Invitation for the night performance
SEGMENT XIX, 'RAVE NATURE'
We were invited to create a work for the ‘Cement Festival’ (translated: ‘concrete festival’). This festival is a cultural festival in the South of the Netherlands and is sponsored by the local concrete factory (Enci Factory). Surrounding this enormous factory there’s the Enci-forest. The lime quarry, a vital part of the factory has dug off almost three quarters of the hills surrounding the forest and created a huge white crater in this natural landscape. During our research for this festival we found out that there were a lot of fights and debates between the nature organizations, ecologists and the factory about the future development of this area.
Because we were intrigued by this political context we wanted to make a work for the festival in the vicinity of the factory, so we choose the location of the Enci-forest. The forest is located on a hill that is built on rest material of the lime quarry. During our research we also found out that in the early nineties the area of the lime quarry was often (mis)used for illegal rave parties. The caves around the forest provided an excellent shelter for these gatherings. The music installations and disco lights would work on batteries and people could enjoy themselves without disturbing neighbors. Eventually the city government prohibited the parties because the caves were too dangerous and could collapse.
With the context of the factory and the illegal rave parties in the back of our minds we thought of making an installation in the Enci-Forest. We constructed a white platform around the trees in order to create a strong contrast to the natural environment. In abstract terms similar to the contrast of the lime quarry and the natural environment. Our idea was to organize a rave party, so we build a light and sound installation on the platform. We wanted to invite people to come and see our ‘installation’ in the forest and therefore we created a flyer with a design similar to the designs of rave party’s in the nineties. We spread this invitation throughout the city of Maastricht in bars, clubs, etc.
The public arrived with a bus at the beginning of the forest and from there they followed a trail uphill in complete darkness. They had to follow a small sand road and after a walk they were suddenly surprised by the platform in the middle of the forest and the enormous lightshow and loud music (the rave-song ‘Move your ass’ by ‘Scooter’.) The project dealt with the strange way people cultivate and make use of their natural environment. We tried to show an absurd contrast and to let people realize this strange and complex situation of the Enci-forest.
