Greenpower

On the roofs of Zuidplein, 8000 m2, 30 artists present works made on site as part of a walking route of 1 kilometer: Bovenop Zuid. Dakdagen Rotterdam has invited artists from
Rotterdam South to make work that is connected to stories of residents from South and to show it for a month.
The artworks are made in May, from 1 to 30 June, daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. the audience can visit the roofs to see the artworks.
We present the installation “Greenpower” , developed with WDKA trainee Giulia Mladossich, who
worked with in our studio for a month on designing and making the installation.

Greenpower (about “the Power of Green”) is a work of art in two parts, on two locations (50 meters apart) on the roofs of Zuidplein, made of wool felt. It is a reaction to the desolate environment on the roofs, where only skylights, air conditioners, drain pipes and chimneys are visible on the gray bitumen plains. It is a machine park that must ensure that the climatic conditions in Zuidplein remain bearable.
The environment evokes a strong reaction from the artists Driessens and Van den Baar. It’s an area you don’t want to go to. Most installations on the roofs come from the fast food companies that route their exhaust air there and receive a fresh air supply through the roof. Most of the food available in Zuidplein is based on meat dishes, which can clearly be smelled on the roofs near the drains.

Greenpower shows a proliferation of ivy-like plant shapes with bulges that rise from a number of air exhaust ducts and ventilation systems and develop their own visual biotope on the roof, as if new life is emerging from the completely artificial environment below. The growth forms, ivy with spines, leaves and flower shapes, seem to exist next to stems with indefinable growth volumes, but are completely invented.
Driessens and Van den Baar search in Greenpower for an image that shows “the Power of Green”: how can something grow here in this place? At the same time, the artists themselves create something artificial, they are not real plants, but wool felt objects in two color groups: one black and white, the other ultramarine blue. It is a surrealistic intervention that seems to grow, unstoppable and could possibly take over the entire roof. They use the material wool felt. Wool felt is very strong in color and water-repellent. It is a material that you would not expect to see in works of art in the outdoor space, but which can be done well, especially in this situation, which is dismantled again after a month. In this regard, it brings softness to the completely hard, functional environment. And there is a degree of domesticity, cosiness because of the careful manual work that is required to make this installation. The manual work involves many hours of concentrated work, along with others, which indeed happened in the studio to get this installation done.
For information: Rotterdamse Dakdagen