The Wrestler and the Artist

On a daily basis we travel though many different spaces and contexts and relate ourselves within them. Various spatial situations require us to use different vocabularies and actions. Contextual environments influence how we take in ideas and actions.

Gille Deleuze talks in his book Societies of Control about that space encloses a set of rules set down by a controlling body above and beyond the space but passively imbued within. For each space is controlled in a certain way that we step into the space with a presupposed set of rules and conduct to follow by. These may have effects on the viewer or the occupier but it might be said that space can embody a meaning or we can have empathy or attached transient feeling upon entering a certain area or space.

We look through frames when we look out into the world, when we look out the window, read books, take snapshots, watch television, scroll the internet we see situations through frames, words on pages, images on a screen or in a natural landscape. We look trough frames at situations and these frames influence the way we see objects. For the collaboration at Nieuwe Vide I liked to focus on contextual environments ‘arenas’ where people come to view, gaze, look apon objects and people.

Within professional wrestling Taylor is interested in the contextual environment of the ring and that it has its own set of rules. If you start wrestling with someone in the street the cops might be called; inside the squared circle, it’s a valid to perform physical combat between two individuals.

Pro wrestling is considered a performance, located somewhere between sport and drama, between reality and creative fiction due to its scripted nature. It is a skillful athletic act that uses storytelling to engage the spectator. To tell a story within wrestling, many elements must be combined. Stage persona, commentary, promos, costumes, and the physical act of wrestling all play a part.

What if an artist makes objects and introduces them into their arena? What if wrestlers are invited in our arena to perform in front of our audiences? What happens when you shift special contexts? Taylor reconstructed, reterritorized and recontextualized these fields. From that position on she liked to talk about the space/frame of art, and like to debate what that space is. Taylor also liked to look into arts relation with entertainment. Entertainment is a form of activity that holds the attention and interest of an audience.Taylor finds it interesting that something can become of such interest that people want to engage in such a way that their mind travels and stays with it for a certain time.

Taylor: “I would like to reconstruct and recontextualize these fields. From that space I would like to talk about the space/frame of art and the debating of what that is. I am also going to look into the relation between art and entertainment (…) I find it interesting that something can become of such interest that people want to engage in such a way that their mind travels and stays with it for a certain time.”

On Friday March 17th the solo exhibition of Natasha Taylor, our Focus artist 2017, opened. The Focus artist is an artist with whom we collaborate extensively for a year.

On Sunday March 19th our Focus artist 2016, Toon Fibbe, had a talk with Natasha Taylor, our Focus artist 2017. Toon Fibbe gave a reflection on his year as a Focus artist and Natasha Taylor gave an introduction about her work and the documentary she intends to make; ‘Murder of the real’, about fiction and reality.

On Saturday March 25th there was a performance with professional wrestlers Dragan and Young Money Chong, as part of the project by Natasha Taylor. The performance started at 16:00h.

During Haarlemse Lente the exhibition couldf also be seen.
Haarlemse Lente was on 24th, 25th and 26th of March.

On friday 24th of March the Afterparty of Haarlemse Lente was organised at Nieuwe Vide. The evening was programmed by Houtnacht organisor Menzo Schrik. With a.o. Henkerchief and Precursor. The party started at 22:00h.