donderdag 15 juli 2010
He had the floor of the performance space in the Huis van Bewaring, aan het Kleine Gartmanplantsoen in Amsterdam, divided into nine equal squares by thin wooden sticks
which where on the ends connected to each other by strong pieces of string.
His performance on the evening of the 30th of September 1979 was the very last action of the Works and Words international event, organized by foundation the Appel, Amsterdam. The thin wooden sticks on the floor were painted bright green. The space was light from above by one floodlight. He first walked through the squares, then picked up one stick and lifted the whole structure above his had which of course changed the forms from squares into intriguing trapezium shapes. Then suddenly he would let fall the structure of sticks fall back on the floor and give himself and the public a chance to take in the newly arranged shape(s). Unceasingly he repeated the game of picking up the stick-structure and letting it fall back on the floor and constantly new forms would do the show to the public that was for this performance directed to a high balcony where one could watch the form-play from above.
He played so fiercely with the sticks that soon the first sticks started breaking. This changed the forms from even structures into uneven structures, but it did not make the visuals less interesting.
After quite a while of exhausting play with the bright green reflecting sticks, not much more than lots of broken bits and pieces were left. He however, keeping himself completely under control, first played with the parts, going from one side of the space to the other and putting the bits and pieces in different always attractive, shapes.
Then finally he brought all the broken parts together and composed a nice bunch of green sticks in the middle of the performance platform, which was then the last visual presented to his public.