Hidden under the name Chonk, artist Boris Brink presents his interactive dance experience Les Danseurs at the inspiration festival Let’s Gro (November 7–9) on the Nieuwe Markt, in front of the Forum. We meet him in his studio — a former Cold War ammunition bunker in the woods between Donderen and Norg — to talk about his gigantic dancing monsters.
The first idea for Les Danseurs came from a toy figure with a button underneath — when you press it, the figure collapses, and when you release it, it stands up again. “If you play with it a little, you can make it move. I wanted to make that life-sized. But with a two-meter version, the forces involved were enormous, so that didn’t work. Then I tried the idea with inflatables, but that didn’t work well at festivals either. I met a theatre group that works with marionettes and realized that the movement could also come from above.”
“The idea was that if you hang a marionette and connect it to floor pedals, the marionette will dance along. I wanted to dance myself — and I wanted an object to dance with me. I’m a huge fan of the artist Tinguely, and whenever I saw something mechanical at a festival, I thought it was really cool. I noticed that other people felt the same way. So, I wanted all the controls to be visible — when you press a pedal, you can see the rope getting longer or shorter, and that’s how the giant marionette starts to move. You control the movement yourself. Along the way, I invited people to come test it, so I could keep improving it. Now Les Danseurs is finally complete.”
“For me, the ultimate goal is that a passer-by encounters me or my work, looks at it, or maybe even joins in — and feels a sense of wonder.”
“I would describe Les Danseurs as an interactive installation where four people can dance using pedals. The marionettes move along with you. Next to the installation there’s a boombox playing reggae tapes — I’m trying to evoke the nostalgia of a travelling circus. Normally, I perform at street theatre festivals, where people are strolling around or enjoying a drink and suddenly stumble upon a beautiful installation with puppets. I love performing in the street — it’s the most democratic stage for an audience. That’s why I started making this kind of work. The spontaneous encounter is what matters most to me. People aren’t looking for art — they just find it. On the street, everyone is equal. For me, the best thing that can happen is when a passer-by comes across me or my work, looks, joins in, and feels wonder. That’s what I find truly amazing.”
“With Les Danseurs, I challenge people more to play than to be truly creative. My installations always include audience guidance — partly for safety, but also to encourage participation. You can’t operate my installations alone — Les Danseurs requires four people. Usually, you end up next to a total stranger, since not everyone comes to a festival with a group. The idea is that it’s intergenerational — people of all ages playing together. In practice, children find it easier to play than adults, but I still try to convince everyone. I see my work as an artistic interaction between me as the maker and the audience. You can’t tell in advance who will end up playing — you never know who still dares to play. By dancing or playing together, people bring the installation to life and, for a brief moment, become part of the artwork. That’s a small moment of happiness.”
“I’m really happy to be in Groningen, especially in such a beautiful location in front of the Forum. It’s great because it’s so close to home. I don’t often work in the Netherlands, and rarely in the North. I also like being part of the festival’s side program — it’s more casual. This will be the second time Les Danseurs is shown.”
Les Danseurs by artist collective Chonk can be seen at the Let’s Gro Festival, in collaboration with Kunstpunt Groningen, the Municipality of Groningen, and Forum Groningen. From November 7–9, the installation will be open daily from 11:00 to 17:00 at the Nieuwe Markt.