Corona in de Stad

In order to encourage creativity during the lockdown, we organised an online Art Battle. From 16 March to 31 May, we received a great variety of splendid entries: dance, rap, spoken word, film, song… And the results are in! The big winner of this Meervaart Lockdown is Klaskie, with her piece Creepy Calm.

The jury, with members including director Christiaan Mooij and our director Yassine Boussaid, unanimously chose Creepy Calm as the winner. They appraised the entries in terms of uniqueness, professionalism and expressive power. What really stands out, what touches, moves or entertains the viewer?
The jury had the following to say about Klaskie’s submission: ‘A very creative and visually stimulating entry. The visual images, text/vocals and music fit seamlessly together. Klaskie has applied the lockdown theme, showing what being locked in does to people. The result is a creation that succeeds in capturing the intangible aspect of the corona pandemic in an abstract manner.’

Klaskie’s video won her the role of her life (actually a toilet roll) and €100. The audience award went to Rose & friends, whose video had the greatest number of views.

ABOUT THE MEERVAART LOCKDOWN BATTLE
The idea for the battle was born on the very first Monday of the lockdown, during our first online team meeting. The meeting’s main topic was how to stay in contact with our audience. We were already in the habit of organising various art competitions at De Meervaart every year, such as Kunstbende Noord-Holland and the dance competition Break A Leg, so it was not long before the idea for an online battle emerged. We wanted it to be a competition with as few restrictions as possible, since there are already so many rules we have to obey right now. Furthermore, the lack of all restrictions allows people to showcase their unbridled creativity in the privacy of their own homes. We hoped that makers might also feel more safe and therefore less hesitant to experiment. And while anyone can use a webcam to record themselves singing a song, the real art lies in how they deal with the limitations that the webcam creates. Art has no limits, but we believe that the constraints of the home create a new kind of freedom. This whole battle was one big invitation to engage in creative experimentation.

door Meervaart