Thursday 29 September 2011

Princess Sparkle



She has arrived! And much sooner than I thought. After my meeting with Jeldau at Paradiso last week I decided that I could treat myself with a new item or two depending on the bidding frenzy. I made an offer on Princess Sparkle and Pretty Beat. Both stayed within my budget and are the last items to make their series complete. These are the best ones! They provide me with the biggest rush. And wrap up their specific search. She is in excellent condition with unscratched symbols, eyes and the tinsel in her hair hasn't been cut. Underneath her right food stands the mark that she is part of my collection: DV.23.6.6 is her number and she will be boxed with her other Princess friends such as Primrose, Serena, Tiffany, Royal Blue and Stardust. The only doubt I have is that they all came with Bushwoolies, I believe they are little furry trolls. Not sure if i should add these accessories. So I will put that idea on hold for a while.

Art is movement


Moving to another studio is (kind of) a big deal. It involves the fact that my work and the material that I use have to be repositioned. Many of my works are fragile. And demand special care. It used to be a rather easy experience, or was I more careless back then? Fact is that my body of work is much bigger now than 5 years ago. And I wouldn't like it if I found certain paintings scratched or drawings torn at the edges. So this time around, moving demanded much more preparation and involvement. It was great to make contact with pieces that hadn't been touched in 2 years. Sometimes I even got overwelmed when I
discovered early sound tapes, doodles or little stories. It's a certain way of time traveling I suppose. But the real treat came in the end! When everything had arrived, I felt a huge release and eagerness to create new work in these 'virgin surroundings'.  This new studio is rougher and better workable than a tidy office space in the city centre. Although that was pretty awesome at the time too...

Saturday 24 September 2011

Palais Paradiso

'The Talent Show'


Last wednesday I had an appointment with the organization of the performance art festival Palais Paradiso  which will be held at the 16th of Feb 2012. It will be the fourth edition and just knowing that the number four was involved gave me the strange sensation that this event had my name written all over it. Parking my bike, waiting at reception and meeting Jeldau was so much fun. Walking through the corridors where I'd seen Grace Jones, Lizz Wright, Chaka Khan and Robyn filled me with delight. I've experienced this pop-temple always as an extension of my living room, the building is like no other and with it's distinctive atmosphere get's the best out of performers and crowed. So to be in a position where I would be the one to perform was something beyond my current state of thinking. And that is where the fun kicks in. To do something you never thought possible and then being part of it is what I believe to be the best experience a human can get. So while we drank our coffee and talked about the Pony Performance I felt multiple wheels turning and altering corners in my mind that i'd forgotten. We went through the rooms of the building, evaluating and searching for the right spot both aloud. And when it was time to wrap up I had one burning question in my mind: 'Do you confirm my participation in this performance festival?' She smiled and looked at me as if I had asked her if our tab water in Amsterdam was drinkable. I bet that when she said 'yes' my grin was bigger than that of the Cheshire Cat!

Wednesday 21 September 2011

City Of Dreams




In this video i turn to Amsterdam from a slightly unusual point of view. That of my atelier at the Papenbroeksteeg in the city centre, where i climb the 16 staircases that leads to the highest part of the building. Other buildings demand their space, even at this level. But if you stand on the seventh step and turn around your efforts are rewarded with a look that could be hosted by characters from a J.M. Barrie book. The sounds from the streets are muffled, only the bells of trams reach this high up and mingle with that of the carillons. These two buildings (Royal Palace and the Magna Plaza) blend together to become the city of dreams.

http://vimeo.com/29398347

Sunday 18 September 2011

Thursday 15 September 2011

A new drawing

Round and Round 2011