Opening a Gate



The text "Opening a Gate" written by John Berger is is dealing with a world that exists away from human order and habits. It tries to tell the reader that he has to look at things differently, forget his rules of society and to have a closer look at things around to recognize that there are other existences and incidents. There are special moments and things that are not as usual as our daily life but that could give us great pleasure if we just recognize them. The text is also saying that some animals (for example dogs) are able to communicate and connect between these two worlds (world of human habits and world of "special little happenings" in nature f.e.) Its just the manner how they act that makes us pay little more attention to things around us from time to time. Thats why I chose these pictures. I think horses are sometimes acting in the same way like dogs (maybe not that much, but they do) they let me focus on the small things and remind me of what is really important in life.

Power Point Presentation Straatpraat

Straatpraat

Jakobuskerk 1 en 2

The first location I chose for the straatpraat exercise is the Jacobuskerk in Enschede. I arranged the letters in a circle around the round church-windows. This arrangement is a very dynamic one that catches the eye. I chose simple colours that form a contrast (black and white) which makes it more expressive. The colours shouldnt destroy the mood of the church. The arrangement makes it more difficult to read and to understand the sense of the text, so people are forced to look at it a little longer. The provocating aspect: to decorate a beautiful old church with such modern letters is also a fact that catches the eye of the passengers.

Fact: built in 1931
Size (Plein): about 50 x 30 Meter
Place: On the north side of the "Oude Markt" in the centre of Enschede

Use: the whole year several events taking place, always a lot of people.

Casino

This is the second location I chose. The Holland Casino in Enschede. I chose big letters that are good to read and that are coloured in an expressive yellow tone. This could be a very good place for presenting a text because the place in front of the casino is most of the time a very crowded and busy one because it's very close to the shopping centre.

presentation

This is my presentation based on the story I wrote. It is trying to communicate the mood of the text. The text tells the story of a boy that is in trouble (caught in a dustbin) but refuses any kind of help. He has lost his trust in his own power and his trust in the world. He just concentrates on one banal thing that comes in his mind (Bosche Bollen) and cries for it.

picture gallery 1

picture gallery 2

picture gallery 3

animated gallery

That's my animation of the picture-gallery. I was looking for an unusual exterior that doesn't exist up to now. So i decided to choose circular walls to make it more attractive. The transparent material lets the pictures appear on both sides. On one side really clear in outline and other side a little dumped. The visitor should get the feeling of being in an open, modern gallery with a positive atmosphere.

building 1

building 2

This is the building I created related to my text. The main part of the story takes place in a dustbin. Thats why I chose a kind of trash-dump as location. It is a very simple building with no special or modern forms or great colours. In the left corner you can see a dust-cart. I wanted to communicate a rather plain and cool atmosphere and a building that looks uninvitable - Just that kind of building that we imagine when we think of trash-dump.

text

the text is telling the story of a boy called Alexander. He is in a bad situation because he fell into a dustbin. Although the circumstances are very bad inside this dustbin (heat and pain) he refuses the help of a docent who is worrying about him. The boy is reacting very harsh ("fuck the ambulance") and just concentrates on one thing that comes to his mind and that he would like to have in his last hours: "Bosche Bollen". The tragic end tells that his last wish isnt fullfilled and that he was never seen again.

It could be seen as an allegorical text that seems at first view maybe funny but at second view it could tell you something about life and that everyone of us is free to make his/her own decisions, also that kind of radical decisions (deciding to die) that seem for most of the people at first unimaginable.