Tess Martin Installation Of How Now, House? Opening in Rotterdam.

It's been a busy spring for independent animator and filmmaker Tess Martin. The American born, Netherlands based artist had recently completed an exhibition in Amsterdam, featuring her work Still Life with Woman, Tea and Letter and she now has a new film doing the rounds at festivals, How Now, House?. The latter received its world premiere at Athens International Film And Video Festival, and is gearing up for its UK/European premiere at Sheffield DocFest. A site-specific installation based on How Now House? is coming to Martin's adopted hometown of Rotterdam.

The installation will be presented at Galerie Lecq in Rotterdam, a museum in a historical bridge-watching kiosk. The installation will be visible from the street, day or night for three weeks, June 7-29.

The installation started life as a standalone 13-minute film of the same name. The installation version will be created specifically for the unique geometry of the venue,  a small brick kiosk with a semicircle of glass windows on a busy bridge.  How Now, House? explores time, memory and the impermanence of home through a deeply personal lens. Inspired by Martin's own experience of leaving a home which she had lived in for 10 years, the longest she has lived in any one place- the film reflects the urgent housing crisis and our shared sense of precarity. 

Using time-lapse photography, photo replacement and rotoscope, repetitive actions, and the symbolic replacement of playing cards, How Now, House? evokes multiple time periods at once,questioning whether a space can ever truly belong to one person or moment. The playing cards serve as a stand-in for time—sequential but devoid of intrinsic meaning—shuffling through past and present as if in a never-ending game.

“I wanted to explore how our time in a shared space connects us to the past and to those who
came before us,” said Tess Martin. “Galerie Lecq is the perfect place to present the installation
because the uniqueness and character of the building immediately makes us think of previous
time periods, when it was used by the bridge watcher who would raise the bridge for tall boats.”

Her installation at Lecq will feature two displays of video- - a projection more clearly visible at night, and a large monitor more clearly seen during the day. A card game will also be viewable through the windows, on a small table. One card will change a day- a very slow-motion version of the game seen in the film, only visible to the most frequent or perceptive visitors. Visitors who approach will also be able to hear the multi-language voice-over which blends real historical documentation and philosophical reflections on time, inviting viewers to consider the imprints we leave on spaces and the fleeting nature of permanence.

The short film of How Now, House? has only just begun its festival run. A public screening of the film in the Netherlands is still to be confirmed, so this installation offers a unique opportunity to see the piece.

Aditionally, Martin will be embarking on a podcast tour, to discuss the themes of the short. in the context of the global housing crisis, the instability of creative work as an immigrant and how displacement shapes identity. Through in depth conversations she will examine the intersection of personal experience and systemic issues, bringing visibility to the challenges faced by artists and renters worldwide.

This work is supported by the Dutch Film Fund, Centre for Visual Arts, Het Wilde Weten and FilmDak in Rotterdam.

Due to the nature of the venue, the installation will be visible 24-hours a day for the three weeks the exhibit is open. No need for admission or opening times. An opening reception will be held on Saturday, June 7 from 16:00 to 19:00 outside the venue.