The first working day on an artist in residence
I am photographing some small Belgian town
and its weird narrow houses
Typical, similar, and identical
The car stops on the street beside me
From it comes out one bold guy
Obviously goes to a gym a lot
in black short sleeve t-shirt
with a golden cross on his chest
and is approaching me
I don‘t like it already
but I think I am in Belgium
maybe the guy wants some information

He looks suspicious at me and starts talking.
What are you doing here? What are you photographing?
Are you a member of some thief gang?
My senses are becoming sharpened.
I can feel when the situation
tends to go wrong
when someone has a shifted perspective
I calmly answer I am an artist
on an artist in residence here
He doesn‘t believe me much when he hears that
Where am I from? He asks
Southeast Europe
Everybody from there is
thieves and prostitutes
He is starting to insult me
My fear of madness
of this guy
makes a calm psychologist
out of me
I said, why am I here
No, you are lying
and you will rot in jail
because of it
I told him I don‘t lie
that this is a misunderstanding
He says tell that to police
when they arrive
I just called them

I can‘t wait for to police to arrive
They are not coming still
so he starts to question me
What am I studying?
I told him that I finished.
Master of New Media Arts
field of video and photography
after this, I am going home
and have an interview for a job
I sense he does not believe me
He says again, if you lie
you are going to rot in jail
I am thinking, look you
are insulting me
And I am trying to
convening and calm you
If I try to go somewhere now
who knows what will happen
It‘s better for police to come
Everything is solvable
So we wait
He insults me
I am calming him
Standard scheme
It‘s luck that he is not violent
Everything would be different then
Much worse for me
Now is just tensed like
a psychological thriller
artist against paranoid individua
He is speaking again
someone was robbed here
last week and her arm
was broken
I said I am sorry to hear that
but I have nothing to do
with it
I still think he doesn‘t believe me
So I start to think about
google maps street view car
and is that a violation
of individual privacy
so I can get rid of nervous
from this guy
and I am waiting for their police
which finally comes
They got out of the car
with strange looks on their faces
They don‘t get what is going on
Why am I smiling so much
have an old bike by my side
I think they don‘t even care
that I am wearing all black
He starts to explain
same word, same vocabulary
I am repeating my part
They ask where it is
where you are temporary here
I said here in neighbors
I can show you, they will tell you
The bold guys seem satisfied
he left me here with the police
his mission complete
he thinks he is a model citizen
because in his paranoid mind
he saw me as a thief
I saw him as a complete madman
The policeman is asking
Are you going to ride a bike in front
of the car
or you want us to give you a ride
to get there.
I stop for a moment to visualize
this bike ride with a car behind
like Monty Python gig
riding in the posh neighborhood
all way to that art center
I am thinking to go by car
so I have some comfort at least
when I had to suffer verbal violence
form that not so sane guy
I will go by car, I said
put the bike in and sat
on the front seat to navigate
beside the policeman
He informs me not to worry
You are not arrested
I told them that I know that
Barely said to them
that was more concerned by
that lunatic there
They say we drive, you navigate
And I drove them all way to the center
which is posh and impressive
You can see it from afar
We parked in front
and I am going inside
with two police officers by my side
other artists are peeking
thought the studio windows
on the second floor
wondering what‘s going on

I am hoping that
the director of the center
is not here
to see this
It‘s difficult to explain that
to the old guy
I told them to wait
I am going to find someone in the office
In the meantime, they say
please give us your id
Let them look at it
I am looking like a thief there
From unprofessional
shooting
I am coming back with an office guy
he confirms my story
that I was constantly repeating
to that madman
and to the police
They are shocked and ashamed
Telling me, they are so sorry
but they have to respond
to those calls, he is our
citizen
And a fool, I think
why don‘t you deal with that
What I have from your I am sorry
after stress from that guy
And they are leaving

Soon the whole center knows
for this episode
I was trying to find out
what was wrong
from the guys working in the office
They say it‘s a small village
it happens; it‘s not your fault
and they know nothing about
law, public space, and privacy
So I ask them how I will get
my photographs of architecture then
if I can not do it here
They say travel around
In the Netherlands, they are
pretty relaxed
So I got the permission
for something I didn‘t plan
at the beginning
My associates say
Look at this girl
Comes to an art center
with police escort
and get a permission
to travel around
as she wishes
Some said you could
sue that guy
I don‘t know
I just know that I am
woman artist from
Southeast Europe
who talks to the fools
who frightened her
and insult her
like to human beings
Maybe that‘s why
I photograph only
architecture