European Parliament, 2026

Following an invitation by Cathy Waibel, Director for Clear Language and Audiovisual Translation, Alexandre Alagôa presented his short experimental film When I Close My Eyes I See Everything at the Auditorium of the European Parliament in Luxembourg.

The screening brought together colleagues from across the Directorate-General for Translation (DGTRAD), offering an opportunity to encounter experimental cinema within an institutional context not commonly associated with artist moving image practices.

After the screening, Alagôa engaged in an extended discussion with the audience around the themes explored by the film. The conversation moved across a wide range of subjects, including perception and vision, retinal phenomena, meditation, cosmology, science fiction, spirituality, the relationship between camera and eye, and the ways in which personal experience shapes our understanding of images.

Drawing on entoptic phenomena and inner vision processes such as phosphenes, after-images and other forms of closed-eye imagery, When I Close My Eyes I See Everything invites reflection not only on what we see, but also on how we see. The discussion that followed demonstrated how experimental cinema can create space for dialogue across disciplines, experiences and perspectives, encouraging attentive observation, critical reflection and shared curiosity.

The event highlighted the potential of artistic practice to foster meaningful exchanges within professional and institutional environments, opening new conversations around perception, creativity and the role of images in contemporary life.