Men of Steel, Men of Stone

2017 – ongoing
16mm

In the 16mm film installation Men of Steel, Men of Stone. I wash three sculptures of questionable Dutch ‘heroes’ Jan Pieterszoon Coen, Michiel de Ruijter and Piet Heijn with a ridiculous amount of soap. Using washing, which is normally seen as soft and feminine, as an ironic statement. The film is projected om a wooden plate, which on one side shows the positive and on the other the negative version in this film. In the negative version the soap turns in to a dark mud that I smear on the sculptures.

I decided to accept this project as an eternal (both real and metaphorical) work in progress.

Men of Steel, Men of Stone (positive)

Men of Steel, Men of Stone (negative)

Installation view, Nest, Den Haag

I wrote a essay about my personal struggle with this work for the Dutch magazine Mister Motley. https://www.mistermotley.nl/art-everyday-life/staal-steen-en-sop.

English translation:  https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xQ9f_TgAE0LdpegiJtZ1Z-47o_q3xfRAVBBE1BjlMhY/edit?usp=sharing

Installation view Nest, Den Haag:

Camera: Ben Geraerts

Edit : Diego Gutiérrez

Geluid & sound design: charly van rest, Diego Gutiérrez en Marcus Bruystens

Post production: Gabriel Vallecillo

Thanks to:

Róża Zamołojko

Maureen Ho

Paulien Oltheten

Lotte Geeven

Marcus Bruystens

Gemeente Hoorn

Gemeente Rotterdam

Gemeente Vlissingen

Het Nederlands Filmfonds