Krimpen aan de Lek
Disarray, smiles and bodypaint.
I stop my car on top of the dike in Krimpen-aan-de-Lek.
I help Philisiwe to get out of the car.
It has been snowing, a cold south eastern wind makes it feel colder than it actualy is.
In a small house built against the dike we find the photostudio and our photographer.
The photoshoot we prepared will take a long night because the bodypainter first has to do her job.
She needs 3 hours to transform Philisiwe in a white woman and three hours to make me a black man.
“Can you tell me why?” The photographer askes.
“We like it. We also like a third person in the picture, a baby.”
“There is no baby here!” He says grumpily.
I take our golden baby out of a plastic bag.
“But why, I need to know, to be able to make this picture.” He cries out impatiently.
“We will find out, after you made it. It is like a poster for a show. Normaly we make the show and then the poster.
Now we’ll start with the poster and from there we will discover the performance.
This picture is a source of inspiration. It’s a personal and a political statement.”
“You guys are like hippies from the sixties.” He looks desperate and defeated.
I think the photographer is exaggerating a little bit.
But he is a good well-know photographer. I am sure he can deal with us.
4 hours later we pose. It feels confusing, hilarious and frolicsome, we both love it.
During the photoshoot the four of us are working together as a good team
The photographer is inspired, the bodypainter is changing small details.
We glance at the pics on his labtop, discuss and know exactly what we like.
We work another two hours and there it is. The image we were looking for.
Tremendous start of the “colour twist project.” Our show, future senario, installation, happening or whatever it will be. In our dreams we see a lot of couples, we see a lot of bodypainters, musicians and spoken word artists and the audience making pictures of bodies in any colour.
When we come home, late that night, we meet our neighbours in front of the house.
Our faces are still painted, they dont know what to say, they smile and say goodnight.
I know it will be a great project creating disarray and smiles.
Check for the total photoshoot . www.roeltwijnstra.nl/projecten/
