Installation- Gabbernation 1.0

Beyond Thunderdome 1.0

Group Show Syb Kunsthuis Beestserzwaag initiated by Henrike Naumann 2016
installation, side specific
flooring material, tiles, wallpaper, rope, candles, car cover, cement, styrofoam

The collective project GABBER NATION focuses on gabber culture in Friesland and on the specifics of sub-culture in the rural area. While the Heipalen sound inspired the industrial gabber bass drum of Rotterdam, the village Beetsterzwaag is a quiet and peaceful place. How does the urge for destruction, that every young soul feels, find its way in an environment like this? For the duration of her residency at Kunsthuis SYB, Henrike Naumann, together with six German, Danish and Dutch artists, delves into the gabber culture of Friesland and Germany. What does it look like now and what preceded it? They visit historic places, music events and other gatherings whilst creating an archive of photos, videos and paraphernalia. With Merle Vorwald, Henrike Naumann analyses the ‘dome’ of Thialf in Heerenveen and the legendary Thunderdome from the film Mad Max 3. With musician Bastian Hagedorn, Naumann works on the Bass Drum Archive, an audio archive which stores the bass lines of gabber tracks. With Johannes Bütter, Naumann explores the sub-culture in the rural area and the explosive power of youth. The Dutch photographer Boris Postma reminisces with Naumann on his own gabber youth and looks for traces of the apocalyptic. In collaboration with Danish artist Tea Palmelund the artists produce a Gabber fan-zine publication: Kern, accompanying the show. Together with artist Ekaterina Burlyga, Naumann will finally dive into the aestetics of national flags and organize a gabber street parade in the peaceful Hoofdstraat of Beetsterzwaag.
Text: Agnes Winter