In the exhibition Tissue of Stories, apparent contradictions connect the work of Mirjam Somers and Marie Claire Gellings. At first glance, the two approaches to the work and the exhibition seem far apart, but if you can receive the exhibition open-mindedly you notice how not only the individual stories are woven but also how the two worlds are connected.
Marie Claire Gellings, The house of my memories
I collect memories, that is the material, the fabric I work with. The loom on which I make it is me, are my hands, the hands work and what comes out? The pattern of my way of seeing and undergoing, the layers in my work, the layers in what I see, the layers in textiles.
The work arises from the clutter that memories create, and although it is nice to start somewhat from chaos, time and space are needed to clean up and gain overview, to make connections visible in a more structured archive. Out of the chaotic multitude a unity is created, a story. In short, to find and represent lost connections, to come home to the work, to give the work a home.
In the exhibition Fabric of Stories, the visitor wanders through my visual memory. The curtains define the route, the scattered objects tell the stories, the viewer makes the connections.
Mirjam Somers, Silent Sirens
In her work, visual artist and filmmaker Mirjam Somers reflects on an anthropocentric world and the consequently complicated, mangled relationship between humans and other animals. Her works have both a dark, disturbing and meditative character. They form worlds of their own in which love and oppression, beauty and horror, dreams and nightmares balance each other.
Silent Sirens
Three hundred drawings made in as many days during the covid pandemic are the starting point for the project Silent Sirens. The search for the stories behind these drawings have led to a spatial installation that is constantly evolving and consists of drawings, models, film scenes and music. The installation is the prelude to the multi-year and extensive film project Silent Sirens.
Within the film project Silent Sirens, Somers collaborates with several professionals: With Gerwin Luijendijk for the musical compositions, vocals and acting . With Petros Mousios and Zara Olsson for 3D animations, with Bas Czerwinski for the camera work and with Charly van Rest for the Soundscapes .
The Silent Sirens project is co-funded by CBK Rotterdam, Municipality of Rotterdam and The Netherlands Film Fund.
