I suspect that by now I am the last Groninger who has not experienced an earthquake. This is because I sleep very well, and because I have been abroad at crucial times. While an earthquake could be felt as far away as the centre of Groningen in late September 2014 — and according to the mayor at city hall ‘the water was sloshing around in glasses’ — I was on a stable mountain in Italy, instead of vibrating at my home in the city centre.
As a result, I lost the perfect opportunity to join the respected ranks of those who have already felt the ground rumble and shudder. Woe is me! But Henk Stallinga gave me another chance, with none other than his Earthquake Monument, an installation that revolves around “experiencing a quake”. The work is, together with other works by Stallinga, on display in the Aa-kerk from 18 July to 23 August, and I was allowed to test it out for Kunstspot. And in this case, I got to be one of the first, instead of one of the last.
And that is because the Earthquake Monument is not just a little new — it is brand new — and it is having its world premiere in Groningen. After this, it will make its way to Japan, Groningen’s big earthquake brother. I can't wait to enter the installation, and Stallinga (Tytsjerksteradiel, 1962) senses this: “Shall we go straight there?” You bet! Through a black curtain we walk into the large, bright nave of the Aa-kerk, then immediately turn left into the monument.
It is a circular space, about seven metres in diameter, bordered by a white wall taller than the average person. But what catches the eye in particular are the clocks on the wall — many, many clocks — all identical in appearance and set to the same time: white face, red outline, red hands. Five hundred of them, and they’re swaying. My initial reaction is that this is what the nightmare of a notorious latecomer looks like. So I predict some bad nights ahead, but I'm willing to deal with that. Besides, a sleepless night also increases the chance of experiencing a real ‘nightquake’, so I think this work of art is already a success.
Stallinga explains enthusiastically: ‘In an earthquake, your vestibular system panics. And don't mess with people’s balance, because they get angry. The only thing you have to hold on to during an earthquake is time. Time always goes on.’
I wander off while Stallinga talks on — irresponsible behaviour for a journalist — but all I can see is a wall of to-and-fro, pulsating clocks, which surround me in a way that feels oppressive: my focus evaporates, and disorientation emerges the victor. I consider focusing my gaze on the ground, but that's rude, and besides, I'd be staring at a tombstone: the end of time. No, swaying time is the better option: memento mori is really testing my limits now.
The installation is not a hardcore simulation of an earthquake (because then I would be buried under the church ornaments right now, laying flat on a grave) but the feeling of losing your foothold — the core of an earthquake experience — is something that Earthquake Monument evokes very strongly: I have never been this close to the true earthquake feeling. Do I belong to the rumble club now? I think so, at long last. Henk Stallinga, thank you!
The Earthquake Monument, along with seven other installations by Henk Stallinga, will be in the Aa-kerk from 18 July until 23 August. For more information: blgroningen.nl
Text: Peter Dicke
Photo: Barbara Makkes