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Connect the stars

Connect the stars

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Summer blog this one is always the hardest to pick a subject. After a few weeks of and doing fun things it’s hard to pick a subject. Shall I write about my vacation to Nurnberg or dedicate a blog about the Wicker ritual at Castlefest. What about my visit to Schloss Moyland and the Marina Abramovic & MAI exhibition. Or are they not so far apart? And is it all about connection? Embrace and let go, breath in and breath out.

So my summer was a magical evening in Nurnberg a concert of Deine Lakaien that felt it was directed by the universe. With a thunderstorm that delayed the show but with the perfect timing of the sun breaking through and bats flying over as the sun went down.  That brings me to Castlefest festival (pictures) where they have the wicker ritual. It was 10 years ago after my first time I put something in the wicker. A ritual with some rain before it started just like with the concert. But magical during the show. The wicker is a personal ritual where people put something in the wicker to let go. Because of the theme I decided to let go and embrace. Embrace myself and continue on my path.


Between everything I went to the exhibition of Marina Abramovic & MAI. Personally she’s one of my favourite modern artist and always fascinated me during my art studies.  The way  Marina Abramovic connect how her work connect people. Her student from MAI who performed work that connect Abramovic and Beuys and then to the audience. And yes you can argue on the personal visions and believe. I also do not always agree with the material or form they use. But in the core it’s all about connection and reflection.

You were not just a visitor. You were my life.
– Marina Abrovic about Uley 2012

You might ask yourself: Helene you had a fun summer but still how does it connect? Wel for me I see a clear connection between all three events. It’s all about connection and love. A reflection to connecting with yourself. From to love yourself to  breathing from you core. It’s all about you just you being you. Meet people connect to people. For a year I did a lot of walks and made pictures and later I found out it were walks to connect to myself. Sometimes some walks along other times I’m alone. But it’s just like life if we dare to connect we can grow and see the most beautfitul things.


The starts in sky are like dots we just need to connect them. We just need to look up and don’t be afraid to connect.

Helene

Breath


Marina Abramovic & MAI im Dialog mit Joseph Beuys

Photo impression of the exhibition.

Ollie Alpaca 2019

Ollie Alpaca 2019

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From the old box 2019

Exhibition Weg naar de vrijheid, 75 jaar bevrijding van oss (way to freedom, 75years of liberty in Oss), Jan Cunen Museum, Oss (NL) 2-6-2019 till 22-9-2019

Ollie Alpaca
2019
Made from Yarn (scheepjes Namaste)

The alpaca represents love and determination. The alpaca is a guide to help you climb the highest mountains to find your path. The alpaca can carry your burton and make you happy with their soft character. The colours red and green stand for nature and power. Purple for the divine.The softness of the yarn represents rest.


The alpaca represents the journey to freedom a devine journey to inner rest and luck.

Go where the heart tells you

Go where the heart tells you

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Sometimes you have to go to a place just because you have to. So we talked at home about visiting Kevelaer (DE). Well I visit Kevelaer a lot but just for some quick shopping like many Dutch people we do not visit the city centre. But this time on the Summer Solstice we went to the Basilica of Kevelaer.

So my personal pilgrim journey brought me to this place. I rarely go to church and if I go it’s just like a tourist and not to pray. But it felt like this was the moment to go not to pray just to see. We arrived the square exactly at 8 when the bells for the morning prayers started with the sun from behind the basilica on my face and the church service near the Maria Chapel on the square started. We listened to the the preach and deiced to go to the basilica. There was no one inside just us and the magic of the moment and it remined me of my family and my past.


Next we decided to go to the Kerzenkapelle (candle chapel) it felt more like me in the present that on my personal pilgrim my light already has awakened. And again no one else was there.

The third we crossed the mercy chapel. When I entered the chapel only I could think of the Benedictus song. Under  the alter there was a little box that cought my eye. With still the Benedictus on repeat in my head. Later I found out that the remains of Canisius where in the box. And my bone transplantation that gave me the confidence to sing was in the Dutch Canisius hospital. But still standing there in the chapel no one else there I sang. Just sang not loud not much but let it go what blocked me.

”Benedictus qui venit in nomine domini”  – Karl Jenkins

Back on the square the service still there. The last words ready to leave just like the visitors of the service left the square.
We walked around the town and got back to the square. Tho the Maria Chapel with doors open to welcome us. Mesmerized by it’s beauty and all the details. I decided to pray and I never pray. But it was a moment that caught me a moment I needed just within me and again there was no one there but us.

Later we walked in nature a place I always feel more home. But still somehow I needed to visit Kevelaer just for me just because it needed to be on my personal pilgrim. Not for religion just for personal reflection. So now time to continue on my path and build new chapters.

With love,
Helene Smits

New chapter so a new tattoo

New chapter so a new tattoo

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Yes I almost had to wait a year but now I have my tattoo. A year ago was working on the Armed Man with the Osse Opera and as a daughter of a veteran it was a piece that really touches my heart. But It was also a period where I thought a lot about the Balkans. As we can always do something with our hair I decided to make a custom hairpin of the Vergina Sun. I talked about it with a friend and thought why not as a tattoo because it had a double meaning for me but not on the way it mostly used.

The Vergina sun
Why the Vergina sun, it’s mostly known as a symbol of Macedonia and dates back to Alexander the Great. No I’m not Macedonian but I fell in love of the symbolism behind it. But also It’s for me also a refence to the album Porta Macedonia of Veljanov which become my personal favourite album.  It was realised in a time where I worked as a photographer and remember that we were invited to the album release. That was a few days after my bone transplantation surgery in my jaw. My dad drove me to the cd presentation in Berlin and the next day he had to go the Airport to welcome some colleagues that just came home from the Afghanistan war. A year later my dad had to go to Afghanistan for six months. So that album became a really personal album that helped me in that period.

But the Vergina sun came back on my path while I was working on The armed Man. But the referees to the symbolism behind the sun the 16 ray’s that references wholeness and the centre the rose of love and strength. The sun of the Helios and even my names is French is original is Greek, Hélène (Helena) which means torch or light  that goes back to his origin to the Helios the sun. 

Bianca Stücker
So yes if I go for a tattoo that I was overthinking to oblivion than also overthink the artist. Well I did not had to think long on this. But even I had to wait for almost a year for my turn it was worth the wait and more room to overthink the tattoo itself.
Bianca has a special place in my heart. She is such a great an creative person. I knew her from The Violet Tribe and even had the honour to dance with them a few times as a guest. She has also been one of my dance teachers and  I admire her support for woman in all kind of shapes and styles. She showed me that I can shine on stage and to not be afraid of it. So my choice was easily made to ask her to help me with my personal reminder of dreams.

Tattoo

So the centre of my tattoo is the sun accomplished with a  small moon. The moon which stands for my feminine side and three dots that make it whole are for my tree children. On the other side a star of good luck, or is it a second sun. Because we can argue about the sun and the stars but overlook that the sun is a star.

So this is my personal life in a tattoo on my right arm an everlasting personal reminder: to never give up on dreams again. Yes I once gave them all up. But in my darkest hour someone shows me that the sun would rise again.


What is your reminder not to give up on your dreams?


With love,
Helene

More infomation about Bianca Stücker
https://www.bianca-stuecker.com


From the archive me with The Voilet Tribe. Lats two of ap perfomance I did on Oriental Tea Time.

I made a song!! Secret of the sun

I made a song!! Secret of the sun

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So last winter I wrote little song text just a small one. But me wouldn’t be me if I would toss and turn about it. So first place I had an idea how to sing it but can I do it? I came at a point where I decided not to fool myself with my own boundaries. I always tell people to express themselves and me I always block myself. But there is no failure because there is nothing to lose. If you don’t start you will never know what you could have done. So I stop running and start to listen to myself and create. You can only find your own style by experimenting even you have a few materials if you are creative you can make something out of it that shows your vision.  So that’s what I did just start to create I knew what I want and went for it.

I can write a thousand words why I wrote it and analyse the words I have written. But I wrote it just because it felt write just to share a small insight in my head.

Video



To finish it of I made a conceptual videoclip to add with it. For me the process felt nostalgic and brought me back to my studies audio visual and art. The big different between now and then, now I allow to work raw and expressive. And while I’m writing my blog I have a nostalgic 80-90’s playlist on my tv where now and then a video pops up. The best times for videoclips when it was an art on it’s own. Raw sometimes strange but all to express the story behind the music or to capture the vibe. Now days it’s over commercialize and perfected to nothing but a nice slick promotional.

If you would ask me ten years ago to make a video with the same song it would be completely different. Probably a picture perfect video with fairytale like locations. But now I chose to make it raw a thing teachers during my art studies almost begged me to do. So now I just let me self-go and did it.

So here it is my experimental song with my experimental video. I hope you like it or it might inspire you.

Just be yourself
with love

Helene

Secret of the sun written by Helene Smits
Produced by Bjorn Grunveld
Vocals & Theremin: Helene Smits
Keyboad: Bjorn Grunveld
Piano: Oliver Grunveld
Video by Helene Smits

Don’t ask me to make pictures of …..

Don’t ask me to make pictures of …..

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This blog might come over as a slightly arrogant blog. But so many times I hear: oh, you are a photographer so you can make picture…

  • at my wedding
  • of my company
  • for my ID
  • of my child
  • of my dog
  • a funeral
  • and so on and so on.

And I say NO!

Mostly people are surprised if I say no. Yes I have almost all the degrees in photography (I only miss a master that’s a different thing) so yes I learned all the techniques. My specialisation is concert & documentary photography. That also doesn’t mean I make pictures of every concert with my camera (mostly a snapshot with my iPhone like everyone now days).  During my photography studies I didn’t even take all assignments. It’s good to set your borders as an artist in whatever art you make. As a student it’s normal to experiment and discover your interest and talent. But as a photographer here in the Netherlands people expect you do everything. But it’s good to have a specialisation.

So what kind of photography do I do?
At the moment I started to pick up my photography as a freelance independent  photographer and I only make picture for my own art and on request. So a concert here and there when it fits my agenda. Art project at my own pace.

I feel great the way I can reinvent myself as an artist compared to the pressure of when I was studying. I have control and do what I love work with people I want to work with who fits in my vision. With Noize Magazine I’ve had a great time but now I don’t have big pressure deadline and focus on developing my own style in my own time. So let’s make art!!!


Dare to be arrogant!
Now I’m getting older I start to understand artist that seemed arrogant when I was young. Like stories I heard about Corbijn asking outrageous fees to make pictures or the attitude of Erwin Olaf. They are strict in there own rules they made to protect them as an artist. To have control of there own art. So now I don’t see arrogant as a bad thing but just a way to focus on your personal work. The hard thing is the balance between appear arrogant and still be open to new things. Boundaries are hard to set because before you realise you start to build walls instead of bridges.


So yes you can always ask me to make pictures of your wedding/dog whatever. Just accept if I ask a high fee or even say no.


With love,
Helene


Helene Smits – Berlin 2005
Helene Smits – Berlin 2025