'Portscapes': exhibition of Paulien Oltheten at Futureland and vicinity (until 30 October) and billboard-prologue to Jorge Satorre's project

Project website: www.portscapes.nl
Projects timeline: http://www.dipity.com/latitudes/PORTSCAPES

As a first part of his contribution to Portscapes, JORGE SATORRE's billboard on the A15 presents a vision of his ongoing research. During Satorre's 3-month residence in Rotterdam, he was searching for, and located, a large boulder – one of the many giant rocks carried by glaciers into The Netherlands from Scandinavia during the last Ice Age. Following the artist’s fascination with the compensation projects being instigated in order to ‘offset’ the construcion of Maasvlakte 2, his project seeks to identify this rock’s place of origin and return it to where it came from in an act of restitution and fundamental sculpture process. The transposition mirrors the monumental construction of the Maasvlakte as a sculpting of land-form which, like the action of glaciers but in a far shorter time, fundamentally alters the morphology of The Netherlands. The action is also mirrored in the fact that much of the existing and future sea defense in the port area will be made from rock brought from Scandinavia. The second part of his research will be presented in February 2010.

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Following the placement of a billboard by Amsterdam-based artist PAULIEN OLTHETEN along the A15 on the Maasvlakte, Oltheten is now presenting a series of photographs on smaller billboards (see locations here ) and two video pieces at the visitor centre Futureland and vicinity. During her explorations around the port, Oltheten made use of the lack of reference of natural elements, such as trees, bushes and people by arranging meetings. These stagings mostly took place in locations that will soon disappear or be displaced and often involve variations of the theme ‘one becomes two’, referring to the Maasvlakte, of which there will later be two. On view until 30 October 2009.

More on Portscapes' website www.portscapes.nl:

'Portscapes' is an accumulative series of art commissions taking place throughout 2009 alongside the construction of ‘Maasvlakte 2’, a 2,000 hectare area of reclaimed land that will extend the Port of Rotterdam, Europe's largest seaport and industrial area by 20%. Projects of variable scales will be produced under the leitmotif itineraries and destinations comprising tours, audioguides, performances, radio programmes, interventions, for example. + info...

Artists involved in Portscapes: Lara Almarcegui, Bik van der Pol, Jan Dibbets, Marjolijn Dijkman, Fucking Good Art, Cyprien Gaillard, Ilana Halperin, Roman Keller & Christina Hemauer, Paulien Oltheten, Michael Rakowitz, Jorge Satorre, Hans Schabus and Jun Yang. Website collaborators: Maria Barnas (poetry) and Markus Miessen (interviews).

Read more on completed projects and on projects in production.
Press coverage here.

'Portscapes' is commissioned by the Port of Rotterdam Authority with advice and support from SKOR (Foundation for Art and Public Space) and is curated by Latitudes.

Forthcoming...

Latitudes will be participating in the seminar 'The evolving relationships between artists, the changing climate and new responsibilities' organised by Hinterland which will take place on November 26th at the Broadway Media Centre, Nottingham, UK + info.