A tall, brushed stainless steel structure describing a feminine profile, Enclosure is an allusion to the “Scold’s Bridle”, a device used in 16th century England to publicly humiliate women who “talk too much” and “disturb public order”. At this same time that it was developed, also in England, the Enclosures movement witnessed a privatisation of agriculture characterised by the progressive abolition of common lands and the development of an economy seeking to maximise profit. This evolution took place to the detriment of women, who were thereby confined to a non- monetised, reproductive activity (producing “human resources” by raising children, etc.). The feminist author Silvia Federici, whose work Caliban and the Witch inspired Aline Bouvy for this piece, indeed draws a parallel between the witch hunts that demonised “proletarian women” and the rise of capitalism. In the interior space of Enclosure, a symbol of patriarchal domination, Aline Bouvy has sown Belladonna, a highly toxic plant that also has therapeutic, cosmetic (it dilates the pupils) and hallucinatory properties. Belladonna was associated with the witches’ sabbath and by extension with the taboo surrounding female pleasure, as the plant could induce states of ecstasy.
Denis Gielen

Enclosure was commissioned by curator Evelyn Simons for the 2021 edition of Horst Festival in Vilvoorde, Belgium. Horst is an internationally renowned platform for showcasing cutting-edge electronic music, in-situ artworks, and inventive architecture. Horst aligns immersive music festivals in which architects are invited to create unique stages and dancefloors, and in which contemporary artists are commissioned to enter into dialogue with the specific context and surroundings through site-specific new productions.