STRONGHOLD
ABOUT THE RESIDENCY
During the GinDS residency, my research was guided by the question: What space does the history, architecture, and symbolism of the former military battery bring to the surface within myself? Once built for defense, the site now functions differently – a place where art sensitises rather than annihilates.
Beginning with the notion of the stronghold, I explored historical, psychological, and interpersonal dimensions of the word, tracing it back to how human bonds, once broken remain in one’s inner landscape creating a space that it’s hard to escape. Returning daily over three weeks to the battery, this repetition became ritual, allowing gestures, spatial relations and a deep bond with the location to unfold gradually over time. Through sustained engagement with the site, I developed durational acts that entered into dialogue with the space, allowing gestures to unfold their meaning over time.
ABOUT THE INSTALLATION
STRONGHOLD is a three-channel projection unfolding simultaneously across three spaces of the former military battery “Baterij aan den Sloterweg” in Hoofddorp. Beginning from the heartbreak perceived as a fortress, the work traces how its echoes reverberate through the architecture of the site until they are released.
CEZARA GURAU 