Hibernation – an artistic research project by Jelka Plate
Dormouse, hamster, marmot and hedgehog costumes from previous theatre productions hang in my wardrobe. All of them hibernating animals with thick fur. Although humans lost hibernating habits in the course of their development, they could come in handy in the extreme weather conditions brought about by climate change. After all, hibernation and thick fur reduces our energy consumption enormously. We could scrap the cumbersome procedure of having to build a dwelling before we can lay down to sleep. It does not make sense to work just as hard during the dark, cold winter months, with the lights on all the time, pigging out to make up for the increased energy requirements in cold weather.
How envious I always was of a friend's turtle, who would retreat into a cosy corn slipper in the pantry at the onset of cold winter nights, not to reemerge until spring.
In Hibernation I would like to practise radical passivity (Kathrin Busch) and find out what it feels like having thick fur. Will outside expectations placed on me simply bounce off or gently sink into my fur and not affect me? Will I freeze less with warm fur and thus get through the winter more relaxed? I will document my self-experiments in various habitats with video, e.g. slumbering in my pantry, so that I can share images of my adapted existence with a future audience.
Adaptation gets a bad rap in the art world, as being an artist is primarily about standing out, creating worlds and being special. Wouldn’t it be more future-oriented and appropriate to address the conditions under which we can continue existing - in terms of the habitability of our planet (Bruno Latour) - and to adapt to them? Therein lies the hope of a great respite, as an adaptive society promises to mitigate late modern demands for self-actualization. It allows the subject to come to terms with seemingly insurmountable conditions, refusing the modern illusion of heroic world design. (in: Philipp Staab. Anpassung - Leitmotiv der nächsten Gesellschaft).
Documentation of the project:
https://www.jelka-plate.de/dickes-fell-und-faule-haut/
Jelka Plate, *1971, lives in Berlin. She studied fine arts and stage design at the Hochschule für bildende Künste in Hamburg. Since then, she has been interested in art and theater projects at the intersection of art and politics. As a stage and costume designer, she works with numerous theater groups. In her work, she uses artistic research to develop site-specific installations and performances. She examines social processes and movements, initiates discussions and creates new situations.
Hibernation (Dickes Fell und Faule Haut)
Jelka Plates research was supported by Fonds Darstellende Künste with funds from the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media