Marlene Helling

The video performance ›POOLS‹ portrays three mining areas used for tourism: the Hambach open-pit mine, the Dead Sea and the Lusatian lignite mining district. Marlene Helling tells of her encounters with these places through travelogues and a movement repertoire they inspired. The way in which nature is commoditised both as a raw material and in the form of tourism is revealed. Together with set designer Marei Dierßen, video artist Simon Vorgrimmler, sound artist Juli Grönefeld and lighting designer Desirée García López, Marlene Helling has developed a three-channel video performance that makes post-industrial landscapes in the Anthropocene tangible. The parallels between the mining areas and the way we view nature and make it our own are demonstrated in a wall-to-wall panoramic projection. The powerful landscape images are in dialogue with a body that attempts to encounter the ground with an unmediated mindfulness. Lignite will continue to be extracted from the Hambach open-pit mine until 2030 and in Lusatia until 2038, while minerals will continue to be mined in the Dead Sea for an indefinite period.

Meeting point: PACT Zollverein, Bullmannaue 20A, 45327 Essen

Please be at the meeting point 15 minutes before the start of the performance!

Important information: The event will take place outside on the grounds of the Zollverein UNESCO World Heritage Site and is not fully accessible. Parts of the footpath from PACT to the event venue lead over uneven terrain and cobblestones.

Seating options are available.

for 14 years and older

Sensory stimuli:Sudden sound elements

Relaxed Performance: The performance takes place in a relaxed atmosphere, the audience can leave and return at any time. Sounds and movements are allowed.

Artistic Direction and Performance Marlene Helling Set Design and Artistic Collaboration Marei Dierßen Mapping, Videosupport and Artistic Collaboration Simon Vorgrimmler Sound and Artistic Collaboration Juli Grönefeld Technical Direction Desirée García López Creative Producing Laura Zielinski