In an ode to Easter we share what is essentially the Easter Bunny meets Alfred Hitchcock. Others have referred to the series ‘Hare’, by Belgian photographer Jan Pypers, as David Lynch-esq. Such a reference wouldn’t be totally out of place. Creepy, dark, and superimposed with what is essentially an innocent and endearing character from our childhoods, a Peter Rabbit if you will, we find ourselves in a very evocative and emotive celluloid world. Pypers started the series after some intense dreams that kept returning. “In the morning I always felt lost, you know the feeling. Hare is actually a tribute to the dream, where nothing is impossible and we can do and feel whatever we want,” says Pypers. “Hare is about our irrational fear of the unknown (terrorism, migration…) but also about our denial for real problems such as the climate, individualism, loneliness… It’s like we’re all dreaming.”
Pypers makes the basic images with a digital camera. Then he shoots additional photos in a studio and brings it all together in post-production. The illusionary world that the photographer creates is hauntingly compelling. For those who can’t get enough of the disturbing, stalking bunny, Pypers is creating more, always coming up with more concepts for images. The only thing holding him back is finding the perfect location for a shot. “In a sense I sometimes feel more like a location-hunter than a photographer,” says Pypers. “I love being able to tell a story and create an atmosphere. I see my photos as short movies.”
