Iris Woutera de Jong

performance - soft sculptures - tekenen - textiel - video

The spatial work of Iris Woutera (1991) focuses on all the senses. Woutera's works are made around the human body. The sculptures act as a tool for connection. The essence of her work is kinetic; an interaction between the movement of the human body and sculptures, whereas the contrasting combinations of materials generate a physical tension.

The installations are carried out by performers or invite the spectator to participate. Woutera is intrigued by the tension between universal experience and individual perception. Her works makes the trials of contemporary life tangible, and therefore open for consideration.


Blob – Binary Large Object - Coming soon.
Nerve – Landscape 1. - Coming soon. https://www.iriswoutera.com/nerve
Collective Loom - Collective Loom (2018) is a continuation of the work Looming (2016). It is a space-filling spiral, which can be reduced to a flat circle on the floor. The stretch textile material has been processed into a 300 meters long construction. Performers set the installation in motion. As an intertwining loom, the interaction of the performers is if woven into fabric. Where Looming investigates the personal scope, Collective Loom connects the field amidst participants of a group. What happens in our ‘in-between space’? The sculpture refers to the most basic form in which we are equal: from a circle discussion to circling dances. In the dimmed performance space, the spectator determines his own time and place. While the performers jointly direct their movement and decide what moments will be highlighted. The work is like a wave of change, but there is also a cohesion. Reciprocal processes in nature inspire the neoclassic piano/ synthesizer music, like the seasons and the rhythm of day and night. https://www.iriswoutera.com/collectiveloom
Deform Amoibe - Deform Amoibe (2019) is a continuation of the work Deform (2015). The sculpture of flexible material is moved by performers. Amoibe is the Greek word for change and indicates a single-celled organism that changes its form. The contiguous material asks the performers to switch from individual to collective movement. What is left of diversity in this collaboration? Like fleshy skin, or the lacquer layer of a red Ferrari. With Deform Amoibe the organic and materialistic may merge. The bodies and body parts become one moving mass within the sculpture. While the performers use all their senses to jointly operate the sculpture. Can the expressive individual change into plurality from an entirely shared core? The work is about loss of fear for connection, without letting go of one’s identity. The performance is accompanied by cello music. It is a ‘live’ improvisation with minimal and (Indian) classical influences. The low vibrating tones give an almost tangible connection to the deep colour of the voluminous material. https://www.iriswoutera.com/deform-amoibe
Deform - Deform (2015) is a performance in which a flexible cocoon envelops the human body. The combination of hard (plastic) and stretching (textile) provides a movable space, in which remarkable forms can be created. A performer plays with the material which in turn reacts to his / her movement. The organic flow refers to forms in nature, such as plants, fishes or a gently swaying sea anemone. With Deform the body can freely experiment on every sensory impulse. The person inside the cocoon is anonymous, but expressive by movement. It is about the resourcefulness of the body and the discovery of new movement patterns. The boundary between human, object and nature seems to blur. For the performer, the sculpture feels soft and familiar on the inside. The viewer experiences the spectacle on the outside as something more surreal. The work is a playful invitation for the public to associate without boundaries. Woutera made this work based on the inner need to distort structures that restrict. The work is an homage to expressive freedom. The performance will be accompanied by the lively string sound of an electric guitar. It is a ‘live’ improvisation with (Aruban) classical influences. https://www.iriswoutera.com/deform
Deform Reflect - Deform Reflect (2017) is a development of the work Deform (2015). A combination of hard (plastic) and stretching (textile) provides a movable space, in which changing forms can be created. It is a particularly long or wide sculpture, brought to life by a performer. Due to the amount of material, the movement is slow and introspective or even develops into stillness. The gel-like surface is like an animation in which pixels seem to be missing. While reflective material melts with its surroundings it integrates through a fine play of light patterns. The public is aware of an ongoing change in every following moment. It is a spectacle that influences our perception of time. The visual language is abstract and leaves room for one’s own interpretation. The performance is accompanied by live harp music. The languid string sounds together with the softly rustling blinds carry the spectator into an underwater landscape. With this work, Woutera explores how we reflect and convert inner experience into new physical movement. https://www.iriswoutera.com/deformreflect
Looming - Looming (2016) are a moving sc­ulptures of circling shapes. The stretching textile material is processed into a lightweight construction. The person wearing the sculpture enters into a dialogue with the floating circles. The work investigates the scope of the human body and its effect on the surrounding space. The loom is a moving construction, the cadence measured by the beat of weaving repeated patterns. It’s like life; a flow of change, but there is always cohesion. Inspired by circular shapes in nature such as the consecutive seasons and the rhythm of day and night. This resonates in the piano music through repetitive motifs called 'ostinato’. In the movement research of the wearer the most beautiful forms arise intuitively. Organically developing from a flat circle into a multi-layered spiral. The imagery is poetic: a flower unfolding its petals, the transformation from caterpillar to butterfly, the peacock dancing his mating ritual. Each of the eight sculptures seems to convey its own frequency, whereby the size of the spiral determines the pace of movement. In the center it remains still. https://www.iriswoutera.com/looming