Margaux Parillaud & Mie Frederikke Fischer Christensen, Rietveld Academie
“Well Now, it Looks as if You are Armed for Battle”
A Blonde and a Brunette fights in a living room space. We’re given the impression that they perform an act of catharsis. Somewhere we’ve seen this before, in a Soap Opera, in a Hollywood film, in a showroom or on a stage. As we observe them interact with the space, we realize that there is a tight choreography, every move is predestined. The objects become catalysts for the next move, and so they reveal a new structure. There is no catharsis, no release, for neither the characters or the audience. Only a rigid structure moving the choreography forward.
Foam is placed purposely at spots where they fall or tumble. A frame is not hanging on the wall unless its purpose is to drop. A vase isn’t standing on the table, if not to be thrown. The space is devoid of unactivated ornamentation. The space is aesthetic – colors and materials are chosen from practicality but are also carrying certain domestic stereotypes. The home environment is a source of order and tranquility. A stabile and unmoving society that disregards the turbulent life within ourselves. This mental equilibrium is first and foremost due to the fact that the physical objects of our daily contact change very little. The space – much like the characters are kept in a perfectionistic structure that is initially broken when activated by the actions of the characters. But just as with the characters the relieve of the ruin is replaced by the acknowledgment of a new order.
”The stills are photographic works in their own right but also represent our plans for the further development of the project towards an installation and performance.”