The model organism and her plastic response

The transparent and responsive nature of water fleas makes them bound to be nature documentary stars. A great gauge to test water quality. A perfect model organism. With many key assets like the production of resting eggs. A resting egg in an ephippium, surrounded by a protective casing. Development suspended. A time capsule sinking to the bottom of a weedy pond to stay there between one season and 700 years, waiting for favorable circumstances. Covered by sediment until extracted as part of a sediment core. A flexible connection between times. The ambient temperature and sound filtered by the enclosure, providing a comfortable stability of temperature and a muffled echo. Like the adaptive bellows protecting the joint of an articulated bus. A flexible structure stuck between two rigid sections. Increasing the bus’s capacity while ensuring smooth twists and turns to maintain passenger comfort. From its bulkhead mount and capture strip to the roof cover or false ceiling. Her upper hip boot mounting. Tongue in groove extrusion mounting. Fastener free pocket. A belly that continuously flexes and protects.
In a brief moment the flexing of the bellow becomes an impossible extension when freed from the rigid sections and load, and the water flea displays an unprecedented behavior, moving the observer. Brigitte Louter’s artistic practice encompasses installation, sculpture, drawing and occasionally moving components, using any material that suits her. She is interested in humanity’s continuous attempts to order, measure and map everything in search for world understanding. A search that can exist in a small act or a megalomaniac gesture. The failures inherent to these pursuits are at the centre of her work. With an attention for (im)practicality, (im)possibility and (in)visibility, she hopes to create curious narratives that are structured by slippery and absurd logic. Often (mis)using visual elements and solutions used in data visualization, educational contexts and measuring instruments.
We are extremely happy that we found her willing to kick-off our program at the new location. She participated in our P/////AKTPOOL program in 2019 and we have been actively following her practice since. From her residency at de Ateliers onwards she has been researching the life and times of Daphnia (also commonly known as water fleas) from which she developed a new series of works, part of which are shown at P/////AKT as an installation and will also find its way into Special Case #1.