Placeholder is an attempt at holding it together in the face of absence; of a mother, of a memory, of something tangible. Hands holding rocks, hands gripping other hands. Images oscillate between dreams and recollection, distorted and transformed over time.

Placeholder was created as part of the filmmakers› research into hybrid realities and physical carriers of time, dealing with memory and its representation in film-based works. The film was souped, soiled, and buried as an investigation into what organic matter and the passage of time would do to the images gathered. Placeholder seeks to gain deeper insight into cyclical, non-hierarchical narrative structures in relation to the subconscious and remembrance.

Alex Schuurbiers (NL/BE) is an audiovisual artist working predominantly with analogue media. Her practice focuses on trance-like, non-hierarchical narrative structures in regards to the subconscious, incorporating themes such as heimat, maternal lineage, intergenerational transmission, trauma and resilience. Her artistic research centers on memory and its representation in film based works, as well as ecological developing methods and the effects of organic matter on celluloid. Her work includes En Vagues (2023) and Where I lay my head to rest (2023) and Song of Homecoming (2023) and Placeholder (2025).

Technical specs

Production Country: Belgium
Production Year: 2025
Shooting Format: super8, 8mm and 16mm Available Screening Format: H264, ProRes, DCP Duration: 7’46”
Spoken Language: none
Written Language: English