Leib

HD video in loop 5’40”

The video work Leib shows crowds of people from directly above, as one large organism moving from a primary urge. It is both unsettling and calming to see and to experience. A ritual with unwritten rules that the group intuitively senses and maintains. Leib reveals a primal drive that touches on the essence of being human; by truly feeling another body, you can feel more yourself again.

The title refers to the lived body through which you experience the world. By showing circle pits from above, it becomes possible to shift between distance and closeness: experiencing the abstract whole, where new patterns keep appearing, and zooming in on the details and reality of individual bodies.

Roos van Geffen: “This work came from my own desire to be held, something I recognise on a deep level in these people, who repeatedly throw their bodies into the swirling mass. In science, applying deep pressure to the body is seen as a way to lower the body’s internal ‘sensory radio’, calming the nervous system and reducing emotional overstimulation. Deep pressure gives input to the proprioceptive system, the sense of muscles and joints. This helps people become more aware of their body in space, leading to a grounded feeling, less restlessness and better emotional self regulation. I learned this from the scientists I worked with during a residency at Buitenplaats Doornburgh, in an interdisciplinary research into sensory processing in general and in relation to neurodivergence. From that insight, I understood my emotion and deep fascination for these circle pits and my desire to throw myself into them.

Leib was made in collaboration with the film crew of a large metal festival.

Interdisciplinary research – science and art
Overstimulation and neurodiversity

During a residency at Buitenplaats Doornburgh, in collaboration with other artists and scientists, a dialogue developed around overstimulation and neurodiversity. The starting questions were: are we collectively overstimulated and what can we learn about processing stimuli from neurodivergent people? Within this context, the focus shifted from individual experience to a shared question: what can we learn from the way bodies process, absorb or resist stimuli?

Leib was shown in the exhibition Prikkel, about overstimulation in the complexity of contemporary society and how we adapt to it, from October 6, 2023 until January 7, 2024 at Buitenplaats Doornburgh, a museum where art and science come together.

Other artists and scientists: Johannes Bellinkx, Margriet van Breevoort, Roos van Geffen, Silvana Hurtado Dianderas, Vinny Jones, Anouk Keizer, Molly Palmer, Boukje Schweigman, Deanne Spek, Shertise Solano and Odile van Stuijvenberg worked together in an interdisciplinary research into sensory processing in general and in relation to neurodivergence, brought together by Schweigman&, HKU and UMCU.

Videolink on request

Made possible with additional support from Mondriaan Fonds. Thanks to Alban Lebacq, Tell All The People Antwerpen, Graspop Metal Meeting, Melkweg Amsterdam