'Light is a trace of speed, water– of fragility' is an audio-visual installation that conveys the tension between human and machine force within the parameters of hidden labour systems. The work aims to replicate the noisy, flashy and stress induced environment of the physical labour working environment through constructed soundscapes, blinking lights and storytelling voices. These elements reinforce the idea of continuous human-machine force as well as the perpetual cycle of exploitation, exhaustion and despair, while the paper cups act as a metaphor for the worker, their fragility and disposability.
ACT 1: THE CUP IS THE WORKER (PULL YOUR CUP) This is a Cone Water Cup with a rolled rim 200 in one box Material: Paper Colour: white Rim diameter: 7.5cm Height: 10.5cm Weight: 1.9g
Date of birth: April 29, 2022 Place of birth: Arnhem, the Netherlands Capacity: 125,6ml, if you fill to the top: 150ml
It takes approximately 40 fills for the material to soften. It takes 80 fills for the glue to soften and the rolled rim to disintegrate. It takes 103 fills for the cup to start dripping from the bottom.
Caution: It doesn’t come with a stand, so it cannot be left for later use. It has to be thrown away immediately. Ceaseless use of one brings around fragility. Intensive labour destroys the initial character.
ACT 2: THE CUP BRINGS YOU TO THE WORKERS (TAKE A SIP)
You fill your cup and take a sip. Next to you, a young girl with light features. Fragile or tough. When they call her for work, she answers in English. But she finds many more in here to whom she speaks her own language. They all came here for work, it seems like. They know it’s tough but they do it nonetheless.
And here is a young man, darker skin and curly hair. Alone, or with others like him. They speak a common language. Unfamiliar. Some speak only Dutch, an accent is prominent. They arrived here not so long ago, looking for safety. Started a study, but also a job. Immediately. They had to. Some left school, some took on a second job. They had to leave where they lived, and now they have no other choice but to make a living here.
Take another sip. Are you part of this major minority? Are you only an observer? Or do you take control over them?
ACT 3: YOU ARE THE WORKER OR THE MASTER (THROW THE CUP)
Should you drink another cup of water? 1 cup would make you feel better 1 cup more means a bit less work But 1 cup more and your absence is noticed 1 cup more might cross the line Water is time and time is money Why would they need you after another cup of water? Why would they tolerate the thirsty, if there is someone ready to replace you?
Then why would you have a cup more if a cup less gives you safety? 1 cup less to waste no time 1 cup less and your speed goes up They track you, see you, know you And 1 cup less meets their expectations 1 cup less, your body submits Your limbs turn into machine motors 1 cup less destroys the human character But why would they need a human when they need a machine to serve the people.
Hold the cup tight, tighter squeeze it twist it, turn it Inside out and Upside down Stretch it Fold it small unfold it completely Rip it, tear it Tear it apart into smaller pieces Destroy the character And throw it away
Research
City Machine– a concept by the French modernist architect LeCorbusier, describes a city designed for speed and efficiency. Every movement is directed into a well-oiled machine, while cars speed through the city on highways so fast that the only thing one sees are the light traces left behind. This concept doesn’t make it into our contemporary urban structure, but it reappears in systems that consumerist society relies on. In order to investigate the out-of-sight process behind products, we as consumers buy on a daily basis, I spend part of my research working at one of the biggest distribution centres in the Netherlands. There I got to observe the overall mechanisms for distributing, packaging and shipping goods, as well as the social aspects of such a working environment, solely from the standpoint of a worker.
The soundscape is a reconstruction of sounds and impressions I collected from the particular warehouse I worked at. It reinforces the idea of continuous human-machine labour as well as the perpetual cycle of exploitation, exhaustion and despair.
Light is a main component in LeCorbusier’s City machine. In my final work, light also refers to the blinking lights used in the distribution center to direct workers into their tasks. This ties back to the idea of moulding, constructing and controlling the worker as a puppet, turning them into an easily manipulated yet replaceable machine part.
Water In the first 10 minutes of our first day they showed us the water dispensers, situated all around the warehouse, and told us “Please stay hydrated”. When we neared one, there was no water in it. Later, it would happen so often that there was neither water, nor cups, nor time on your hands to find any and change it yourself. When one leaves their workstation, for a bathroom or a water break, they are asked to clock out from the system, which makes it immediately apparent to their manager how much time exactly they work or not. This easily becomes a problem, when managers notice deviation from their ideal worker system. The paper cup itself was fascinating enough for me with its shape, materiality and qualities. I couldn’t see it as anything else but a metaphor for the worker, their fragility and disposability, as well as for the precarious working conditions. The simple act of getting water becomes an anchor point in my storytelling, where I invite the viewer to have some water while listening to the stories and observations I’ve collected.
Act 1: The cup is the worker Act 2: The cup brings you to the workers Act 3: You are the worker or the master
