Sun 14 Jul, 12:00 General
NIJMEGEN – What is it like to sleep in Nijmegen’s most notorious house for a week? In the run-up to the Four Days Marches, Nijmegen artists Mirthe Scheifes, Roanne van Baren and the music group Misprint stayed in the Besiendershuis for the Artists in Residence project.
In the past few days, the three artists stayed in the most notorious house in Nijmegen, to record the preparation of the Four Days Marches in a playful way. One of the artists Tom Verstappen, alias Misprint, went into the city to make and record music, inspired by the elements that characterize the construction of the festivities.
He says: “We were immediately very enthusiastic regarding taking part in this project. The Besiendershuis is a well-known building for Nijmegen residents, so it was a dream to be able to work here. We had many ideas and wanted to use this week to work out some of them and see where the ship would run aground. We love that experimenting. Sleeping here was a unique experience. Waking up and looking over the Waal is very special. We heard stories that it was haunted here, and it really does creak at night. But it gives it something exciting.”
“We did our best to stick to the assignment, which was sometimes a challenge. Normally I’m less concerned with the run-up than with the Four Days Marches itself, but that also made it a good creative challenge.”
Misprint’s project revolved around creating a radio show with the theme ‘the run-up to the Four Days Marches’. For this they made a number of new songs and invited musicians to make music together. In addition, they did interviews on the street and created fictional radio tunes and bumpers.
The result of their efforts can be heard from Friday evening, July 12, via cultuuracademy.nlIn addition, the new songs might be heard live on Saturday evening, July 13, during Vrienden van Oersoep Live.
Photographic project
Mirthe Scheifes was also in the Besiendershuis the past few days. She started working on her photographic project ‘To be beyond human’. Mirthe: ”I have been participating in the Four Days Marches for a long time, as a Nijmegen resident I know very well how that period feels beforehand – the tension, the calm before the storm. I understood that feeling, but had not yet looked at it from a visual perspective – from my artistry.”
“It’s nice to have a base where you can focus on your work without distractions. Everything was regarding looking and photography, and that gave a special dynamic to the process.”
The Polaroid series shows a look behind the scenes of the construction of the Four Days Marches. Mirthe shows the beauty of the construction period in a poetic way. The colours, shapes and emptiness that are still visible. “Polaroid creates snapshots that capture the transience of this phase well, since everything changes quickly during the construction.”
What happens when the Four Days Marches enter the Besiendershuis (a building from 1525)? Mirthe tried to portray this question in a playful and experimental way with the photo series ‘Feet off the floor’. Both projects can be seen at creative agency Great Things, at Gruitberg 22 in Nijmegen.
Special zine
Roanne van Baren also took part in the Residence project. Rianne: “I really liked the fixed framework – the theme was clear. From there I had the idea to bring to light the people you don’t immediately associate with the Four Days Marches.”
“People are excited to work on a project like this, and that makes me excited once more. I would do it once more in a heartbeat!”
Her creation is a special ‘zine’ that uniquely highlights the run-up to the Four Days Marches. The zine is designed as a pocket version that you can fold out to an A3 size. It contains sixteen boxes with pieces of text and illustrations. In addition to Roanne’s own Four Days Marches story, the city ecologist and a garbage man from the DAR also have their say, and there is an interview with someone who is bothered by people urinating in public, including tips. “When you fully open the zine, you see a large ‘wild urination card’ with complaints that have been received by the organization of the Four Days Marches.”
The print version of Roanne’s zine is currently being finished. One hundred copies will be distributed via CityStore, the Besiendershuis and Wedren. It is a unique opportunity to take a piece of the Four Days Marches with you and experience it in a special way.
