My participation in an art installation

In my previous art blog I wrote about my participation in an art installation and the collaboration with Boxtels Dommeltheater.

For the creation of my fantasy fish, I chose to make large shapes out of chicken wire. I considered making the skin with papier maché, but my experience with this is that it is very labour-intensive. From my school days, I remembered that you can make shapes quickly and easily with plaster casts so I chose that material. Once it is dry, you can easily paint plaster. I did prime it with gesso first to make sure the plaster didn’t absorb too much paint. After about 24 hours, it was dry and I painted the skin with acrylic paint and spray paint. I deliberately made the eyes appear human so that these animals had a fable-like fairy tale look. As the installation was to hang outside for the weekend, I ended up treating all the fantasy fish with a layer of epoxy so they would be water and UV resistant.

The proces of the fantasy fish for my participation in an art installation.

A festival where the connection of people and nature are at the centre.

Traditionally, people settled near water. Village centres arose at a ford in a river. The water that flowed through the river was seen as a source of life and prosperity. Like cities such as London and Paris, Boxtel’s village centre probably originated at just such a place on the river Dommel. Such a village centre mostly served as a meeting place for the community. And thus also became the place where the connection between man and nature strengthened. It was a place where celebrations were held and where people shared stories with each other. As a result, the river carried with it not only water, but also the stories and wishes of the people who entrusted them to the water.

Magical fantasy creatures

During a balmy summer evening at Stapelen Castle, something magical happened. The villagers heard a strange sound coming from the Dommel river. Curious, they went to the bank, where, to their surprise, they saw fabulous creatures emerging from the water.

The water creatures slowly started coming ashore and walked quietly among the people, as if they had always been part of the village. These creatures embodied the imagination and creativity that lived in the river and were now revealing themselves to the world.

They danced and sang, enchanted the air with their magic and brought joy and wonder to the hearts of the villagers.
The villagers decided to organise a special festival to honour this incredible event. Throughout the summer, the village was full of laughter, music and colour.

The entire village was enchanted by the presence of these magical creatures. The festival became a great success and brought the people of the village closer together as they embraced the beautiful world of fantasy. After the festival, the water creatures disappeared back into the castle moat, but they promised to return every year during the village festival.

And so it happened. Every year, the fabulous water animals appeared again and brought joy and magic to the village.