizen presented a film alongside newly developed works by fashion designer Hedwig Vervoort and sound producer Hugo Boccara with the title OTHERING PLACES; A DIALOGUE. This immersive presentation departed from their individual practice and entered into a dialogue with the other’s work. The three creatives met on common ground and reflected on our desire to escape from a society that subjects us to norm and constantly treats us as strangers.

Artist Rik Dijkhuizen once again dives into the world of water with the film Alterity in me; water can’t drown. With this film, he introduces himself as the unknown watery creature from the movie trilogy The Creature of the Black Lagoon, but here the original ending is reimagined. We see the creature caught between land and earth, but unlike in the movies, this time it eventually manages to get rid of the suit that was supposed to humanise him, after which he returns to the water that has always provided a safe home. With this work, Rik reflects on how, in our hyper-individual society, we are often wrongly deemed deficient when our otherness poses a seemingly monstrous threat. The nuanced violence with which our society forces us to perform perfectionism leaves deep marks on our (collective) well-being. What impact does the fear of the other (and of being different ourselves) have on the way we live and interact with each other?