Head-Stone

The earth as an archive of time 

 

2017 | Bardenas Reales, Spain

Video loop | Noise | English subtitles

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'As a child I ofted played on the floor. 
If I fell (and I often fell while playing)

that wasn't a problem,
because at that time I was still living close to the ground.

 

A day was endless back then,
with endless surfaces on which I played'
 

 

We are constantly being flung back and forth in our heads. We often live in our minds in such a way that we forget that we also have bodies. Clarinde Wesselink tried to capture this recognizable sensation in Head Stone, a portable experience-sculpture that is attached around your head. The work consists of headgear to which a long thin rod is connected with various small stones. As you walk, the rod and stones have the power to literally swing your head back and forth, just as our thoughts do figuratively. This way you are challenged to stay in the here and now. The surface on which we move suddenly feels more bumpy than it normally does. It is never really flat and therefore we move ourselves into a constant state of motion. Head Stone teaches us to listen more emphatically to what our environment tells us, which means that we must remain in the present. We feel the earth at our feet and the air around us, forcing our heads to stay quiet.

 

Camera and editing: Clementine van der Bent

Editing: Fanny Hagmeijer

Performer: Clarinde Wesselink