Trace or Erase
2018
Interactive Performance
Duration: 31 minutes
Material: White paper with a size of 1,5m x 2,5m, one A4 paper, nine graphite pencils, pencil sharpener, erasers, wiper and audience
GUM, de Cacaofabriek, Helmond
Photo’s by Jet Nijkamp, Hannie van Dalen and Tamme de Boer
In this interactive performance I explore the interchange between marking and erasing. The erased surface leaves a trace, a souvenir of creating and destroying. A memory of acts and marks remains. What are the possibilities of starting all over again without a history?
Description of the actions:
0:00:00 I stepped on the white paper and walked to the other side, while I erased every footprint made.
0:02:00 At the end of the paper the erasers were placed as precious treasures.
0:03:00 In the middle of the paper nine pencils were sharpened and placed around me, the dust of the graphite scattered on the paper.
0:08:00 My feet pushed the graphite in the paper to create a mark.
0:09:45 The audience was invited to draw and traces with me.
0:15:30 Slowly I swapped all pencils for an eraser until everyone was erasing instead of drawing.
0:22:00 The erasers were collected again and presented to the audiences.
0:23:45 As I was hitting and brushing the paper the remains of the erasers were gathered, flakes of history on a pile.
0:24:30 My feet rubbed the flakes of history, erasing’s in the paper until the paper became saturated and grey.
0:25:30 With a small white paper I highlighted sharp shapes.
0:29:30 The performance finished with erasing some straight lines.
0:31:00 Traces on the paper when I left the scene.
