Ellen Schippers
Encyclopedia
Ellen Schippers is a Dutch contemporary artist and fashion designer. She is known for creating live and video performances with wearable sculptures that she designs herself.
in The Hague and Video at Open Studio in Amsterdam.
For the TV stars Nance and Sylvana.
But also for the State-opera in Dresden, for Introdans and for the movies Lost in Amsterdam of Pim de la Parra (1988) and Loos of Theo van Gogh (1989).
Studio
Since 1983 Ellen Schippers has her own studio in the popular De Pijp of Amsterdam.
Funshopping Gids: "Because of her obstinate and high quality designs she quickly established a good name'.
Her fashion creations have been worn by famous Dutch tv- and music stars and by several theatre groups.
Ellen Schippers combines modern materials, such as latex, leather and rubber with old fashioned craftsmanship. All designs are exclusive and custom made.
Schippers has always been fascinated her life long about clothing, because by wearing clothes you can transform yourself into totally different personalities.
With clothing you also can make statements for instance she designed a catsuit with inflatable breasts as a parody of the silicon breasts.
And what interests her is that some garments are under taboo. In the second half of the eighties she started her career with a collection of erotic clothing for women.
She develops a timeless collection which still can be bought. Designs in which women feel strong and self-assured.
One of her creations is the “bare bottom dress”. This dress was shown in a prime time talkshow on television in 1987 and watched by six million people (half of the population by then).
This was years before Marlies Dekkers came up with her bare bottom dress. In this talkshow Schippers also showed a “bare bottom trousers” for men. In the show it is the woman who undresses the man.
She has presented her Live performances in the Netherlands and abroad in galleries and theatres, at cultural institutions and festivals like: The Melkweg, Maison Descartes (Franch Cultural Embassy),
the Vondelpark Open Air Theatre in Amsterdam, the Hippodrome Theatre in Londen, the World Science Fiction Congress and the Wiener Sommer Symposion in Vienna. (See CV)
Video Performances
In 2008 Schippers presented her Video performances in the exhibition 'Image & I-Magic': a multi dimensional experience. Every inch of the exhibition was filled with mysterious images, sound, music and poetry.
'Image & I-Magic' is about the tension field between physical appearance (Image) and inner experience (I-Magic). The exhibition was opened by Ellen ten Damme, a Dutch Rockstar and Bianca du Mortier,
curator of the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam. 'Image & I-Magic' was nominated by the 'Uitkrant' as exhibition of the month.
Bianca du Mortier (curator Rijksmuseum): “Ellen Schippers does not fear to play with taboos and fantasies, either. This play with feelings and physical appearance is what makes her work so powerful”
In July 2009 she participated in the project about Video Art & Gender of the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, with video artists like Pipilotti Rist, Tracey Emin, Marina Abramovitz and Bill Viola.
For April 2010 she is creating a new exhibition in Loods 6 in Amsterdam.
At this moment there is a discussion going on on You Tube about a performance of Schippers about beauty ideals.
Collaboration
Schippers has collaborated in various projects with artists such as Penck, Mirko Krabbé and Peter Giele; the poets George Moorman and Arthur Lava; the composers Bo van de Graaf (I-Compani) and Hans Asselbergs.
With dance and theatre companies like the Staatsopera in Dresden, Introdans, In Da Shade and Corpus. (See CV)
Her work was photographed among others by Erwin Olaf, Angèle Etoundi Essamba, Wim van de Hulst and Cindy Marler.
Art
Early life and education
Ellen Schippers studied Textile Art at Academy de Schans in Amsterdam; Fashion, Textile Art and Performance Art at the Vrije Academie voor Beeldende KunstenVrije Academie voor Beeldende Kunsten
Vrije Academie voor Beeldende Kunsten is an art school in The Hague, The Netherlands....
in The Hague and Video at Open Studio in Amsterdam.
Fashion career
Schippers designs exclusive fashion for artists such as Ellen ten Damme and for Racoon’s music video, Dolly Bellefleur and Marynka Nicolai.For the TV stars Nance and Sylvana.
But also for the State-opera in Dresden, for Introdans and for the movies Lost in Amsterdam of Pim de la Parra (1988) and Loos of Theo van Gogh (1989).
Studio
Since 1983 Ellen Schippers has her own studio in the popular De Pijp of Amsterdam.
Funshopping Gids: "Because of her obstinate and high quality designs she quickly established a good name'.
Her fashion creations have been worn by famous Dutch tv- and music stars and by several theatre groups.
Ellen Schippers combines modern materials, such as latex, leather and rubber with old fashioned craftsmanship. All designs are exclusive and custom made.
Schippers has always been fascinated her life long about clothing, because by wearing clothes you can transform yourself into totally different personalities.
With clothing you also can make statements for instance she designed a catsuit with inflatable breasts as a parody of the silicon breasts.
And what interests her is that some garments are under taboo. In the second half of the eighties she started her career with a collection of erotic clothing for women.
She develops a timeless collection which still can be bought. Designs in which women feel strong and self-assured.
One of her creations is the “bare bottom dress”. This dress was shown in a prime time talkshow on television in 1987 and watched by six million people (half of the population by then).
This was years before Marlies Dekkers came up with her bare bottom dress. In this talkshow Schippers also showed a “bare bottom trousers” for men. In the show it is the woman who undresses the man.
Performance art career
Live PerformancesShe has presented her Live performances in the Netherlands and abroad in galleries and theatres, at cultural institutions and festivals like: The Melkweg, Maison Descartes (Franch Cultural Embassy),
the Vondelpark Open Air Theatre in Amsterdam, the Hippodrome Theatre in Londen, the World Science Fiction Congress and the Wiener Sommer Symposion in Vienna. (See CV)
Video Performances
In 2008 Schippers presented her Video performances in the exhibition 'Image & I-Magic': a multi dimensional experience. Every inch of the exhibition was filled with mysterious images, sound, music and poetry.
'Image & I-Magic' is about the tension field between physical appearance (Image) and inner experience (I-Magic). The exhibition was opened by Ellen ten Damme, a Dutch Rockstar and Bianca du Mortier,
curator of the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam. 'Image & I-Magic' was nominated by the 'Uitkrant' as exhibition of the month.
Bianca du Mortier (curator Rijksmuseum): “Ellen Schippers does not fear to play with taboos and fantasies, either. This play with feelings and physical appearance is what makes her work so powerful”
In July 2009 she participated in the project about Video Art & Gender of the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, with video artists like Pipilotti Rist, Tracey Emin, Marina Abramovitz and Bill Viola.
For April 2010 she is creating a new exhibition in Loods 6 in Amsterdam.
At this moment there is a discussion going on on You Tube about a performance of Schippers about beauty ideals.
Collaboration
Schippers has collaborated in various projects with artists such as Penck, Mirko Krabbé and Peter Giele; the poets George Moorman and Arthur Lava; the composers Bo van de Graaf (I-Compani) and Hans Asselbergs.
With dance and theatre companies like the Staatsopera in Dresden, Introdans, In Da Shade and Corpus. (See CV)
Her work was photographed among others by Erwin Olaf, Angèle Etoundi Essamba, Wim van de Hulst and Cindy Marler.
Live performances
- 1981: N.R.C (with Peter Giele)
- 1982: Vondelpark Openluchttheater, Melkweg, De Vrije Vloer in Utrecht
- 1983: Shaffy theater, Galery Sponz, Melkweg, Vondelpark Openluchttheater
- 1984: Art auction in the Meervaart
- 1985: Mazzo, the Melkweg (Festival of the Seduction)
- 1986: de Brakke Grond, New York
- 1988: Wiener Sommer Symposiom
- 1989: New York
- 1990: Mazzo, Haagse Zomer, Zwolle (Pink Saturday), World Science Fiction Congress, Wuppertal
- 1993: Kleine Komedie
- 1994: Melkweg, Marcanti, Cologne, Dresden with Penck
- 1995: Hippodrome Theatre (London), ModaMas
- 1998: The Melkweg, Vondelpark Openluchttheater, Escape, Werktheater (with I-Compani)
- 1999: Escape
- 2000: Vondelpark Openluchttheater
- 2001: The Kunstenaars Salon (with Mirko Krabbé), De Broerekerk (Zwolle), Studio Grasland with George Moorman and Hans Asselbergs
- 2002: Maison Descartes (with Mirko Krabbé)
- 2003: Panama, Hart Club (with Arthur Lava)
- 2004: Vondelpark Openluchttheater
- 2007: Paradiso (Women in Paradise), Bal du Masque
- 2008: Exhibition Image & I-magic
- 2009: Video Art & Gender, a project of the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam
- 2010: Exhibition Loods 6
External links
Fashion- http://www.ellenschippers.nl/
Art
- http://www.ellenschippers.com/