Still a bird
long-durational performance
“Birdwoman is born, lives, plays and dances until she disappears again into another world. We are silent witnesses of an organism in constant transformation between object-animal-human. The performance invites to expand our vision and to travel in a world that reminds us that the human body, nature and dreams are inseparable.”
In 2015 Rebecca Lenaerts started collecting bird feathers she found on the streets of Berlin. Collecting feathers turned into a ritual: first the washing, then drying and treating with cedar, then the storage. In 2018, with painstaking dedication, she starts sewing the feathers one by one on a blanket creating a feather cloak. A monk's work. During a creation process of nine months, Birdwoman was born. In ancient mythology, she is the gatekeeper between the human and animal world.
Still a bird is an intimate long-durational performance in public space, exploring the tension between the wild in the urban environment, between appearing and disappearing, between physical and imaginative realm.
Over time, the long-lasting "doing" of collecting and sewing feathers evolved into an inner search for gentleness and humility. The feather cloak becomes a tool for interdisciplinary collaborations and various artistic output; like the video Birth.
CREDITS: Concept and performance: Rebecca Lenaerts. Creation feather cloak with assistance of Sonia Anicéto. Movement and choreographic support: Tijen Lawton. Co-Production: HETLAB Hasselt. Photography: Mario Leko, Shana Boogers, Raymond Mallentjer. With the support of Flanders State of the Art, Sabam for Culture, CC Strombeek, GC De Kriekelaar and PUSH+ (Creative Europe). (2015-2025)