work reflection

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One hour of reflection at 3.5 m height (2012)

Performance together with Annelinde Kirchgaesser at the opening of the "Alles dat blinkt" exhibition in the Centrum voor Beeldende Kunst (CBK) in Den Bosch, January 27th 2012.

Incorporating the site- and occasion-specific characteristics, we were hanging from the ceiling for one hour, using the pillars to climb up and down again. By doing so, we were raising our own level of operation above the level of the audience; there was no interaction, neither between them and us, nor between ourselves. During the time of exactly one hour, we were observating and reflecting on how that situation affected us and the audience, writing down everything that came to our minds. After the performance, we left a sign, displaying one important notice of each of us.

Performance and other acting/process-related ways of working get more and more important for me, as I get more and more aware that the necessity for me to make work is not just about expression through the use of a certain material, but more general about the transformative aspects of an ("artistic") intervention. This can also take shape in more material-based work, when the material itself becomes a co-actor in that concept, but it's not limited to that. One possible manifestation for this is formulated in Joseph Beuys' "plastic theory" as part of his theory about "social sculpting", thoughts which are influencing my work a lot at the moment.

Personal involvement with specific situations I'm relating to is essential for this. Everything that includes these kinds of thoughts forms a potential domain within which I'm currently working and experimenting.