Rave Nature

Rave Nature, installation at W139. Amsterdam, NL (2006)

‘It’s nice to be Important, but more important to be Nice… – Scooter’.

Rave Nature consists of a light and sound installation on a built platform in the middle of a forest. The public came one night with a bus from the city to the secluded location, and after a walk in the forest in complete darkness, they were suddenly confronted with a spectacular light show with disco lights and a loud performance of the famous rave-song ‘Move Your Ass’ by Scooter from 1995. There were the trees built into the stage that were part of the performance for the exact duration of the song (3.51 minutes). After that, it went back to complete silence and darkness, and the bus brought the audience back to town without any mediation or explanation.

The film Rave Nature presents an abandoned light and sound installation in the middle of a forest at night, where a light show and the famous rave song ‘Move Your Ass’ by Scooter from 1995 are performed with trees as the main protagonists build into the stage.

This work was made within the context of a cultural festival sponsored by the local cement factory Enci. For many years, there had been heated debates between ecologists and the factory about the disruptive nature of the local lime quarry. In the past, the quarry and the surrounding forest were often used for illegal rave parties. The project ‘Rave Nature’ reflected on this particular history by constructing a white platform in the forest near the quarry to be used for an event as part of the festival.