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Site specific commission of Pluis as sustainable wedding backdrop at BlueCity 010

  • Title
    • Pluis
  • Artist
    • Joana Schneider
  • Client
    • Private Commission
  • Production
    • Arttenders
  • Location
    • BlueCity 010
  • Material
    • Recycled fisher nets, Hardener, Postconsumer PET sustainable yarn (green), pink lighting

When BlueCIty 010 made an exception to host a New Years’ Eve Wedding in 2018, they had one condition: the festivities had to be in line with their mission to create an inspiring example for circular economy. The bride and groom took this as a challenge, and asked Arttenders and Joana Schneider to create a mesmerizing backdrop at De Balzaal. Arttenders managed the commission and was responsible for the production of the on site implementation.

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The story: Art + Harbour + Circularity

De Balzaal is one of the iconic rooms in BlueCity 010: a round ballroom with a breathtaking view on the Maas and the Erasmusbridge and into the iconic swimming pool of Tropicana. A perfect fit to symbolize the ties of the wedding couple with the city of Rotterdam and the groom’s relation to the harbor. The story was completed by Joana Schneiders with 'Pluis'. The artwork connected the harbor,  the venue's mission and the bride’s ties to the art world in a site specific commission that adorned the ceremony and the party.

BlueCity’s circular mission

BlueCity 010 is an incubator for circular entrepreneurs in and around Rotterdam. It is situated in former subtropical swimming oasis Tropicana. This  well known iconic building that has lost its function is now being turned into a tangible and inspiring example for the circular economy. Superuse Studios  and COUP are transforming the building to make it as circular as possible. Using Oogstkaart, a recycling design platform, they are re-employing old elements and materials both from within the swimming pool as from other abandoned buildings.

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Environmental consciousness in the arts

Joana Schneider is a rising talent in the art world. She graduated in 2018 from the Royal Academy of the Arts, The Hague, where she specialized in Textile. However, she de- and re-contextualizes materials and techniques that often derive from fields that are not necessarily related to established textile techniques. She finds beauty in labor, hence she finds inspiration in fields such as net making, fishing and hair braiding. Environmental consciousness is key to her designs.

She only works with postconsumer yarns as well as collected material that she reprocesses in her creations. With ‘Pluis’ she won the Keep an Eye Award in 2018.

For the New Years’ Eve Wedding she created a site specific version of her iconic graduation work 'Pluis' . Joana about Pluis:

“Pluis netting is used by fishermen to pro­tect their net from sharp stones and fric­tion on the bottom of the sea. 

It reminds me of a festive and luxurious tapestry, due to its richness in texture technique and the royal blue. Yet I am repulsed by the idea of this non-biodegradable material con­sciously being thrown into the sea in order to maintain our fishing industry. The basis of my work, rope and netting, is made from waste material from the ‘netmaker’ industry. It carries the traces of its life in the sea. But working around the idea of Pluis I add a material that provides a sense of beauty and fragility whilst giving the viewer a feeling of repulsion. Hence, I’m working with the color poison green and red in my yarns sponsored by Mors­sinkhof Rymoplast, a Dutch company that produces them from post consumer plastics. I am proud to say that my work is sustainable, while playing with a range of exceptional materials.”

The work created an intimate and spectacular environment during the wedding, whilst looking like a permanent installation that belonged to the venue. It was a spectacular center piece for the event, after which it was mounted at a permanent location.