Scores on a cold ground 1,2,3

at Billytown, Den Haag part of ‘meander’ 
2024
faux leather, acrylic, double plexiglass, mdf, aluminium, stickers

Inspired by the jumps executed during the women’s free programs at the Beijing 2022 Olympics and displayed at Billytown in The Hague, the piece features three miniature ice rinks and a series of notational scores derived from these Olympic performances. By translating the physical movements of skaters into a musical score, the work transforms something inherently non-musical into a playable composition.
The piece critically examines the intense, often hostile nature of high-performance sports like Olympic figure skating, questioning whether there is truly any "freedom" in the so-called free programs. Focusing on the precise moment when a skate blade cuts into the ice, creating a sharp scratch on its surface emphasizes the calculation and pressure underlying. It brings attention to the immense psychological and physical strain athletes endure, framing the act of skating not just as an athletic feat but as a form of calculated precision under extreme stress.


part of  ‘meander’ @ billytown Jan 2024


pictures ,2,3,4 by Hannah Schleifer