Elke Mark
Work for Live Art Danmark
2015 “ARKENic” at Live Art for Børn 2
ARKENic
Elke begins her performance outside the museum space. Through the windows, we see her walking briskly across a deserted sandy construction site, covered head to toe in flowing blueish grey fabric. The image reminds us of a ghost, a witch, or another creature not quite from this world, as she approaches the museum in an almost floating stride, but with a purpose. Once she enters the auditorium, she stands close to the kids and their grown ups in the darkened space. Her robe slowly spreads out and closes, evoking images of a giant breathing mushroom or jellyfish. Finally, she lifts up the entire fabric construction and drops it to the floor. And we see that the source of the powerful images she created is nothing but a parasol with a sheet draped over it. The performance continues with Elke producing more images with simple materials in different rooms of the museum: In the theatre a white roll of paper is unrolled, its end slowly floats down from the high ceiling. In one of the galleries, adjacent to the image of a skull, a long black ribbon is slowly pulled from the greatcoat the artist wears. Like spellbound, children and their parents follow Elke on this performative walking tour that brings a fairy tale atmosphere to modern Arken Museum.
About the Artist
Searches for traces of site and time are always starting points of Elke’s work, as well as drawing. Textile objects, videos, photographs, drawings and performative elements are condensed to create installations in which fragile tracks of the past are subtly evoked within the present. Interactive approaches and exchanges with people and public spaces a main source for developing new projects. The sensuality, fragility, versatility and temporality of fabric, clothes, skins, carpets and umbrellas make these objects and materials Elke’s favorites. In her work these are sometimes combined and contrasted with somber media technology to create tensions, opening up a variety of investigative approaches. All of her work is based on process, perception and precise observations. It responds to what she sees and experiences in the specific environments the work takes place in.
Read more about Elke on her website (mostly in German).