For ever and ever, 2012

05/05/12

Half a year ago.

For ever and ever, 2012

Photos : Thomas Nondh Jansen, Golden reception book : Christian van der Kaap, Sheet music 'Together' : Rory Pilgrim, Drawing 'for ever + ever ME CK': Sands Murray Wassink in 2 oak frames.

The Numeration of People, 2012

Under the painting 'The Numeration of the People of Bethlehem' (1566) by Pieter Breughel in Museum Mayer van der Bergh in Antwerp sits a table with two period chairs and a handmade reception book. People inspired by this scene use it to reply to Breughel's signature style in their own handwriting, thereby becoming witness to the historic and biblical event of the numeration of people. The gentle act of putting ones name and observations on the scene in the book, places it into a present day setting.

Univocally, 2012

1/7 

Univocally. 

In many ways the bells project 'Univocally' is a sequel to the Pietà I 'received' for my first solo exhibition SOLO: the maker ain't so lonely as before in Het Concertgebouw in 2010. It also builts on my interest in ceramics. This series of Russian made porcelain bells is about the precarious relationship between the viewer and the maker. 'Univocally, 2012' is not just another souvenir-styled gift. The title of the project describes my artistic desire to go into an existing production. Univocally is about the different trades within one process, working together to produce a single object, driven by perhaps a single purpose. The word univocally also responds to the sound of a bell, whether or not these seven casts ever will sound in unison. Six of seven sculpted, moulded and cast pieces will be handpainted in the little workshop (in Krasnodar, Russia) in which I have worked and intiated this project, concluding a period of two motnth work, now almost a year ago. The calm and collected voice of all who participated was suddenly threatened, breaking any claimes of my utopic 'artistic' ideals. Divorce, disagreements and a threatening closure of the workshop, all endangered the precarious voice that was to enchant the viewer the moment it was finished. 

Now, almost a year later, the project is finally nearing completion. Revealing more and more of the importance to work together in unison in order to produce the desired outcome. The time it took encompassed lots of changes in the design of the bell and redefinitions of the project. What didn’t change was the title, which appeared, just like the bell, to be a beacon and a form of meditation. Just like 'SOLO' in 2010, the anticipated result of this collected effort may suprise each and everyone of us and might start a whole new story of it's own.

Univocally, 2012 is a project by Gerb95, Krasnodar and Christian van der Kaap with the support of Marina Elenskaya, connecting not only our difference in views but also the stretch in language. 

C.I.N.V.U, 2012

C.I.N.V.U magazine about loneliness, first released the 27th of June 2012.

On Sunday, July 1 at 12:00 pm at Athenaeum Nieuwscentrum on the Spui we will present C.I.N.V.U, a magazine about loneliness. The magazine and its presentation is a work of Christian van der Kaap (1989). For this presentation a large number of participants will attend and you are very welcome to come and witness!

An artwork in the form of a magazine about loneliness, that is C.I.N.V.U (pronounced: See I envy you). It started with an open call asking people to contribute to an 'image' (Dutch: beeld) of loneliness through texts, images, songs and messages of support. Not intended as an argument for or against loneliness, but rather to get an idea what loneliness can show us. The form of the magazine also contributes to that. Showing us the actuality but also our impermanence, a pile of glossy stapled paper reflecting our intrinsic desire.

However the magazine is only truly remarkable because of the countless contributions we received after putting out the call. Artists, photographers, writers, musicians and other makers appeared to grasp it's meaning, almost to the point of taking it for granted. It seems, the chasm of misunderstanding that is so characteristic of loneliness suddenly seemed to be bridged. Like never before showing the strong need to share solitude with everyone else

In this first issue of C.I.N.V.U, people from different generations look backwards and forwards to see what loneliness did or might do to them. Yet the magazine seems inadequate in asking the actual question what is really at stake between its creators and readers. It is this unbridgeable actuality that compels us to ask the same question over and over again. It may be clear that with this single issue the question won't be resolved. The hope, urgency, timeliness and the future of loneliness that arise from the first issue is asking for a sequel.

C.I.N.V.U is a 68 pages full-color glossy, published and distributed with the imprint of Medium by MER Paper Kunsthalle in Ghent. The circulation of the magazine is 2500 and lies in store for € 6.95.

Get the magazine online at: http://www.merpaperkunsthalle.org/projects/view/656

www.cinvu.nl

Freedom / Vulnerability, 2012

Sands Murray Wassink

Isfrid Angard Siljehaug

Leon van der Kaap

Sterre & Len van der Linden

Flag of Compassion

Christian van der Kaap & Marina Elenskaya

Christian van der Kaap & Marina Elenskaya

Raphael Langmair & Elsbeth Ciesluk

Isfrid Angard Siljehaug

Iva Supic-Jakovic

Barbara Amalie Skovmand Thomson

Rory Pilgrim

Listen: Rory Pilgrim. Together, 2012
played on organ by Olja Bučo

How to document a miracle?

Freedom / Vulnerability, a marriage ceremony in the English Reformed Church, Begijnhof, Amsterdam  

How to document a miracle? This is what I asked myself after the wedding ceremony was over and 6 months of almost continuously working on it had ended. The ceremony took place in a church in Amsterdam's Begijnhof, where in 1345 a miracle had taken place. The convent is located behind Spui square and was a place that once once was a safe haven for free women who voluntarily devoted themselves to religion. Now it is a pilgrimage for visitors who guided by their travel visit the last quiet place in Amsterdam. What is left of it are two churches and in the English Reformed Church founded in 1607 our service was held. On the cover of the liturgy of the service you could read the title Freedom / Vulnerability, Christian van der Kaap, Marina Elenskaya, May 5, 2012. Is also depicted on a reproduction of a memorial stone or rather a 'gedachte-nis' (literally translates to a niche for thought) of the miracle. A miracle occurs only to those who are witnessing it. They in turn give testimony to it by leaving some of their experience behind. This appeared to be a nice place to put it. On other occasions of miracles, people deposited flowers. This is precisely the reason why, if at all, the marriage can be seen as the miracle. The role of the witnesses, and I mean not only the best men but of the whole community, is crucial. How special is it when people voluntarily promise to be part of the intimate bond between to people?

This question gave form to the service to which people in our surrounding contributed. After everyone had come together in silence on the square in front of the church, the ceremony commenced with the sign of a a flag carried in front of the minister and bride and groom. This flag was the Flag of Compassion, part of one of the contributions to our service. A white flag with a gold waved band was held by Raphael Langmair and Elsbeth Ciesluk as representatives of an unknown country. Their action was all the more meaningful by the fact it replaced the flag of the United Kingdom for the duration of the ceremony. As if everything it had represented in its course of history for the moment hadn't occurred. Apart from that, people weren't surprised by a flag being risen. After all it was the 5th of May, the day when in the Netherlands we raise our flags to remember that we were ever freed ourselves. A flag marks as a place, like the memorial, so people can stand to think about .. perhaps a miracle?

It was also during the arrival of the flag, the pastor and the bride and groom that music was played. Rory Pilgrim composed two pieces for the service for the organ, one for the entry titled 'Care' and 'Together' played when leaving the church. Both words and music collected the ceremony. In a way just like the guests, the minister and the participants, and all witnessing the ceremony were collecting. Then it slowly became religious. As if the actuality of the event was not yet entirely clear, an approaching change was announced. My brothers Leon and Alain van der Kaap sang 'A Change is Gonna Come' a song by Sam Cooke. More than a harbinger of something to come, it was an appeal to the whole of the community and to their brother. As if the promise we make to each other would also be promise to any one of them. The definition that marriage serves a common interest is absent to me. 

Then we sang together. 'This is God's House'. A song written by John Bell in honor of the church, offering time and housing memory. Singing about the place we found ourselves in, gives room for though. On the back page of the liturgy book we each wrote our doubts about marriage. With the sentence 'Things you do, and do not understand' I wanted to share the incredibly uncertainty of marriage, that I was about to confirm. At the moment it actually happened It was of key importance you were clearly understood. Whatever one had to say it had to be wholeheartedly. That was when the marriage vows were spoken. Subsequently, we promised each other something maybe nobody else needed / wanted or was able to hear. It was about the freedom and vulnerability of our person. After which it was understood that we belong together. Whereupon it was suddenly clear why everyone was present.

Why it is so unusual that men and women belong together would become clear from a story and the drawings of Isfrid Angard Siljehaug. She told about Androgynus who gave testimony to this discomfort. Once a double-person, man-woman, his fate had let him to be cut in half by God. It remained unclear whether he was cloven by doubt or fear. But clearly, a mystery was needed to put all the events preceding this moment into perspective.

Everyone looked at each other when the minister had thanked and given his blessing to the community. Reinforced by the silence everyone gathered outside of the church. Before and after the ceremony a photograph was taken of everyone who was a witness to the event. People could write their testimony in a golden book that was laying of a table in the reception area. We were left without a really clear ending. Although we had to pack everything except the flowers that were stuck in the pews. At 12:30, an hour after the ceremony had started we found ourselves outside again. A day before we took a solemn two minutes of silence for the fallen soldiers of a war we all didn't experience. I wonder if it was the same silence. Because then we will have to do it again next year.

view liturgy

Freedom / Vulnerability, 2012