COMEDOWN – Sunrise Ceremony
The Sunrise Ceremony and Sonic Event was presented by the Van Abbe Museum, Eindhoven.
The performance begins at 6:03 am to break with chrononormative displays of public culture. This period of the day directly preceding the dawn is known as “civil twilight.” Notions of civility and time often dictate individual and collective behaviour within public spaces of the street, the dance floor, and the museum. Gabber shows us that each social body lives by its own, often unspoken codes and timescales. By coming down at the museum after the party, but before productive daily life is typically thought to begin stirring, the artists ritualize their work outside of normal museum hours. It’s uncertain who will see it.
A textile project by Black and Mikiki frames the scene in the north facing bay-window and balcony of the Van Abbe Museum overlooking the river. The textile depicts visual and perceptual interpretation of Gabber jacket patterns, party crowds, and Van Abbe collection pieces that depict public gatherings and will be installed for the duration of the symposium.
Sonic Event
Anthea & Mikiki’s maximalist soundscape meditation/embodied visualization exercise was presented in the auditorium of Van Abbe as a reflection of and extension of their research on politics of Gabber aesthetics. The meditation on the history of Gabber is a creation of an ecstatic group event.
A limited edition print work that responds the history of gabber party flyers, aesthetic investigations of the tract suit uniform’s imagery and the politics of belonging coincided with the sound presentation.
Anthea Black 