A land-art that is beyond a singular perspective and fully embedded in NDSM-Werf.
“Dancing in a circle, beating rhythmically, no one is first, no one last, all are the same, all beats in the same way. The start is slow then the rhythm takes over, a sense of infinity arises from this human ring that turns and beats rhythmically.” - Bruno Munari, Square Circle Triangle, 2016.
Through time and between cultures, circles have come to represent a simple yet powerful concept; oneness. This humble shape has been used to communicate ways in which we can come together, where we collectively become more than our individual parts. This message is more important than ever before, as tensions arise in our multicultural communities, fuelled by polarizing politics and divisive social media algorithms. NDSM, as a port, has a history of diversity throughout the different types of people arriving in the Netherlands from around the world. This mix of differences can be seen lives on today through the vibrant day and nightlife, with cultural events, various expressive forms of graffiti, and the wide range of art and design practices that call this area home.
The circle speaks of something large - beyond the individual, to the collective. Through gradually piecing together glimpses of a glowing shape that seems to be scattered throughout the NDSM area, viewers can collectively trace the line of a giant circle. Because of the impossibility of grasping the full circle from any single position on the ground, the work offers infinite vantage points. The process of interacting with it from different angles, heights, and distances represents how we come together to form a shared reality - where no particular point of view should be privileged over another, where the seen and unseen, the visible and invisible are equally considered.
In this way, we want to involve the viewers in becoming part of the shared experience of the circle; in the words of Timothy Morton, “You realize that you are included in the interpretation so your art becomes ‘reflexive’ - it starts to talk about itself” (Being Ecological, 2019).
Exhibiting from 12 November 2021 to January 2022, at NDSM-Werf Amsterdam, under the curation of Come To Light, curated by Petra Heck from Stichting NDSM-Werf.
Designed by Alice Wong & Crys Leung, planned & visualized by Huey Hoong Chan, written by Vincent Thornhill & Irene Stracuzzi.