About Me

Born and grown up in an idyllic village in the mountainous South-Eastern part of Tyrol, I was confronted with the sobriety of nature which has captivated my eye from an early age on and forced me to look very carefully and closely on the signs of nature. Fascinated by the abundance of natural wonders being surrounded by, I have never stopped engaging myself with decoding the secrets of life and constantly developed my analytical abilities which finally have guided me into science. Following the principles and concepts of critical theory, I have been focusing on phenomena which are noticeable but due to various social and political power structures often remain silenced and suppressed. Referring to the Visual with a close look on the photographic image, I try to analyse and carve out patterns of a hidden visual code which seems to have an manipulating impact on society. In my research, I deal with the visual construction of gender, difference, illness or minorities in mass media. Reflecting on the work of gaze theorists like Laura Mulvey (male gaze) or Michel Foulcault (medical gaze), I am interested in the act of seeing and being seen with a special interest in the iconographic construction of otherness. In order to be able to plug holes between theory and practice and to reflect on what I have found out by applying scientific methods, I also make moving and still images myself or at least guide others in the process of producing visual art which aims at addressing the Silenced by giving it a visual voice. Together with a punch of students, we visually addressed the abysses of Academic life as well as unspoken norms and conventions in formal educational contexts which force the viewer to have a close look on the uncomfortable zones in everyday life. As far more work needs to be done on the socio-cultural and medial construction of categories like gender and difference on a theoretical, practical as well as artistical level, I hope that my commitment will never fatigue and my thirst for knowledge will never be quenched...