11:00 am describes and shows the weekly appointments between Alfons and photographer Titus Simoens. Alfons is an 81-year-old man who lives in Ghent, close to the house of Simoens. From October 2017 till May 2018 Simoens visited Alfons every week at 11:00 am. He listened to his stories and photographed him during their visits. Alfons decided to cook for Simoens every time he payed him a visit. It became their weekly ritual.

Next to visiting Alfons and making photographs of him, Simoens also questioned his own position as a photographer and documenter; how a project like this proceeds, how a story develops, how the photographer deals with the notion of a ‘story’ and how he portrays its characters. What is objective and what is subjective? When does a story become fictional, even when the approach is documentary?

11:00 am is a multi-layered project that provokes the reader and viewer to question the meaning of a story. It discusses the position of a photographer when creating new work. It considers one’s perception of another one’s life, the continuous projection that people pursue when meeting someone new.

Artists: Titus Simoens