Festival of Sports: De Friesland Editie

September 12, 2015

A one-day performance event that focuses on cross-connections between arts and sports and celebrates the potential of play, improvisation and creativity as an antidote in an efficiency-driven society. The first edition of Festival of Sports looks at the traditional Frisian sports like Kaatsen and Fierljeppen on the basis of which participating artists developed new works.

In close collaboration with a group of local children, artist Ilke Gers developed a new game that challenges notions of competition, collaborative strategy and creative expression within the parameters of team sport. Audiences of Festival of Sports are happily invited to play along.

Eric Giraudet de Boudemange submerged himself in the skillful practice of Fierljeppen, a local form of pole jumping. His guided tour follows a trajectory of straight lines and detours, connecting bird flights with star orbits, crossing the canals with elastic jumps, to eventually land on its feet gently.

On the basis of improvisation and mimicry Kasper Jacobs & Frank Koolen, together with a group of Frisian amateur actors, developed a repertoire of social rituals and customs of play through which they explore local culture. These collaborative actions form the basis of a new film presented in Beetsterzwaag.

Festival of Sports: De Friesland Editie takes place at Kunsthuis SYB on September 12 and is part of the 1e Triennial of Beetsterzwaag. For more information see www.kunsthuissyb.nl.

To get to Beetsterzwaag from Amsterdam or Rotterdam we arrange busses. Bustickets are €15,00. Please reserve in advance by sending an e-mail to info@kunsthuissyb.nl.

Festival of Sports in an ongoing research platform initiated by curator Rieke Vos, developed in collaboration with TAAK and made possible with generous support of: Brûsfûns Provincie Friesland, Stimuleringsfonds for Creative Industry / Mondriaanfonds, Stichting Doen, Jan van Eyck Akademie and Kunsthuis SYB.