BodyTalks, video art installations in public space

BodyTalks – Video Art & Cinedans in Public Space

19 video works in the city + 4 installations inside cultural institutions
September 30th until October 23rd - 18.00 - 00.00 hrs - Maastricht

In few hours Nederlandse Dansdagen (Dutch Dance Festival) will open with a very promising program.
Before that let’s have a look at BodyTalks, that had it’s opening last week. From September 30th until October 23rd, Viewmaster Maastricht and Cinedans Amsterdam present the exhibition BodyTalks – Video Art & Cinedans in Public Space in the inner city of Maastricht. From shop windows, vacant business premises and residences, 23 videos and Cinedans films are showed every evening on the streets of Maastricht.http://brankopopovic.blogspot.com/2011/09/bodytalks.html 

I am a boy band

The video installations can be found in Brusselse Straat and Grote Gracht in Maastricht and that is very good choice. First of all because it’s the street I have to use while I go home after work and I get to enjoy this experience more often. But also because these street have certain urban atmosphere where various people are coming through. There are coffeeshops, student bars, University, empty shops, snack bars, but also very nice houses. I’ve always liked this part of the city because it has a ‘big city’ vibe. BodyTalks gives it an extra dimension and lights it up.

Street view with flyer image  from Prototype (2007) by Yves Ackermann 

Last weekend after the opening, I took a walk through the street to watch all installed videos.

Peter Bogers
Unleashed Content

The starting point of the evening was  the opening it’s self in Intro in Situ building where you can see the indoor installation ‘Unleashed Content’ from Peter Bogers. Bogers gathered a motley collection of associative images by using search engines deliberately as steering mechanisms. A lot of the terms Bogers entered, led to content related to known cultural expressions like singing and dancing, but also unexpected and more or less obscure forms of human expression came up.
Opening

At the opening night Blitzmeister invited the audience to join recording of a video clip.

I believe that I have not seen them all yet but the video’s that I did see were all interesting. Overall the curation and the installations are very good and very diverse. The installations show various approach to dance and movement. It is so beautiful to see the installation by Francis Alys ‘Rehearsel II’ next to sex cinema and coffeeshop. But also to see videos that refer other cultures, like ‘Exercise’ by Lucia Nimcova or ‘1,2,3,4...’ by Zhou Tao. I really enjoyed ‘Friese’ by Kris Verdock and ‘I am a Boyband’ from Benny Nemerofsky Ramsay.

Benny Nemerofsky Ramsay
 am a Boyband (2002) by classically trained singer and artist Benny Nemerofsky Ramsay (Canada, 1973) depicts a clever parody of the boy band culture that dominated the music scene for years. The conversion of the sixteenth century madrigal (a song for multiple voices) into a pop song is not only a humorous reference to youth culture.

Rehearsal II (2001) by Francis Alÿs 

Fernando Sánchez Castillo
Pegasus Dance 

Michal Butink
inhale/exhale

Matthijs Blonk (The Netherlands, 1952)
– winner of the One Minute Dance Film 2010 

Exercise (2008) by Lucia Nimcova 

And my favourite one that I already knew is Mambo from Marina Abramović. I’m so happy to see it in Maastricht. She can stay there and dance forever I would not mind.

Sanne Vaassen at Hedah

While you take a tour don't forget to visit Hedah. As part of the BodyTalks Hedah Presents video installation by Sanne Vaassen, 3rd year student fine art ABK Maastricht. On show during evening time until October 30th!

BodyTalks is organised by Viewmaster Maastricht in cooperation with Cinedans Amsterdam
BodyTalks cooperates with the Dutch Dance Days For more information: http://www.bodytalks.eu/

Maybe you remember For Real, that took part last year in Maastricht and Hasselt? Check the post here so you can see what Viewmaster is doing. So for next weeks I have to see the rest of the videos and I hope lot of people will do the same because it’s worth it and it’s an initiative that the city of Maastricht can use. I wonder what the next edition will bring. Maybe a clash with fashion? ☺