Foldable conversation
Project info
Foldable conversation
This project focuses on the experience of international students and how they perceive sounds and phrases in large public spaces. For this work, the Markthal in Rotterdam was chosen as the specific location. In this bustling space, you hear Dutch being spoken all around you — words and sentences that, individually, you might be able to understand, but as the conversations merge together, it quickly becomes a blur of sounds.
As an international student, it can feel like you’re being overwhelmed by all these sounds, gradually drifting further away. But then, in the middle of the noise, you suddenly hear something in English. This moment pulls you out of the crowd, like a bubble lifting you above the people. It feels as though, for a brief second, you’ve returned to a familiar place, surrounded by a language you understand, and you feel at home again.
This work explores the feeling of alienation and connection, of getting lost in the unfamiliar language of a new country, and the unexpected comfort that a small moment of recognition can bring.
Technical information
Paper: Greenlabel 250 GR