Eigengrau

Eigengrau is not a real color; rather, it is a virtual color that the human brain projects onto the inside of the eyelids when there is no external visual input. People describe this color in various ways, most commonly as different shades of gray. One can only imagine what the brain does with our vision when our eyes are open.

In 2025, I traveled to the Great Wall of China, which is not a single continuous wall but a series of walls built with different materials and at various times throughout history, contrary to the unified virtual images I had known before. During the trip, my mind and my eye were overwhelmed by the sensory impressions I experienced from behind the window of the speeding vehicle. All the footage and live sounds captured in this poem were recorded on location during the journey to the site. Together, they serve as an extended metaphor: the journey to the wall reflects the intricate interplay of our external sensory experiences. It illustrates how our remarkable brain does not always function as expected—it has limitations in capturing the surrounding reality, yet, ironically, it still works. Considering this, the question arises: to what extent do we truly “see” and experience what is around us? What part of reality is already present in the brain? And eventually: does that matter?

Directed by Nikolaas Boucquey (Belgium)