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CAMPSITE was a festival that took place from 24 March to 10 April at TENT Rotterdam, where artists from TimeWindow were grouped together to create and present new works by using existing works as starting points.

To define the collaborations, Widdies Maria Sartzetaki as the dramaturge and Giovanna Di Giacomo as the curator, considered thematic and aesthetic possibilities, as well as artists’ availabilities, wishes and needs. On top of that, they had the intention of encouraging artists to experiment with new angles, disciplines and spaces, aiming to further contribute to their artistic development.

This is a recap after the residencies and performances from week 1.

WHOLENESS

Collaboration between Marie Caye with Thereafter (Installation, 2022), Marta Wörner with Earthrise (Performance, 2021) and Ryan Cherewaty with Immanence (Audiovisual Installation, 2023)

Making from multiple angles, the works of Marie Caye, Marta Wörner and Ryan Cherewaty explore how everything on this planet connects with nature. Thereafter is an installation composed of plastic and natural materials found in the Maas, transformed by their travels through this river. Earthrise explores gravity as an anchor point that connects us and our environment to the present. Immanence displays algorithm-generated forms, as a reference to the idea of humans living in balance, not only with other living creatures, but also with technological devices.

Marta Wörner performing Earthrise at CAMPSITE Festival. Picture by Aad Hoogendoorn.

The collaboration between Caye, Wörner and Cherewaty happened very organically. The objects of Caye were placed on and around the screens that displayed the visuals of Cherewaty. It almost looked like the objects found in the Maas were emerging from the algorithm-generated images. When Wörner performed, this set-up gained a new layer. The sounds from Cherewaty’s images became the soundtrack of Wörner’s explorations of gravity, while the objects of Caye added to the spatial scenery. The live performance was also projected on one of the walls of the space, playing with the idea of overcoming gravity. After the performance was concluded, it continued being projected in the space, as a means for the three works to be constantly dialoguing with each other.

“We chose a floor for the performance that is not a dance floor because it’s less academic. Marie chose to frame and leave her objects as existing objects in the space. And also the music of Ryan was coexisting with my piece, which is actually now our piece. I was very physically affected by it. But I didn’t know that until I performed… I think it all fell into place because we all came with works that were very defined in their essence, but very open in their shapes.”

– Marta Wörner’s reflections about the collaboration with Marie Caye and Ryan Cherewaty

ONLINE MIRRORS

Collaboration between Lotte Louise de Jong with STUCK (Video Installation, 2023) and HipSick (Nadîja Roza Broekhart, Sylvia Weening and Stefan Julizar) with DIGITAL DUCTTAPE (Performative Installation, 2022)

The works of Lotte Louise de Jong and HipSick engage with online culture and how it mirrors and shapes our society. While STUCK uses footage from porn films to highlight patterns that relate to problematic notions of consent and abuse, DIGITAL DUCTTAPE researches the influence of social media on identity and authenticity.

Installation of Lotte Louise de Jong and HipSick at CAMPSITE Festival. Picture by Aad Hoogendoorn.

De Jong and HipSick combined their works in a set-up that resembled the altar of a church. But instead of holy images, this ‘altar’ was composed of screens of different types and sizes, which simultaneously displayed the visuals of STUCK and DIGITAL DUCTTAPE. In some of these screens, visitors could see women stuck in home appliances and furniture, and in others, the constantly moving silhouette of a performer accompanied by sentences that reflect personal struggles intensified by our digital lives. Although these works focused on different angles of the internet, they found each other in many ways. Often, the sentences on DIGITAL DUCTTAPE could be associated with the images displayed in STUCK, either as the thoughts of the vulnerable characters or as interpretations of the absurdity of these images. At the same time, the stuck characters could be deciphered as visualizations of the feelings brought by excessive use of social media explored on DIGITAL DUCTTAPE.

Either way, the room where these works were found -illuminated by lights that slowly faded away to change color and plastic seats that played with the idea of fakeness- provided a great environment for visitors to reflect on the role of the internet on a personal and social level.

THRESHOLD

Collaboration between Cem Altinöz with a borderless existence (Video Installation, 2021), Daphnis with Neo-Swan song (Noise Performance, 2023) and Neuf (Mark Ridder, Nikos ten Hoedt and Zalán Szakács) with UMBRA (Audiovisual Performance, 2020)

During CAMPSITE Festival, Cem Altinöz, Daphnis, and Neuf engaged with themes of transformation. While a borderless existence takes inspiration from the autoimmune condition to investigate the self/non-self theory and Neo-Swan song delves into how music can contribute to eliminate stereotypes of neurodivergent minds and queer/trans identities, UMBRA combines performance with sound and light effects to create a transcendental ritual.

Altinöz, Daphnis and Neuf filled the space with multiple parts of their works, which included prints, objects, screens and lights. When there was no performance, visitors could experience a dark room with neon lights and a route formed by parts of the works of Altinöz and Daphnis, which lead to the biggest screen of the room, displaying a borderless existence. When the artists performed, the audience got immediately immersed in an introspective experience. Daphnis produced different sounds and noises that blended beautifully with the poem performed by Altinöz.

Following this piece, the set-up got smoothly taken by UMBRA in a mindblowing sequence of soundtracks and visual effects achieved by the combination of lights and shadows. Together, Altinöz, Daphnis and Neuf created an immersive atmosphere that guided the audience into a journey of empathy, connection, and transcendence.

Neuf performing at CAMPSITE Festival. Picture by Mihai Gui.

“Daphnis and I were constantly pulling and pushing each other… While I was going a bit faster, Daphnis was arranging stuff… And then as they went slow, I slowed down myself. So who was pulling and who was pushing was constantly shifting. With Neuf, there was a real coexistence in terms of technicality. We were using Neuf’s screen and speakers. At some point, Nikos was also controlling my voice. Also, Zalán used some of my textures in Neuf’s visuals.”

– Cem Altinöz’s reflections about the collaboration with Daphnis and Neuf

DECODING RULES

Tessa & Olivier performed KUNST (Performance, 2021) in response to multiple works on show at CAMPSITE Festival.

Originally made for children, KUNST is a playful commentary on the art world and its rules. During the opening evening of CAMPSITE, Tessa & Olivier entertained many of the present grown-ups by playing with the glamour surrounding a ‘vernissage’. The duo surprised the visitors by starting their performance at the event’s bar and guiding them toward the festival’s space.

Embodying an exaggerated satire of art connoisseurs, Tessa & Olivier taught the audience comical lessons about museum etiquette -from ways of holding a brochure to reacting when looking at an artwork. KUNST happened during different weeks of the festival to enhance CAMPSITE’s proposal of making and experiencing art in other ways than usual.

Tessa Friedrich of Tessa & Olivier performing KUNST at the opening night of CAMPSITE at TENT Rotterdam. Picture by Aad Hoogendoorn.

“Normally we have this performance in a place where we know about everything. And here we had a lot of difficulties in the sense of we need to perform in English, we are here in a space we dont know, evertytime the space is different… So how are we gonna relate to the space? Also, the audience, some people are not coming particularly for us but all of a sudden they are here, and they are like ‘what are these people doing?’. So this is was all out of our comfort zone but it’s a nice research.”

– Tessa Friedrich’s reflection about her participation at CAMPSITE together with Olivier van Klaarbergen