Bijlmersymfonie

Artist Su Tomesen received a grant to develop Bijlmersymphonie. During a working period at BijlmAIR in Amsterdam Zuidoost, Su plans to realise this musical performance starring the monumental flat and its residents with diverse cultural backgrounds. In Bijlmersymfonie, different music will sound from 20 flats: kaseko, gamelan, afrobeats, electronic music, salsa etc, contributed by residents. Tomesen composes where which piece can be heard when. During the music performance, speakers are placed on the balconies of the flats, and the artist assumes the role of conductor. Bijlmersymfonie is filmed for an exhibition at CBK Zuidoost. As the audience walks past, distances itself or approaches during the performance, the perception of the work varies continuously. Camera shots from different places result in a video installation that approaches the same subjective experience.

Public space is the playing field of Su's videos, installations, interventions and photography. With her background as a cultural historian and television director, she completed her Master of Fine Arts at the Sandberg Institute in Amsterdam in 2007. Living in Amsterdam, with Yogyakarta as her second base, the rest of the world is her third home. Artist-in-residencies led to Amman, Belgrade, Johannesburg, Naples, Medellín and Tirana, among others, and resulted in long-term art projects and repeat visits. She also worked on video projects in Buenos Aires, Port-au-Prince and Rio de Janeiro. Travelling and staying outside Western Europe for many years has been essential to the development of her work and artistry. Observing and in dialogue with the environment, the artist's work thematises the human ability to inventively take control of and shape public space.