Artist - Art Office

Fleeting Frames of Labor - An online essay in collaboration with E-Flux If buildings are contingent and relational, perhaps we should be more interested in how they're held together (or how they come apart), and what's revealed in the process. Assemblages confront what ideas of totality usually eclipse: not just the forest but the trees. Building Assemblages is a collaboration between e-flux Architecture and Art Omi within the context of its exhibition “Staging Area: A Barn Raising in Two Parts.” https://www.e-flux.com/architecture/building-assemblages/6783007/fleeting-frames-of-labor

Layers of change For TENT Rotterdam, I documented the relocation and renovation of their new building. During this process, I focused not only on the building's physical transformation but also on the implicit, experiential knowledge of the builders. I observed how small, natural actions and adjustments guide and refine the work. I incorporated these observations into my images and formed the starting point for a new visual language within my practice, in which action, experience, and material converge.

madskills at Canadian Center for Architecture

madskills at Canadian Centre for Architecture- The "madskills" exhibition explores how self-documentation in the construction industry is playing an increasingly prominent role in the way younger generations of construction workers present themselves and their work. Armed with smartphones and familiar with social media, these professionals film themselves during their work. They record their environment, the machines they operate, and the skills they exhibit. These videos are shared on platforms such as Instagram and TikTok, giving the public a glimpse into a world that otherwise often remains hidden. By recording their own work, these construction workers can influence how their work is perceived by a wider audience. The short videos they share are often infused with pride, humor and a sense of craftsmanship, and receive positive comments, such as the phrase "mad skills", which expresses appreciation and respect for their skills. This form of self-expression has become increasingly popular in recent years, and it's likely that anyone scrolling through social media has come across videos like this. The installation "madskills" places this trend in a broader context and examines how these videos contribute to the visibility of the construction sector, its workers and their material culture. The exhibition raises questions about the possibility that these videos can change public perception of labor and workers in construction. Can self-documentation actually influence how the workplace is presented, despite the strong influence of social media on the dissemination and interpretation of these images? And can the online community's responses be used to improve construction standards and working conditions worldwide? To illustrate the impact of these viral videos, "madskills" combines a selection of these short clips with historical material documenting the development of the modern construction industry. These documents come from the extensive collection of the Canadian Center for Architecture (CCA) and include photographs and other archives that document the evolution of the construction industry over time. While traditional representations by architects, engineers and photographers often portray workers as anonymous and distant, these self-documented videos focus on individual craftsmen and their personal stories. In addition, the installation contains short interviews with construction workers in which they share their experiences and reasons for sharing their work online. These interviews provide insight into how they translate their offline work into the online world, and what motivates them to do this. This adds an extra dimension to the exhibition, in which not only the images themselves, but also the stories behind the scenes play an important role. The video installation in "madskills" functions as a critical investigation into the role of self-documentation and digital media in shaping our perception of labor. It examines the possibilities and limitations of this new form of content creation and raises questions about the degree of control that construction workers actually have over their own images in an era in which social media increasingly influence the distribution of images. This exhibition is part of the CCA's ongoing research into the use of photography and new media to study the built environment. “madskills” explores questions about the role of the creator, the ethics of digital content creation, and the meaning of authorship in an age when anyone with a smartphone is a potential documentarian. The exhibition offers a unique look at the interplay between the construction industry and digital culture, and how they mutually influence each other, with the aim of encouraging the public to consider the broader implications of this new form of self-expression.

madskills at Canadian Centre for Architecture - The exhibition madskills at Canadian Center for Architecture in Montreal, This is one of the three clusters I edited for the exhibition and has a video installation with in total 4 sets of three videos and in total 12 displays of various formats. The audio used is the original audio under the found footage on social media.

As long as it lasts Heerlen - For the production of countless products that we use in daily life, landscapes are excavated for the necessary raw materials. For example, in Heerlen there is a quarry where silver sand is extracted. These types of excavations, which sometimes take place for years and kilometers wide and/or deep, ensure that the landscape changes drastically. How we interact with our environment and the landscape can also be seen in the video work Assembly II. This work is made up of videos that are shared on social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok. On one side you see how large machines work on the landscape. On the other hand, you see how humans sometimes take over the role of machines, or collaborate with them. In response to the question “Where are we now?” Luuk Smits has delved into these types of changing landscapes. He set out in and around the quarry in Heerlen to explore the history of the place, where various features and stories caught his attention. A lake often forms in sand quarries. The water that collects in such a hole is linked in many ways to the development of such an area. The disastrous image caused by the excavation is in sharp contrast with the beneficial consequences of the lake that is created, for example for the local ecosystem and recreational purposes. The work in Smits' exhibition As long as it lasts focuses on the complexity of the various consequences of such an excavation. The sand exploitation company Sibelco, which has a production location in Heerlen, will leave in 2032. At the same time, options for reforming and repurposing the landscape are being considered. Without making a statement about what is good or bad, Smits tries to visually notice what is happening through his work and thereby also raise questions. For example, in the Greylight Projects exhibition space, the 'SAND' raft and the 'WEG' raft were built on site. Because where are they going? Do they refer to an apocalyptic vision of the future as in stories such as Noah's Ark? Or do they give an idea about the usefulness of a local lake? Or is it mainly a call to be curious about the origins of everyday products? Are we following the path of the sand through Smits' exhibition, or is the sand already gone?

As long as it lasts - As long as it lasts / As long as it lasts Temporary interventions 2020/2022 The making of this work started in 2020. I built these works with materials from construction containers on the street. While building the temporary sculptures I wondered; When is something a usable material to build with? When is something waste? Often the objects I made were only there for a short time, collapsed by the wind, a human hand or both, the material returned to where I found it. Now almost two years later I have returned the works in a different form to the place where I built them. With a new selection of found materials, again from containers. It has a funny reference to those signs that are put up when a new construction project starts somewhere, with a photo of what something will look like. In this way it suggests a return to where it started. Then as a dot on the horizon, now something to look back on.

Assembly - During a residency at ZK/U Berlin (Centre for Arts and Urbanistics), a new work was developed that responded to the site of ZKU in its state of transformation. During his working period, Smits explored the (de)construction of the building, with an interest in tracing the journeys of the materials used. His research has taken him to discover origins ranging from Berlin and China to Ukraine. As well as to recognize the different techniques and materials used over time, from the building's advent as a train station in 1890 to its more recent renovation in 2012. During this time, he became more interested in the act of investigation itself, dealing with questions that proved difficult to uncover. Assembly I recovers and brings together disparate materials collected from ZKU, which represent each phase of the building's history. Such includes, among others, metal beams formerly constituting rail tracks; metal piping from beneath the former loading dock; wood from the former roof, re-used to reinforce concrete moulds; and commonplace plastic sheets, used to pour concrete in the fabrication of the new building. Here, Smits approaches artmaking as a thinking space, to explore, test, create, question, and play with materials and the distinct information and intelligence they introduce. The work is installed as a permanent installation on the facade of the building atop a metal beam used to support the roof of the building.

Assembly II - Assembly II, 2022 Video Installation Culminating from the artist's residency at ZK/U Berlin (Centre for Arts and Urbanistics) were two new works responding to the site in its state of transformation. A film installation, Assembly II introduces questions around global labor practices, brought into conversation with the construction site of ZKU. In the process of making this work, for example, construction was stopped as a result of shifting geopolitical relations. Material such as steel, that would ordinarily be sourced from Ukraine, was unable to make its journey to Berlin as a consequence of Russia's invasion. This is one of many stories that can be told through the artist's study of materials, processes, and site. Installed in and alongside the construction site, Smits created an environment for the film installation that utilized the objects and materials used for the construction. A piece of tarp was stretched across a metal fence to create a screen for the projected film. Beyond the film itself, flood lights were placed in various areas drawing parallels between the footage of the film with the material surroundings and status of the site itself. The film itself presents a collage of found footage collected by the artist over the past year, usually distributed as 15 second clips on social media. The clips come to overlap, and intertwine different geographies, modes of production, extraction, labor conditions, and techniques. Together, Assembly I and Assembly II express the inherent global-ness of the local, with the materials used at ZKU deriving from fabrication sites, construction processes, and labor forces across the world.

Assembly II - Culminating from the artist's residency at ZK/U Berlin (Centre for Arts and Urbanistics) were two new works responding to the site in its state of transformation. A film installation, Assembly II introduces questions around global labor practices, brought into conversation with the construction site of ZKU. In the process of making this work, for example, construction was stopped as a result of shifting geopolitical relations. Material such as steel, that would ordinarily be sourced from Ukraine, was unable to make its journey to Berlin as a consequence of Russia's invasion. This is one of many stories that can be told through the artist's study of materials, processes, and site. Installed in and alongside the construction site, Smits created an environment for the film installation that utilized the objects and materials used for the construction. A piece of tarp was stretched across a metal fence to create a screen for the projected film. Beyond the film itself, flood lights were placed in various areas drawing parallels between the footage of the film with the material surroundings and status of the site itself. The film itself presents a collage of found footage collected by the artist over the past year, usually distributed as 15 second clips on social media. The clips come to overlap, and intertwine different geographies, modes of production, extraction, labor conditions, and techniques.

Driftwood - Driftwood, 2022 Temporary installation, Framed photograph Luuk stayed in our bunker for two weeks in the beginning of February 2022. It was during a time of heavy storms that brought a lot of materials on to the beach. He went 'beachcombing' and researched two materials that derived from ships: driftwood and paraffin. He experimented and worked with both materials and we chose to work with the driftwood for the bunker art collection. He photographed the installation and framed the photograph himself in multiplex. It is now on display in the bunker for all our guests to see. Making it the first artwork of a collection that will grow every year with each residency. Thanks to the work by Luuk we became even more aware of the man made type of materials that ends up in the sea on a daily basis. The Cocondo Artist in Residence is made possible at the Heritage Line Atlantic Wall of the Province of South Holland

Drive-by - During a six-week-long residency at SIGN Projectspace in Groningen, the Netherlands, the artist was invited to carry out a spatial intervention on the former sugar factory terrain in the city, where the residency was sited. With an interest in connecting the past, present, and possible futures of the terrain, the artist chose to locate his intervention on the road running around the land, connecting its various areas through usage and across time. The road connects, for instance, former water basins, as well as areas used for the release of residual water from the sugar production, which would be deposited, with present-day agricultural school, and a dog training field. Very often nature has to make way for humankind and its constructions. Another level can be added as well: After all, nature and its elements can also be seen as spatial disruptions for humans. What does the relationship between nature and humankind look like? What or who is a spatial disruption? Do the polystyrene blocks inherently form a contrast to the serene landscape, or are they more closely connected than one would initially assume? “I see it [the journey of the van] as a dance,” Luuk says while he gazes at the path in front of us: “a dance between nature and humankind.” The above text is an excerpt from a text written by Floor van den Heuvel, who has maintained a dialogue with the artist throughout the residency. Spatial Disruptions was organized by SIGN Projectspace, Groningen and funded by Gemeente Groningen, Mondriaan Fund. Interviews and work-in-process can be viewed here: https://sign2.nl/events/spatial-disruptions/

From 119m below to 152m above - It was during a walk through the historic center of Maastricht that the artist came into contact with a wall of composited marlstone, a variety of rock that's typical of the region. Photographing the wall marked the starting point of an investigation into the city, as carried out through the act of re-tracing; understanding the city through the development of one material's history. Known as the Limburg marlstone, it was, for the most part, deposited during the Cretaceous geological era that lasted from around 66 to 145 million years ago. Today, the material resides underground in an expansive quarry network, where it is extracted for various uses throughout the city of Maastricht and region of Limburg. From 119m below to 152m above examines the coexistent make-up of the city's urban and rural landscape through the lens of this material. It does so primarily through performative action, which is here documented and manifest as an installation comprising video and photography. This work was produced during the RURBAN Masterclass; Landscapes on the Move at the Jan van Eyck Academy in Maastricht. Thanks to Fer Rouwet, the Elisabeth Strouven Fund, Stichting Kanunnik Salden / Nieuwenhof, the Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds, the Mondriaan Fund, the municipality of Maastricht and the province of Limburg.

Subsonic Train - This work consists of an installation of aluminum objects and a sound installation by composer Yota Morimoto. The objects were made during a residency at Rucka in Cesis, Latvia, and focused specifically on the experience of a train cutting through the Latvian landscape. In Rucka, a small town of about 18.000 inhabitants, there is an unusual relationship between machine and nature. The smell of oil hangs in the air mixed in with the smells of flora and fauna surrounding overgrown tracks. The silence of the rural landscape loudens and intensifies the smallest of details that usually go by unnoticed, whose amplification stands to compete with any such man-made intervention. Attuning to the sound of the train within this landscape distinctly meters an experience of time passing and of orientation. The aluminum objects encompass an experience of this contradictory relationship; beaten with a hammer over various tree stumps, the materiality and rhythm of the train comes to be embedded in close relationship of difference and harmony with the nature that surrounds it. Having collected an extensive library of recordings in Rucka, capturing an audible experience of the landscape, Smits embedded the objects with speakers inviting Morimoto to collaborate in realizing the artwork's score. In response to this invitation, Morimoto created a programmed loop system where parts of the sound recordings of a conversation about the landscape are randomly ordered and played and recorded and played again. This residency project was funded by Mondriaan Fund

Luuk Smits

madskills

Summer of Art

Fellow at ZK/U Berlijn

OPEN HAUS ZK/U: OPEN STUDIOS, PERFORMANCES, VIDEOS, INSTALLATIONS AND RESIDENT TALKS

Spatial Interventions Suikerunie Groningen

Concentrated Daydreaming

Residency Rucka Latvia

EKWC