Since a young age, Julie van der Vaart has been fascinated by the concepts of time and space. For various photographic projects, she has explored the theme of time, each time approaching it from a different perspective: imaginary (non-linear) time, deep time, and cyclical time.
Particles is a work that examines the constant transformation of the sea, viewing it from the perspective of a living being that is always changing and evolving. The sea embodies a continuous cycle—of ebb and flow, of evaporation and rain, of creation and destruction. The seashell, for example, lives through the sea, but is also crushed by her relentless waves, reduced to tiny grains of sand – and as such, losing its form, purpose and identity. In this way, the sea becomes both a source of life and a force of obliteration, forever caught in the cycle of renewal and decay.
Much of Julie’s work conveys this sense of dissolution. The bodies depicted are not fixed; rather, they appear to merge with the sea, becoming one with her, as if part of the endless flow of transformation.