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As part of a bigger, collective project and following the subjective map of Rotterdam this project was adapted to fit the city of Groningen. Inspired as always by infrastructure, it grew to include Eemshaven and to pose questions regarding the cost of development and of our increasing needs in energy and data. Below is the video produced from footage of Eemshaven and the city of Groningen, juxtaposing liminal and gentrified (or on the verge of gentrification) spaces and the ever-expanding energy and data factories of Eemshaven.An ever-changing mobile population Our mixed paths Our lost orientation Making history that soaks into An angry earthA greedy machine is marching From the end of the worldA new order A dark mirror. We remainStoic like oaksEntangled In deep rooted feeling Or Anchored like house boats In half-deserted portsRocking with the waft The ebb and the tide. In a playful manner, the project also speaks about and celebrates the mundane but magical corners as met by the curious eyes of a stranger.
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This pocket photobook is part of a larger project that explores the role of repetition in the formation and deconstruction of bias. Repetition in this context will be examined from different angles: A frequently taken route, the spreading of news, beliefs and opinions, an obsessive thought. Points of departure: Repetition and nominalism. Repetition and mechanization. Repetition as variation. Repetition as progress. The narrative value of repetition and its role in performativity. The power and the many faces of repetition in connection to the formation of opinion and bias will be explored through different media. This book is the first manifestation, the first topic addressed: Seeking and finding answers through repetition, and the attraction of the familiarity repetition brings. The first edition of this book is printed in limited numbered and signed copies. Each copy is unique and fully handmade. The pictures below show the first one of these copies: 48 pages, grayscale, 11x12 (cm), archival paper 100gr (Conqueror, oyster) on archival paper 240gr, (Dali, chamois), chain stitch:Repetition Locked in a series of movements in a frame made of gestures circling words and behavioral loops that I had to repeat (until I broke through) I learned that progress is a spiral and that there is no such thing as repetition. Although I memorize the steps I follow the sequence I copy and paste the half-empty days and their dummies for reference: A sunset, a beach, a building. The pattern is similar but there is no identical point in time and each repetition brings me closer to a still escaping answer. But even after I quench my question I keep going back to the comfort of the familiar because after all I am just a creature of habit. You can read more about the poetry issues project here.
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Poetry Issues #29 is highly influenced by my studies in Experimental Publishing at the Piet Zwart Institute. The work spans six months, a reasonable time to allow the development of different themes, approaches and methods. Infrastructure This piece is part of a larger collaborative work, an interactive, infrastructure-related installation soon to be presented in the upcoming xpub group exhibition (27-30 June, S/ash Gallery, Rotterdam). I also like it as a stand-alone piece, so this is how I present it here. The poem is performative (improvisational reading) and list-based, simulating computerized speech: a form fitting the content.Ways In and Ways Out For Ways In and Ways Out I combined an exercise on loitering, observing, and list making in public space (xpub field work), with a list describing a situation left open to interpretation taking place within the private sphere. The excellent Jon H. Miller let me use his music, and the result speaks for itself.Desperation "Desperation" was a thought inspired by the COVID-19 times, but it applies to every prolonged instance of trauma, that eventually becomes unconscious, and it takes time, distance and healing to realize its true dimensions. As a piece, it incorporates elements from the past, such as a mysterious old recording I've been curious about for years and recently retrieved from an old mini-cassette recorder, and a footage of a place very deeply connected to childhood memories. It's more of a poetized thought than an actual poem, and although it's closer to prose I decided to follow the voice rhythm to create the written lines rather than doing it the other way round.Care With "Care" I feel that I go back to the roots of my love for art. Music was in the beginning of it all and now it's time to reconnect with it in a manner that feels complete. "Care" was a poem in the making that I had forgotten about for a little while and when I found it again I saw that it was more of a micro-song. It could have taken many forms, and I can definitely hear me screaming the lyrics in a different version, but this is how it crystallized (at least for now). The visuals were also brewing for a while in the background, with ideas revolving around time-lapses and chalkboards.Metaphors Metaphors never cease to amaze me. They are often better and conciser at getting the meaning of the most abstract notions across than a simple description of a situation. As flexible molds, they shape and embody our individual thoughts helping us make sense of our experiences in a collective manner. In this piece different metaphors come together to express a sense of womanhood compiled by different experiential states.You can read more about the poetry issues project here.
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A subjective, interactive map of the infrastructure of Rotterdam. Each layer of thread represents a different level of infrastructure and each pin is connected to a touch sensor that triggers different media files related to the city and displayed on the screen in the center. One of these files contains the poetic piece "Infrastructure". The piece aims at making the viewer conscious of the networks of infrastructure surrounding her and asks her to consider her position and role in an elaborate design where everything seems to be connected. The work, that was completed both as an idea as well as an object with the tireless help of Rosa and Victor, was presented in S/ash Gallery, Rotterdam, from 27 June to 2 July 2024, as part of the collective xpub Special Issue #24.
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This piece is part of a larger collaborative work, an interactive, infrastructure-related installation soon to be presented in the upcoming xpub group exhibition (27-30 June, S/ash Gallery, Rotterdam). I also like it as a stand-alone piece, so this is how I present it here. (Images and details regarding the installation will follow in another post.) The poem is performative (improvisational reading) and list-based, simulating computerized speech: a form fitting the content.Infrastructure Infrastructure Infrastructure roads railways bridges tunnels water supply sewers electrical grids telecommunication do you communicate? internet connectivity do you feel connected? commodities interrelated systems services essential to enable sustain or enhance societal living conditions do you feel enabled? do you feel sustained? do you feel enhanced? hard infrastructure physical networks necessary for the function of a modern industrial society roads bridges railways soft infrastructure education statistics parks and recreation law enforcement emergency services Emergency Emergency Emergency Infrastructure synonyms base framework infrastructure as in foundation noun strong matches footing groundwork root support do you feel supported? who do you support? do you feel rooted? who do you root for?
