Fingers | Ilse Oosterkamp

Description

With his hands, my son Melle creates something that no one else can imitate. Melle has multiple disabilities, including struggles with hypermobility, a condition that makes his joints extremely flexible. As a result, he can effortlessly create short-lived sculptures with his fingers. These poses last only a few seconds at most and cannot be controlled. They are not staged; they arise in his own way, without him being aware of it.

As a photographer, I am fascinated by being ‘different’, by the impossibilities and unsuspected possibilities of the body. Beautiful shapes, but not always a pretty picture. In today’s visual culture, everyone seems eager to showcase perfection. Being different often evokes discomfort because people are not accustomed to it. I strive to reveal the beauty in it.