Songs for the Renewal – Scenography

The artist Sophie Allerding invited Jack Bardwell to develop and build the scenography and additional spatial narrative for the installation Songs for the Renewal presented at Art Rotterdam 2026. Following this we worked together to develop a second show at Sender in Hamburg. This gave us the opportunity to expand on the original concept and narrative.

*Songs for the Renewal is a ritualistic site consisting of six indoor fountains, each displaying a urinating female human-like figure and a set of whistles, water whistles, and other ritualistic instruments. The fountains are interactive and sound-triggered, each attuned and activated by a different whistle. The ritual surrounding these objects is known to have been performed for renewals. However, the exact nature of the ritual remains unclear, inviting the audience to speculate and participate by playing with the instruments*.

The spatial design started from the premise that the distinction between reality and fiction when it comes to products of culture is arbitrary. The art fair itself and the rituals around it are cultural creations as is the gallery space. The role of the design then is to create a way that the audience can travel through these various narratives. Or in other words, suspend their disbelief.

The use of packaging material augmented through the language of the art gallery, the laboratory, the archaeological institution, means it becomes futile to try and identify the difference between what is a functional part of the exhibition’s delivery, what is an art object and what is prop in a performance.

Re-claimed Polystyrene Packaging, M8 Nuts, Bolts & Washers, Bubble Wrap, White Gaffer Tape, Borrowed Glass Sheet, Plywood Storage Boxes, Custom LED Lighting System.

Artist and Cermaics: Sophie Allerding
Photography: Tommy Smits, Jack Bardwell, Gijs de Boer
Design: Jack Bardwell
Build: Jack Bardwell and Sophie Allerding