INBOX: Marie Julia Bollansée – Robot Factory
Marie Julia Bollansée, performance- en video-artist, ‘The artist uses her body as a medium or material for her work. This act could link back to her background and formal training as a sculptor. Her actions may in someway attempt to connect with situations and people. She disconnects with herself and through her body and performances, attempts to represent the human being in the current situation of the world.’ (Veeranganakumari Solanki Jamwal, Blue from Bombay, in ‘Marie Julia Bollansée Tarpaulin blue’)
Marie Julia Bollansée creates ROBOT FACTORY, a marathon-performance, that takes one full working day, from 11 AM until 8 PM. She works together with a group of men, students of Hilde Frunt at the Antwerp Fashion Academy: Nadal Perlman, Timo Zündorf, Jack Davey, Adam Galach, Konstantin Haekelsberger, Gerald Spiesel, Brandon Wen, Christoph Ritter, Peter Rudi and David Ring. During the performance they knit a group of android (human) ‘robots’ in pure sheepswool.
Shepherds and sailors in times past had the habit of knitting, during long sojourns at sea or while they were watching their flock. Knitting kept their minds alert, so that they wouldn't fall asleep and let the sheep wander off, or allow the ship to be lost at sea.
We associate robots with programmed machines that perform tasks and recently, have been attributed with A.I. (artificial intelligence) to make what may be considered rational decisions. However, Bollansée describes her ‘robots’ as they are equipped with A.S. (artificial spirituality) by the coming together of the group of men who collectively knit to create robots. Besides, through this collaborative construction process, the robots are programmed to execute a special task: to activate humaneness. At the end of the knitting-marathon, these robots are installed on blue tarpaulins, and remain in the museum until December 4 2016.
The blue tarpaulins which the artist uses in this installation, are also in the center of her new video-installation TARPAULIN BLUE at Eva Steynen.Deviation(s), Zurenborgstraat 28 2018 Antwerpen van 10 november tot 18 december 2016.
At the occasion of that show, and this performance, the gallery publishes the artist book Marie Julia Bollansée TARPAULIN BLUE, with essays by Veeranganakumari Solanki Jamwal, Eva Steynen, Roger D’Hondt and poetry by Inge Braeckman. The book, and a special edition of the first 25 copies, will be presented on November 17 in the M HKAFE during the performance, with a drink, 6 PM - 9 PM.
www.mariejuliabollansee.be
We are still working on this page. Please check back soon for the complete overview.