Ondertussen: Justin Bennett

11 November 2017 - 7 January 2018
Location: Hogewal 1-9, The Hague
Open: Monday - Friday: 11-17 hrs; Saturday and Sunday: 12-17 hrs
Closed: 25 and 26 December 2017 and 1 January 2018

From April until November 2017 Justin Bennett was resident at Overtoon in Brussels, a platform for production, distribution and research of sound art, installations and experimental media art. Goal of the residency was to investigate the acoustic territories of the city of Brussels. Territories of language: voices, narratives. Territories of security: signals, announcements and sirens. Territories of work. Territories of birds and other animals. Underground territories: the reverberations and resonances of the tunnels and passageways of the city.

The city of Brussels fascinated him - because of the stratification of its history, the multicultural aspects, the labyrinthine urban structure with large underground tunnel networks and 19th century passages. As well as Brussels' ambiguity as capital, as a collection of villages with different ethnic characters, as a melting pot of languages, as the bureaucratic centre of Europe.

The research used three parallel approaches. Firstly, Bennett created devices for active listening: a microphone inside a trumpet or a wooden stethoscope, for example. These devices allow for the acoustic manipulation of sounds in a combination of listening, improvisation and field recording.
Secondly, walks through the city, solo or with friends or strangers are recorded and narrative paths are traced out.
Thirdly, the visual and spatial forms of the city are explored in a series of drawings and sculptures. The results from these three approaches intertwine and feedback within each other.

In Ondertussen Justin Bennett shows the first results of his research, in the form of objects, sound and drawings. The ongoing research will result in an audio work in public space to be presented in 2018.

In 2017 Justin Bennett received a PRO Research grant for his residency at Overtoon.

www.bmbcon.demon.nl/justin

Ondertussen
The Ondertussen space links Stroom's exhibition program to its enabling policy for artists. This policy aims to strengthen and improve the visibility of The Hague's artistic climate. Presentations in Ondertussen are usually the result of subsidies provided by Stroom, but can also show the results of mediation by Stroom or of other stimulating activities. The presentations are intended to illustrate the diversity of the grant applications and the positive effect of our enabling policy for artists. The presentations can vary from (interim) reports of (research) projects and residencies to network presentations. The Ondertussen presentation is the responsibility of the applicant.

Archive Ondertussen presentations

research Justin Bennett
photo: courtesy the artist
research Justin Bennett
photo: courtesy the artist
research Justin Bennett
photo: courtesy the artist
research Justin Bennett
photo: courtesy the artist
research Justin Bennett
photo: courtesy the artist