Maturation Station
MELISSA MABESOONE
An audiovisual work in which various bodies come together in and around ethical shrimp and prawn production: a playful, critical dramedy.
Maturation Station is an audiovisual work by visual artist, actress and theatre-maker Melissa Mabesoone that slithers through themes including the blue economy, aquaculture, reproduction & sensuality, care, consumerism, animal suffering and the fish and foodstuffs industry.
The title, Maturation Station, is taken from one of the stations in the cultivation of shrimps and prawns: the place where shrimps and prawns are matured. Last year, Mabesoone started research into ‘eyestalk ablation’ in aquaculture (a technique some shrimp and prawn growers use to turn female shrimps into reproductive machines without instinct) as well as other, more ethical practices within the shrimp and prawn industry. During this research, Mabesoone, together with artist and cinematographer Anaïs Chabeur, infiltrated a European conference on the blue economy as bonafide researchers from the fictitious company Eau bureau. This fictitious company forms the basis for an installation in De Brakke Grond. The entire creative process also includes a process with Studio Aalst, the making of a short film and the setting up of the fictitious company at De Brakke Grond.
Maturation Station was made possible by the Government of Flanders, BUDA Centre for the Arts, STUK Centre for the Arts, workspacebrussels, Netwerk Aalst, BLUEGent, KU Leuven’s Antwerp campus. For 10 years now, together with Oshin Albrecht, Melissa has been part of the collective buren. De Brakke Grond is a long-term supporter of their practice.
Opening times
The installation can be visited free of charge from 5 thru 8 April in De Brakke Grond’s Witte zaal. The installation is open from 12 noon to 20 hours on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. On Saturdays, the installation can be visited between 12 noon and 18 hours.
Out of the Blue, Into the Deep
De Brakke Grond presents Maturation Station within the context of the production Out of the Blue by Silke Huysmans & Hannes Dereere.
On 6 April, Melissa Mabesoone will be a guest in Into the deep, a contextual programme accompanying the production. Out of the Blue is a co-production by De Brakke Grond and can be seen in Frascati on 5 and 6 April. Keep an eye on our website for details of the contextual programme.
Access to the installation, Maturation Station, is for free.
