In 1999, a woman in Norway survived the lowest recorded body temperature ever: 13.7°C. While skiing, she ended up trapped under a frozen river for two hours and entered a state of suspended animation. Our body already “freezes” at a temperature below 24°C, in which we are neither dead nor alive, and in which time and our body seem to stand still.
When do we stop moving?
Cold sets us in motion. We shiver, tremble, and chatter our teeth, but in the Netherlands we also eagerly take our skates out of the closet when temperatures drop below freezing. Yet throughout history, science, and philosophy, cold has more often been a symbol of stillness and preservation. For instance, the rune Isa (a character from the ancient Germanic alphabet) signifies stagnation and reflection, and on Mount Everest cold can cause someone to stop moving forever, while their body may still be fully recognizable years later.
What is our human relationship to cold and ice? And how can we connect cold to movement?
Caillyn Vos and Maaike Meindertsma shaped the exhibition 13.7 °C around these questions at H47 in collaboration with VHDG. Both Caillyn and Maaike graduated in 2022 from the Fine Arts program at Minerva Academy in Groningen, but for this exhibition they are working together for the first time.
Caillyn works with the medium of wool and, in her research-driven practice, brings together history, stories, and mythology. Maaike combines film, performance, and installation, placing emphasis on the body, movement, and the environment.
Through craft and technology, they create a site-specific and immersive installation in the space of H47, in which cold, the body, and movement take center stage.
The exhibition, part of VHDG Connect, opens on Friday, September 5 at 5:00 PM at Kunstruimte H47 on Haniasteeg 47 in Leeuwarden and runs until September 27. H47 is open to visitors weekly from Wednesday to Sunday, from 12:00 to 5:00 PM. Admission is, of course, free—language no problem!
Poster: Tsjisse Talsma
