where-we-r.com
2003-2005

Where-we-r is an interactive website. It is a personal exploration of various aspects of religion. My point of departure is that true faith transcends religion. This project began during my residency at ECAV, Sierre, Switzerland. In the process of finding out more about Swiss culture, I was led by my interest in Francis Schaeffer, a Christian philosopher who lived and worked in Switzerland, and the discovery that John Calvin had been a mayor of Geneva. I decided to use these as guidelines in my research into the phenomenon of religion. This eventually led me on a pilgrimage to the Reformer’s Monument. I had previously seen a photograph by some obscure French artist of William Burroughs in front of this very monument, and continued this private tradition by photographing myself prostrated/kneeling before the monument. This image became the point of departure for my exploration of the meaning of religion.

This website consists of a series of images that can only be activated by the viewer’s participation. The project is an interactive online exhibition that contains various links that are activated when the mouse is moved. As one moves the mouse, various images, sounds and texts are triggered. This game of hide-and-seek yields surprising rewards, as one can download, print and capture images, screensavers, MP3 sound projects, mpeg movies or creative texts. These diverse sources are all connected by the theme of religion. It becomes clear that religion can be defined only in terms of its external characteristics. Thus images relating to soccer mania, solitary confinement in a prison, or the pursuit of knowledge can be interpreted as expressions of religiosity. My aim is to illuminate the paradoxical relationship between regulation and free will; how religion delineates shared knowledge, while spiritual experience remains singular.