The light at the zebra crossing in the Broersvest, Schiedam
turns green. Six men and women walk across the street, but
suddenly they begin to dance. They stand still, turn around and
make a jump. The people in traffic look surprised.
This "Green Light" performance, by choreographer Mateja Bucar
from Slovenia is one of the components during the festival
Invisible City, which took place last weekend in Schiedam. This
festival combines visual arts and dance. "We want to create a
kind of city in motion," said Ans Kanen, who created this project
together with Liat Magnezy and FionaWeir.
They invited 23 artists from around the world to Schiedam. Most
of them displayed their work in the building Ruimte in Beweging,
at Boterstraat. "This area is hidden. This is the idea of an
invisible city", says Kanen. 'People who walk in and become
part of it. They become part of that city'. This also happens
at the Wennekerpand and on the street, as in Green Light.
"Because we want art in the city, but not everyone from
Schiedam will bother to come."
The six dancers create amazing scenes. A woman who is on her
bike turns her head, a car stops in the middle of the Broersvest
to watch. "We perform this dance in different cities in Europe.
Usually we get nice comments, but sometimes aggressive reactions
too", said Bucar. If someone comes at Ruimte in Beweging they
will see more of these amazing performances. It starts with the
entrance, where Daan Houter has filled a whole floor with 1 cent
coin.
Inside you can find the work by Ozlem Uzun, from Istanbul. Last
week she transformed a tram stop in Schiedam into a living room.
She placed herself on the other side of the street to watch the
reactions of the people and recorded it. She has now moved the
living room to Ruimte in Beweging and her recordings can be seen
on a television.
Uzun enjoys being in Schiedam. 'This city is much calmer than
Istanbul'. Also Claire Weetman, an artist from Liverpool enjoys
it too, though she knew no one. "It is inspiring to have contact
with people from another discipline'.
