Ruth van Beek has been collecting photographs for years - newspaper clippings, amateur family pictures, images from old books and from the internet. She collates them together in her ever-growing archive; an archive that is simultaneously both chaotic and fluent. The subjects she explores include family life, landscapes, archeological findings, natural disasters, spectacular findings, flower arrangements and handcraft instructions.
The Levitators are a species of animal that originated from images of domestic dogs. Seeing these pets, now bred in all possible shapes and forms, it is hard to believe that they descend from wild animals. In the photographs they pose patiently for the camera of their owner, looking their best, tails wagging. To bring the dogs back to life, Ruth van Beek cuts and folds the images. Through this process of animation and fixation, many things go awry. In her attempt to make the dogs fly, they gradually loose their original shape, transforming into fluffy objects, unsuccessful animals. Through this uncertainty they become open to new interpretations.