A R C H I E F1 9 9 8  
16th
  Erik Wesselo
Blind Date
  The Netherlands 1998
Installatie
 
The Blind Date project is about five confrontations of five pairs of artists. During a short period prior to the World Wide Video Festival they react to each other's work and thinking. This will result in five combined presentations.
Wesselo's attitude is that of a non-conformist. The willy-nilly artist. His melancholy nature evokes a destructive energy from within which he sublimates into an existential experience. Violence aimed at oneself as a liberating moment is something we find in many cultures – often in rituals. Wesselo directs his own rituals. In these carefully planned events he is both director and protagonist. In a Hollywood film, when the hero faces a dangerous situation, stunt men are brought in to spare the star. It is with these invisible heroes that Wesselo identifies. A stunt man is driven in large part by the kick of looking death in the eye and getting away with it every time again. Because the scenes in Wesselo's films are so meticulously planned the danger – unlike what one would expect – becomes greater. After all, Wesselo faces the danger completely. Also, he creates situations where he is no longer in control of how they will end. The cadence and rhythm in his films reinforce the idea that danger lurks within routine. At the same time, that same cadence gives them a meditative feel, allowing Wesselo to slowly rise above the routine and place himself on a different level. The quiet, the control and confidence which are evident from his images as well as the slow build-up towards the moment when he will detach himself and start to float, are elements that make his films a visual sensation as well.
Wesselo's blind date is American artist Slater Bradley.

Production: W139, World Wide Video Festival


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