Ball Pool - Esmé Valk

Ball Pool

Installation in TENT., Rotterdam.
It includes the works:
Lunchtime Tracking
See Also. 11 December 2007
The Exquisite-Corpse Dance

The installation Ball Pool consists of a constellation of works which relate to my research into social choreography. I wanted to create a choreographic space for the visitor to move through as well as to make a platform that would bring the works together.

Originally the space was divided by two wide steps that cross the space from left to right. The steps made it into a transitional space where people generally don’t linger but quickly pass through. I applied simple alterations to the exhibition space like a small wall which narrowed the entrance and postponed the moment the visitor first saw the exhibits. And I added a wooden platform on top of the stepped area so that the floor level of the whole place is constant and forms one relational space. But at the back edge of the platform a sudden drop delineates the edge of this area. The wooden floor is covered with soft, rubber matting.

On top of this stage a bench is positioned in such a way that visitors sitting on the bench have a clear view of the whole space and can also see through to neighbouring areas. A sound shower is hung above the bench, set to a low volume. In order to hear it you have to be seated. It creates an intimate place where the viewer is invited to reflect on the works presented.

This constellation is called Sound Shower Performing Sound Shower. It plays the sound of a male voice reading the titles of the works, the year they were made, the artist’s name, the size and the materials used. The sound listing functions like a reading of a body of works; a growing archive which relates to social choreography. Some of these works were present in the installation Ball Pool.