Marjan Laaper at NL=US Art Rotterdam contemporary video art

My name is Marjan Laper I still see myself as a sculptor Special moments that I repeat and slow down resulting infinite videos that I project on a monumental scale Here is an Indian rhinoceros seen lying motionless on the ground with a small bird perched on its back The rhinoceros normally so powerfully built appears remarkably vulnerable here since he lies motionless on the ground only his ears twitching as if listening to the surrounding sounds Over time a musical piece begins to emerge evoking the atmosphere of film score or a requiem This symbol represents for me the loss of something precious or something great that is fading away Another video that can be seen is called The Gathering featuring three prairie dogs Two prairie dogs sit beside the motionless body of a fellow In the video a small eel is visible Standing on a stone in the middle of the water his wings spread wide drying in the sun The surroundings are blurred the lighting seems to glow around him like an old halo making it seem like a sacred matter Feeding the Bird is a porcelain sculpture depicting a Chinese woman reaching her arms toward the sky holding food in her hands as part of a ritual encounter Various birds come to feed near her and an interaction unfolds between the birds the image and the viewer In the video A Sense of Wonder a small Chinese sculpture is shown of a female figure with a snail on her hand The two figures form a tiny universe The snail gazes in wonder at the surroundings it finds itself in and at the sculpture and the woman gazes in wonder at the snail The piece illustrates the bond that could exist between humans and animals in an ideal setting