Abel Enklaar
Interdisciplinary Artist, Performance Maker
& Founder of Studio Enklaar
RESIDENCY
LOCATION
August 2023
Studio I + II + The Annex
THE PROJECT
In August 2023, Abel Enklaar undertook an artist residency at FieldWorks Dance, using Studio I, Studio II and The Annex to develop The Making of Me.
An interdisciplinary performance exploring identity, creativity and the boundaries of the body, The Making of Me follows the journey of a trans person as they navigate questions of self-understanding, authorship and belonging.
Bringing together movement, choreography, live video and projection, the work explores the body as both performer and material: something that can be transformed, manipulated and reimagined through technology.
The residency provided space to develop this experimental performance, bringing together physical movement, digital imagery and personal narrative.
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The Making of Me
The Making of Me is a raw exploration of creativity, experimentation and identity.
The performance brings together a group of queer and trans performers in a constantly evolving physical landscape. Through solo, duet and group movement, the performers explore the body as a site of expression, transformation and discovery.
Live video and projection technology capture and manipulate the performers' images, creating layers of repetition, distortion and reflection. These digital interventions challenge the audience's perception of the body and question the boundaries between physical and virtual identity.
At the heart of the work are Abel's own biographical experiences, including their relationship with the person who created them through IVF. This relationship becomes a starting point for exploring authorship, identity, technology and ideas of what is considered natural.
The result is an intimate and experimental performance in which the body becomes a material to be shaped, questioned and reimagined.
ABOUT
Abel Enklaar is an interdisciplinary artist whose work explores the intersections of technology, identity, embodiment and the environment.
Working across performance, installation and digital media, Abel investigates how technology shapes our understanding of ourselves and the world around us. Their practice incorporates 3D scanning, motion capture, virtual and augmented reality, and live video manipulation to create immersive experiences that challenge conventional ideas of identity and the body.
Their work engages with themes of queerness, fluidity and post-anthropocentric perspectives, drawing on contemporary feminist and queer theory alongside movement-based practices.
In 2017, Abel founded Studio Enklaar, a creative studio exploring the politics of technological implementation and encouraging greater techno-political literacy through performance, publications and installations.
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Artistic Practice & International Work
Abel's work has been presented internationally at festivals and institutions including Ars Electronica, Tate Britain, Athens Digital Arts Festival and the Asia Culture Center Gwangju.
Their practice moves between performance, installation and digital experimentation, examining the social and political implications of technology and its influence on identity and human experience.
Through Studio Enklaar, Abel continues to develop projects that bring artistic experimentation into conversation with technological systems, challenging audiences to reconsider how technology is created, used and understood.
Where Are They Now?
Since their residency at FieldWorks Dance, Abel Enklaar has continued to develop an interdisciplinary practice exploring the relationship between technology, storytelling and the body.
Abel now leads VPRO Medialab, the innovation lab of Dutch public broadcaster VPRO, investigating the social impact of emerging technologies and exploring new forms of storytelling through AI and immersive media.
Through their artistic practice, Studio Enklaar, Abel continues to create work for stage, screen and installation. Recent projects include Études for Live (2025), a performance, installation and publication developed during a two-year residency at Cinedans.
Their ongoing work reflects the experimental approach that was central to their FieldWorks residency: bringing technology and physical performance into dialogue, and questioning how new tools shape the ways we understand ourselves and the world around us.