PLASTISCH
DansBlok with Jilles van Kleef
Plastic has brought us a lot so far. It is practical, robust, reliable and cheap. There is only one problem: plastic does not decompose. Most of our plastic utensils cannot be recycled and end up as litter on beaches or in the ocean as plastic soup. This fantastic product is choking our world.
Yet we cling desperately to all the plastic products that are supposed to enrich our lives - products that we often use for only a short time, and which are thus a symbol of our disposable society. We also associate plastic with the social engineering of our lives and the associated ideal of beauty. Plastic fantastic is the goal: smooth, sleek and young. More and more, we are plasticising the world and ourselves.
Beautiful and ugly. Useful and destructive. All these extremes come together in this dance film. In this way, four dancers embody the life cycle and contradictory properties of plastic. To what extent is everything malleable, mouldable and steerable? And at what price?
about the makers
This video artwork is a collaboration between the Leiden dance collective DansBlok and filmmaker Jilles van Kleef. DansBlok consists of Rosa Allessie, Éryn Nieuwint, Dieuwertje Spek and Tessa Wouters. The collective makes dance performances and films in which they draw inspiration from current social themes that call for a response. The dancers have followed various dance courses and worked for a variety of choreographers and dance companies.
Jilles van Kleef is a filmmaker with a background in documentary. Besides socially engaged videos, he also makes audiovisual productions on the cutting edge of art and music. He is also a musician in several bands.
If Things Grow Wrong
PLASTISCH is part of the exhibition If Things Grow Wrong. We want faster, bigger, more. Is that always better, or do problems grow unnoticed? The exhibition on growth addiction can be seen from October 15th in Museum De Lakenhal.
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