Dhalgren - Susanne Senekowitsch

My multiple exposure series Dhalgren is the manifestation of my profound fascination with Samuel Delany’s weird science fiction novel with the same title. Using quotations from the last page of the book, I try to illustrate the irrational memory fragments of its main character, depicting his inner turmoil as well as the surreal landscapes and strange people of the post-apocalyptic city. In my interpretation, the stream-of-consciousness writing is illustrated by a corresponding style of photography and both display the moment when the character is finally losing his mind and is cut off from reality. For me, it symbolizes a traumatic moment outside time, an extreme state of mind as a psychologically transformative experience, a life-changing transformation that anyone can experience anytime.