…Elk rondje is anders during Quarantine

…Elk rondje is anders is about the convention of ‘rondjes lopen’ – ‘walking around in circles’ and originates from 2015.

During these times of the C19 virus outbreak, surviving mostly in our homes, Dutchies are allowed to get some fresh air outside, the so-called intelligent lockdown. This results in a lot of walking around in the neighborhood, as well as a lot of walking in circles inside our (small) apartments – rondjes lopen. This action works very therapeutic, I’ve been doing it a lot since I was a child, and the interesting thing is that you actually never walk in exact circles. It is more of a saying, but the act itself has become a recognizable action of daily life in different – mostly isolated – spaces (f.e. at a gabber party, in prison, animals in the zoo, at the nursing home). 

Therefore I started to revise this work – and action – and present it again as a renewed version, now more relevant than ever. For this performance I created the gymnastics lining myself. While crossing this, I started to be followed by my own old Nike Air Max 90 footsteps traces. These tracks resulted in my residue installation – my circular track and trace landscape, created during the live performance. I take away all aspects that could be too conditioned in this respect: my clothing, the music and my sight. I keep my eyes closed to put my focus in the repetitive movement and adjustments in my body.

Watch the entire video of the live performance stream (22-05-2020) below:

The original installation and live performance of this work is from 2015. This derived off my research into the gabber and gabber culture for the exhibition ‘Hoe Rottur Ut Wordt’ at SBK-Dordrecht. During the opening of the exhibition I did a two-hour live performance in my installation of fixed artworks as expression of my research.

The work is based on a video of a gabber in the early 90s who is partying at a hardcore event. He answers the question “So, what do you do all of these hours at a party like this?” with: “Ik loop rondjes en ik loop rondjes, ik loop alleen maar rondjes. Kom iedereen tegen, blijf rondjes lopen, elk rondje is anders. Ik loop uren lang rondjes.” [Meaning: “I am walking in circles constantly, for hours I walk in circles, I only walk in circles, meet a lot of people, walk in circles and every circle is different.”]. Hence the convention of ‘rondjes lopen’.

© Video by Joao mb Costa
© Lisette Ros