Ines Dobelle

"My residency in The Hague at Billytown was divided into two periods. A first part took place in winter 2023 and the other in spring. During this residency, I developed The Final Cut project. It involves offering to cook for people in their homes and giving them a meal in exchange for one of their cutting boards. From these boards, I make prints on paper that reveal all the cutting marks like scars revealed in the sun. All the collected boards are assembled into a domestic sculpture whose use remains to be defined.

First part: January 23 - February 4, 2023

I arrived at Billytown, a space managed by about twenty international artists in The Hague. On site, I was provided with a small studio and a workshop adjacent to my room. I also had a bicycle that Iede Reckman had kindly lent me. It was mainly a period of immersion where I familiarized myself with the place, the city, and the Billytown artists whom I regularly crossed paths with during the day. My room was right across from the Archive Library, a personal library of artist and collector Peter Van Beveren, and I was able to hang out there and browse through some books while chatting with him. I gradually set up The Final Cut project by dropping off flyers in alternative and more institutional art spaces, each time explaining the purpose of my approach and what I was doing in The Hague. I also visited a graphic arts workshop, Grafische Werkplaats, which has all the tools and necessary materials for printing at unbeatable rates. I was able to prepare a meal at someone's home and thus acquire a cutting board. The evening before my departure, some Billytown artists invited me to Blue Moon, a legendary restaurant in Chinatown.

Second part: May 31 to June 18, 2023

I drove from Rennes and took the opportunity to stop in Herleen and visit Greylight Project where I spent the night. Back at Billytown, there was an opening that evening and I started to have several appointments to cook at people's homes. I also approached the Alliance Française to develop my project and distribute it through their network. I went almost every day to the Haagse Markt, a popular market, to do my shopping. In total, I collected six boards and four of them were printed at Grafische Werkplaats. A presentation took place in my workshop over two days. Léa Bénétou from Supra arrived on Saturday and we left together the next day."

Ines Dobelle

partners :
-- SUPRA and BillyTown