Biography
Space runs like a common thread through Elke Van Der Kelen’s work. She trained as an architect in Brussels and then studied theater directing and teaching at the Maastricht Theater Academy. The impact of the scenography and the audience setup play an important role in every project from the start. Elke likes to explore the boundaries between architecture, theatre, visual arts, but also disciplines that are still unknown to her, such as robotics.
In residentie A play of space I
17.06.2024 – 28.06.2024
As humans, we often have an unconscious relationship with the spaces we enter and use. However, that environment has a major impact on the way we move, behave and feel. With the installation ‘A play of space I’ Elke wants to show and manipulate living space and question/examine our relationship with it. During her residency at C-TAKT, Elke will work with eleven mobile walls with which she divides, breaks open and embraces the space. In this phase, the research focuses on the choreography/composition of those walls. To do this, she invites WALKERS (people who manipulate the walls) to join her in this space exploration.
In a later phase, the walls will move autonomously through the space. Due to (discrete) robotics, the entire focus is on the space itself. The audience/visitor will be invited to – have no choice but to – participate in this space dance. They will always have to relate to the new space that is slowly unfolding around them. It is as if the space manipulates itself and shows itself to the audience in all its facets. The installation consciously seeks out slowness and simplicity; the visitor is invited to meditate in, with and about space. ‘A play of space I’ wants to connect the disciplines of architecture, movement and robotics.