Dazzle Trip

From June 22 to August 20, 2023, you could go on a Dazzle Trip at the NDSM shipyard. This series of images celebrates gender diversity in public spaces and provides a glimpse into the universe of artist, designer and queer activist Yamuna Forzani. Dazzle Trip consisted of several works spread across the NDSM shipyard and beyond.

Dazzle Point

A Dazzle Pont sailed between the NDSM shipyard and Amsterdam Central Station: a special GVB ferry wrapped with Dazzle-wrap designed by Yamuna Forzani (made possible in part by Amsterdam Ferry Festival). The Dazzle Pont is inspired by the Dazzle Ships that were used in the First World War. With the intention to use abstract patterns in contrasting colors that made it harder for the enemy to estimate the speed, distance and direction of the target. The term Dazzle also refers to the dazzling patterns that Yamuna always uses in her work. Inspired by challenging prints and graffiti influences, Forzani creates contemporary collages and graphic patterns with tags for NDSM. If you zoom in on the patterns, you will see references to pop culture (symbols and emojis), but also an activist attitude, such as statements such as “trans rights are human rights”, a statement that, according to Forzani, is about pride.

Video Installation

The video work that was shown in the shipping container on the Forge Square is a compilation of images from the Utopia Ball x Fashion Show that Yamuna is organizing and for which she won the Dutch Design Awards for her art direction in 2022. You can also see images from her residency at Worm Rotterdam, a performance with homemade designs called Angel's Delight. The video shares stories about diversity, acceptance and the normalization of all bodies in public spaces at the ferry landing.

A Big Heart inflatable

Dazzle Trip is a visualization of 'planet Yamuna', in this context, a large inflatable planet named A Big Heart on the sea container where the video installation can be viewed on the Smederijplein. This inflatable was previously seen at Blow Up The Hague.

Visuals on the NDSM Billboards

On the three big ones NDSM Billboards three scaled images from Forzani's work were shown across the shipyard. These are images from the ballrooms that Forzani has supervised and organized, performances and interventions that she has done in combination with her own (fashion) designs. With an eclectic mix of fashion, photography, performance, installation and design, Forzani explores identity, body and femininity with these images, intertwined with psychedelically inspired visual language.