Beyond the Dirt, in 5 Selfies
Prominent oracles predict a scarcity of metals necessary for the advancement of the human race. A handful of pioneers see opportunities and want to harvest these indispensable metals from the deep sea. They do so responsibly and monitor their activities, themselves.
Multi-voiced chronicle
'Beyond the dirt, in 5 selfies' is a performance installation through which we aim to address the exploitation of the sea in this “Ocean Decade”. During the performance, we take the audience on a journey through different perspectives on mining activities on the ocean floor: those of industry, researchers and the more-than-human. We intersperse the different perspectives with factual information. Other world views about the planet's raw materials are offered. They express a connection with the environment, with ancestors and with water.
The installation can be visited as a stand-alone installation with sound, projections, displays and objects. It is conceived as a modular whole of which 2 parts can be presented separately, possibly in combination with storytelling, a workshop or lecture. Because when the invisible intervenes, it is high time to depict the unthinkable and show imagination that resonates with the citizens.
Selfie
As a floor plan for the performance, we use a ‘selfie’ manoeuvre designed by engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for the Belgian company GSR. During this manoeuvre, an excavator on the ocean floor drives through the cloud of sediment it creates itself. In this way, the industry records and analyses the damage it causes itself in the deep sea.
Using the selfie motif, we open up conflicting perspectives, but we also encourage the audience to analyze and confront themselves. Which arguments are they sensitive to, and do they catch themselves having conflicting thoughts?
Concept, direction and performance: Raf Custers, Greet Brauwers - Dramaturgical advice: Kris Verdonck, Christel Simons - Sound design: Gillis Van der Wee, Ioana Mandrescu, Greet Brauwers - Lighting design: Caroline Mathieu - Tech: Koen De Saeger - Voice actor: Morgan Freeman - Ceramic sculptures: Lot Lemm, Greet Brauwers - Steel ring, branding object: Recyclart - Steel sound bench: Xander Houben (Dommelhof) - Wooden timeline object: Jeronimo Ponce, Bert Maesen (Dommelhof) - Translation: Alain Ayers - Support for residency: GC De Markten, Ten Noey, De Platoo, Werktank, Needcompany, Arquipélago, C-Takt - Coproducer: C-Takt - With the support of: the Flemish Government, the National Lottery, VGC
