TETE-A-TETE
TETE-A-TETE
I was in Naples when my Italian lover broke up with me over the
phone. I wasn’t necessarily hurt, but I felt unable to explain
myself. No matter what I said, it was as if we were speaking past
each other. Words failed me. Since he was a pianist, I thought the
only language he might truly understand was music, the piano’s
language, not mine. That’s when the idea came to me: to send him a
portrait of myself in Naples, layered with musical staves. The
points where my face intersected with the lines became notes,
forming a score. In that way, he could literally play my emotions
and finally understand me. He never responded, and I never saw him
again. But a year later, I discovered a psychological center where
I could create portraits of people, and together with musician
Tristanne, we performed those portraits live, transforming them
into music.
Images: https://justinecappelle.wordpress.com/2025/09/22/tete-a-
tete-2025/
Sound: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Tm0yzma05Efozsm-
MaCoq5n26YxelOnJ?usp=sharing
*Exhibition: Collective roots innerscapes of healing (Brussels)
Justine Cappelle
More from this artist
Ontwerp: Studio Mast | Website: eps en kaas