A beaten path — Heidi Holmström

a Beaten Path (2024)

Hand-Engraved plexiglass
Site-specific installion between the Bowling lanes

Bowling lanes are coated with lane oil—an invisible force that ensures smooth movement, reducing friction between the ball and the lane. These oil patterns are invisible to the casual player, yet they silently dictate every movement on the lane. Without the oil, the game would be unplayable, the lanes irreparably damaged.

A Beaten Path responds to the hidden workings of the bowling alley, a space where structure and randomness mix and where precision, calculation and control converge. By shifting focus from the ball’s final destination, the work highlights the quiet forces that shape its journey.

Beaten Path is a name of the oil pattern currently inserted on the lanes of the Bowling Centrum Groningen from Tuesday 26th November until this exhibition. By using digital image and data from Kegel Oil Pattern Database of the named oil pattern as a reference, it exposes the calculated, systematic nature of the game, revealing the carefully constructed patterns that influence every roll.

Pictures by Henne van der Velde. 2024. Comissioned by @HetResort MIDSEASON 24’ programme, Groningen (NL)