Performance (a selection)

Wax on

Head On

(Stage 4m2)

Like a hurricane you are like, Michael Janssen Gallery
Berlin, DE, 2010-2011
Current condition: Collection Centraal Museum Utrecht

Left-over literally means left over, parts of works, remaining bits of performances, public or private, inside or outside of the studio, left-over pieces. Assembled on a stage. In one case made from the aluminium Cylinder sculpture, the other one, which later became the Wax on piece, a stage built from standard wood I got at a nearby Bauhaus. Left-over opens up possibilities within the impossibility of decision making, breaking the YES-NO pattern, and introducing the MAYBE strategy… The first left- over piece – at Michael Janssen Gallery for the show Like a hurricane, you are like – was filled with pieces which weren’t used for the exhibition, but were left in the space while installing, because you never know what you will use… I didn’t want to take them out again, and at the same time didn’t want to show them as isolated works, you know: sculptures. A more creative solution was called for… and then a late night call with Jan the night before driving from Ringenberg to Berlin opened some perspectives.
Later on, towards the end of the exhibition, the stage and its content served the performance Wax on. So without bringing in the pieces at first and leaving them as part of the exhibition second, the performance would never have happened.
Wax on, or what you can do with a piece called Left-over. The stage contained a Marshall amp which I used during Armory NY, as well as a broken drum-kit half constructed in cement, and a mocked up bass. After quickly restoring all the instruments the gallery arranged a bass player and a drummer. I took the guitar and vox and the wax. We played until the sound froze, glued in the hard wax. It was a sticky performance on the Stooges’ Head On tune if I remember well, and lasted for more than an hour... Thanks to the public for the patience and for pumpin’ up my adrenaline to the right level for the performance!