7 au 17 février 2010
Kamiel Verschuren, invité en résidence du 7 au 17 février 2010 à Douala a présenté son travail, Responsability the ability to respond sous forme d’une occupation de l’espace.
Responsibility, the ability to respond
The title refers to the position of the contemporary artist as activist and analyst in the urban and social context of the city. An artistic position in transition and development, that is both political as social and requires multiple skills as an artistic tool.The exhibition Responsibility, the ability to respond is like a sketch book composed by collected notes, ideas and statements on urbanity, often derived from public actions and artistic interventions done both in Douala and Rotterdam. The show brings together several text statements that were once used for public actions in the streets of Douala, images of executed public projects in the Netherlands and abroad and new projects set to be re-placed back into the city of Douala after the show has finished.It is also an occasional installation for the celebration of the cultural prize, hosted by the Ambassador of the Netherlands that was given to doual’art by the Prins Claus Fund for their achievements.
… The floor space is set as a terrarium, an artificial landscape with ‘golden’ rocks, plants and flags, and people, participants, players, observers, guests and visitors, surrounded by textual statements on publicness…… The ‘golden stones’, ‘Les Cailloux d’Or’ at the bases of the flags, are found and collected from the streets. They are left behind. Untouched and never to be picked up or moved from where they are found. These stones are well known and have often become key-stones in the patterns of physical movements of pedestrians and cars. They are daily landmarks to be avoided, or used to sit on, rest, reflect or to play with…… The plants are made with traditional brooms made from twigs, turned upside down and the flags are made of different ‘Blancs’, surrender, shades of white, peace and nothing…… After the exhibition the elements will be re-placed in the streets to take their original place or setting where they where derived from…
Kamiel Verschuren
Résidences,qui durant une periode precise ont jallonées l’histoire de la ville Douala, et partant celle du Cameroun tout entier.
