centre OFF gravity

2023 -
(in progress)

Coordinated by sight, gravitational pull and contact, the balancing system of our bodies has evolved to be grounded on the surface of the Earth, attuned to a human-paced rhythm. The project ‘centre OFF gravity’ delves into the intricate relationship between the human sensory apparatus and gravity with a special focus on aural perception.



Performers: Melody Nolan, Niek Vanoosterweyck, Amit Palgi

Conceptual and sound design support by Michele Abolaffio, Mark IJzerman, Zeno van den Broek

The project is made possible with the generous support of Creative Industries Fund NL, Mondriaan Fund and Het Niemeijer Fonds


Video documentation by Alina Ozerova

Photo by Alex Heuvink

Spectrum

2023


Created in collaboration with Niko de Paula Lefort during a short residency at the former prison and forensic psychiatric institute Pieter Baan Centre and presented during Uncloud Festival 2023.

Tuning into the local electromagnetic environment, the work explores the dynamics of inside and outside regarding confinement and mental wellbeing. Bodily presence and movement of people, interaction with the sculptures and atmospheric conditions influence the radio transmission: while the visitors move along the rooms and the day passes, the sound composition and spatialisation keeps changing.


Supported by Uncloud Utrecht and Mondriaan Funds.

Porcelain Membrane Wall

2022

In collaboration with artists Adi Hollander, Andreas Tegnander and Sungeun Lee

As part of “Haptic Room Studies”, presented at the exhibition of the Embassy of Inclusive Society in Van Abbemuseum Eindhoven during Dutch Design Week 2022

Featuring the film Summer Camp (2007) by Yael Bartana with kind courtesy of Van Abbemuseum and the artist


Haptic Room Studies are experimental installation spaces that offer another way of experiencing sound: “haptic listening” explores complex textures and layers of the world of sound through somatic perception when a body is in contact with a room’s interior surfaces, be it a wall, floor, seat or bannister.

In the haptic room Porcelain Membrane Wall, the collaborating artists restore film audio cues through touch. Mapping the human body's sensitivity, they created a spatial haptic system where various sounds are experienced in different locations on the body, making decoding easier for the brain. The perception is similar to how an ear can differentiate between various simultaneous frequencies without them blurring into a single sound.

Concept and production: aHoll Studio
Sound engineer and software design: Andreas Tegnander
Architectural design: Yonatan Cohen
Curatorial advice: Eva Fotiadi
Finances: Albert Manders
Text editing: Zoë Dankert

Photo documentation: Konstantin Guz

Building team: Miroslav Zach, Giorgos Gripeos, Máté Kohout, Willem van Erven Dorens, Aimée Phillips, Oscar van Leest, Julia Lok

Supported by Embassy of Inclusive Society, World Design Embassies, Van Abbemuseum, Creative Industries Fund NL, AFK, Mondriaan Fund, Caradt/Avans University of Applied Sciences, Stichting Stokroos, Amarte Fonds, Woojer, Sound Imports

Interstices in MAtter

2021

The solo exhibition Interstices in Matter at De Spanjaardshof in The Hague reflected on the history and architecture of the building.

The installation combined a previous project, Sub/liminal soundscapes, a video collaboration with Konstantin Guz video maker and Guido Dutilh dancer and new works made specifically for the presentation site, addressing multiple timeframes of past and present.

For the opening of the exhibition Interstices in MAtter during Hoogtij #66 (contemporary art tour the Hague), dancers Teresa Royo, Aya Misaki and Richel Wieles were invited to interact with the installed sound and sculptural works. The exhibition also included a projection of the video with Guido Dutilh dancer interacting with the sound installation.


Special thanks to Annemieke Louwerens and Westend Projektruimte

Ildikó started her residency at AADK Spain with researching the material qualities of the dried-out remnants of the barbary fig. This local cactus plant, that thanks to its fibre structure, is able to retain considerable amount of water,  is able to thrive on limited water sources. Some years ago, many of them around Blanca dried out due to a plague.
                                       
There are numerous abandoned houses in and around Blanca. As a place is being left, human presence is withdrawn from its interior and exterior spaces, memories drying out slowly. Life continues somewhere else and the decay of the houses gives place for new beginnings.

Working with the dried fibres of the fig and combining it with locally found clay, water acted as a main catalyst of the process, reaching different stages of transformation while balancing between stability and flexibility.