Residency time: 13 - 20 May
Show time: Friday 23th of May at 20h during Vruchtbare Grond
We asked Octopussies some questions:
Is there a specific environment or material that's integral to your work?
What is integral to the work of the collective Octopussies is a constant adaptation and dialog with the environment that we inhabit. We are practicing another awareness of space that is open to the unknown and invites embodied approaches to understand an environment as a source of expanded knowledge which is to be sensed, lived and experienced. Physically and conceptually tasting the potential of an environment to then allow a performative proposal to appear within the space. The matter, materials and objects we find on sites are approached not as devoid of meaning but rather something vibrant, alive and in its being. Our work is driven by the belief that by attuning people's perception towards the environment we can put in practice non-anthropocentric relations and foster a more interconnected understanding of our surroundings.
Where do you find inspiration?
Inspiration for us is rather coming from within. Our constant growing common language derives from a friendship that grew over the years until a solid sisterhood; filled with playful questioning, naive dreaming, surrealist grounding and childlike tasting. Also the uniqueness of each landscape, with its richness of smells, sounds, architecture, inhabitants and memories. How a new ground can be made into a playground, of oniric scenarios that dialogue with the space.
How can your work affect societal issues?
In a world prone to separation, we believe in connection; in a fragmented world, we seek solidarity through community building; in a world radicalizing into different groups, we believe in dialogue and biodiversity within society. Our collective work as Octopussies aims to explore ways of collaborating within oneself, with others, and with the landscapes we inhabit. Through our artistic languages, we enact logics that challenge societal norms and tendencies: through absurd thinking, we disrupt rational thought and invite the audience into imaginary fields that transcend the limits of “reality,” prompting the question of what “real” truly means—is real simply what is accepted, or is it just what is? By engaging in a non-anthropocentric approach to dialogue with the landscape, we seek to navigate and open perceptual fields that deepen our understanding of “space.” We challenge ourselves to celebrate these spaces with the intention of fostering coexistence in a horizontal way. The power of art is political by definition—not because it serves as a manifesto of morality, but because it has the legitimacy to transcend the rules society has built, opening new possibilities for thinking, sensing, and behaving. Recognizing, rather than judging, these patterns allows the freedom to either embrace them or consider what can and cannot be changed. Through our art, we aim to open new perceptions and ways of being, inspiring people to rethink what freedom truly means.
