balance 5
Out of parts of bamboo I have composed a rod about 18 meters in length, going from thick (Ø 5 cm.) to thin (Ø 0,3 cm.). The rod is painted white.
During the period of the exhibition I have chosen 4 dates on which I shall show my installation of movement “ Balance 5”.
On those days, from 10 a.m. till 6 p.m., I have balanced with the rod near the water's edge of the park-pond, only with short intervals. During those performances I'm dressed in white. I have chosen a quiet place in a reed-bordear near the Japanese garden.
I put the foot of the rod on a wooden pier and throw it just above the water. Along my back, running to the front under my armpits, I have a belt with a rope attached to it, the other end of which is connected with the rod.
By moving this rope up and down the rod, I can find the position which brings the weight of the rod and mine in balance. I adjust the balance in such a way that I can lean backwards with my body at full stretch, my feet against the foot of the rod and the thin end of the rod resting above the surface of the water, as still as possible, and thus, as it were, making it possible to read off when it is out-of-balance.
Because of the physical inability to stand absolutely still, the length and flexibility of the material is used, and the influence of the wind, there is a continuous movement. Again and again I am busy making small corrections in the balance.
year | 1984 |
location | Amstelpark Amsterdam NL |
photography | Henk Geraedts |
project or event | Amstelpark Triënnal for Sculpture |