The State of Things 2017
About the artists
Justin Bennett (UK, 1964) is a sound artist based in Den Haag, The Netherlands. His work has a specific focus on urban development, technological progress and the relationship between architecture and sound.
Bennett produces (reworked) field recordings, drawings, performances, sculptural installations, audio walks, videos and essays. Recent work consists of thematic projects focussing on the role of the artist in urban development, the relationship of sound and memory and the history of psychiatry in relation to the occult use of technology.
Recent presentations include: "Blueprint" an animated film with live soundtrack, Gemak, Den Haag 2015, the installations "Hyper Forum" and "Oracle 2.0" at Maxxi, Rome 2014, "Dream Map" audio walk, Instituto Tomie Ohtake, Sao Paolo 2013, "Telettrofono" audio walk, Guggenheim New York 2012.
Since 2013 the practices of Kurt d'Haeseleer en Franck Vigroux often meet for the joint creation of installations and audiovisual performances.
Kurt d’Haeseleer (°1974, Belgium) is visual artist, video designer and artistic director of Werktank. His work focuses on the visualisation of the dynamic of information. He translates the all encompassing presence of media into meta-images. Media presence is symbolized through layers of sticky pixel textures, noise and interactivity. Special effects play an important role in his work that can best be described as a 'pixel drama' or 'pixel soap' and which can be found in the border zone between painting, videoclips, cinema and performance.
Franck Vigroux (°1973, France) is both musician and director. As a composer-performer he has the rare capacity to produce a very wide range of sounds from electroacoustic to industrial noise, modern composition and experimental electronic music. He has performed and recorded with internationally renowed musicians such as Mika Vainio (Pan Sonic), Reinhold Friedl, Elliott Sharp, Joey Baron, Zeena Parkins, Ars nova ensemble instrumental. The uniqueness also comes from Vigroux's artistic approach that integrates new media and performing arts. Since 2009 he designs trans-disciplinary shows and collaborates with Compagnie D'autres Cordes, a production agency dedicated to performing arts.
Johannes Langkamp carries out ongoing, playful research into video as a medium. Inspired by the everyday, he makes many short fragments of video using simple means, giving them a raw and sketchy style. By exploring perspective and perception, Langkamp discovers outcomes that surprise himself as much as others. His ideas evolve while experimenting with the features and limitations of his tools (cameras, situations, displays), and through this process Langkamp develops rough sketches into installations highlighting the camera's relationship with space. The result is a straightforward observation presenting an unusual take on reality, giving the audience a taste of Langkamp's manner of seeing.
Floris Vanhoof (°1982, Mol) combines homemade musical circuits with abandoned projection technologies for audiovisual installations, expanded cinema performances and music releases.He is interested in the hybrid form of music, photo and film. Projections and music produced by a modular synthesizer are central to his work. His first projections were 16 mm celluloid experimental films which evolved into pure visual experiences in which he questions viewing patterns.
Vanhoof is looking for ways to create new images with old media. He makes his own translations of sound into image and vice versa, by connecting one medium to another not always compatible medium. Thereby he doesn’t impose his own vision, but he shows himself curious as to what his work elicits in the visitor. How does our perception work and what new perspectives arise?