Antwerp, 21 June 2009
The accumulation - and modification - of residue from previous art projects; referring to herself from the outside-in through role playing, altering or shifting personalities; the gap between planned and spontaneous action; and memory used not only as source material, but as material in and of itself to be (re)shaped by the artist, are amongst the strategies to be found in Carina Gosselé’s performance work. There is a doubling of the artist, where such distinctions as artist/artifact and performer/performance, though literally laid out side by side, some how become less clear.
Starting from the cellar of the Dagmar De Pooter gallery, Gosselé will begin by removing white coveralls she is wearing, revealing a white nightgown used in “Tourist,” a video based on a poem by Antonin Artaud.
A black dress, also used in a previous performance, will be put on as well. Gosselé will lay down on the floor. Next to her will be a stuffed, hooded coveralls with a large sheet of transparent plastic, covered with renderings of impossible architecture, a leftover from a version of a project called “Factoid” she performed in Düsseldorf (wearing similar coveralls). An LCD screen is placed in the hood (where a face should be), displaying a compilation video of several of her performances.
Then, un-stuffing the second body, she will drape the Factoid architectural plans over her black dress, re-shaping her own body, leaving the empty coveralls on the floor.
Wandering (drifting) through the gallery space and outside on the street, she will proclaim a text in Flemish and English in the form of a dialogue between memorized phrases from previous performances and spontaneous sounds, words or phrases, at the same time asking (in Flemish) several questions: “Waar ben ik?” (“Where am I?”); ”Wat doe ik hier?” (“What am I doing here?”); “Waar moet ik naartoe?” (“Where do I have to go?”). At the same time, a record will be made by a photographer, who will tape and make photos of her wanderings. Returning to the cellar, she will take off the black dress and the architectural plastic sheet will be stuffed back into the white coveralls.
Ending the performance, Gosselé will lay down next to her ‘stuffed’ alter image in a white nightgown.
END
The accumulation - and modification - of residue from previous art projects; referring to herself from the outside-in through role playing, altering or shifting personalities; the gap between planned and spontaneous action; and memory used not only as source material, but as material in and of itself to be (re)shaped by the artist, are amongst the strategies to be found in Carina Gosselé’s performance work. There is a doubling of the artist, where such distinctions as artist/artifact and performer/performance, though literally laid out side by side, some how become less clear.
Starting from the cellar of the Dagmar De Pooter gallery, Gosselé will begin by removing white coveralls she is wearing, revealing a white nightgown used in “Tourist,” a video based on a poem by Antonin Artaud.
A black dress, also used in a previous performance, will be put on as well. Gosselé will lay down on the floor. Next to her will be a stuffed, hooded coveralls with a large sheet of transparent plastic, covered with renderings of impossible architecture, a leftover from a version of a project called “Factoid” she performed in Düsseldorf (wearing similar coveralls). An LCD screen is placed in the hood (where a face should be), displaying a compilation video of several of her performances.
Then, un-stuffing the second body, she will drape the Factoid architectural plans over her black dress, re-shaping her own body, leaving the empty coveralls on the floor.
Wandering (drifting) through the gallery space and outside on the street, she will proclaim a text in Flemish and English in the form of a dialogue between memorized phrases from previous performances and spontaneous sounds, words or phrases, at the same time asking (in Flemish) several questions: “Waar ben ik?” (“Where am I?”); ”Wat doe ik hier?” (“What am I doing here?”); “Waar moet ik naartoe?” (“Where do I have to go?”). At the same time, a record will be made by a photographer, who will tape and make photos of her wanderings. Returning to the cellar, she will take off the black dress and the architectural plastic sheet will be stuffed back into the white coveralls.
Ending the performance, Gosselé will lay down next to her ‘stuffed’ alter image in a white nightgown.
END