Cloud Cuckoo Land questions the dynamics within a group or family, focusing on notions of idleness, violence and territory. The installation consists of a greenroom in which six mime artists are idling time away. The room is furnished with a table and chairs, a couch and a filled refrigerator, providing the performers with the basic needs. Five realistic, human scale bird masks are placed on metal stand and arranged around the large table. They represent birds commonly found in cities in the Netherlands and abroad such as a blackbird, a seagull and a pigeon.
The audience witnesses the performers reading a book or a newspaper, eating a sandwich while sitting behind their laptop or talking to each other. A one-way mirror allows the audience to observe the performers, but preventing the performers from seeing them. This aspect is revealed by a second mirror in the back of the space. On the audience’s side of the separating wall, a poster displaying Mike Tyson is hung.
At a certain moment and without apparent reason, a conflict arises which leads the five performers to turn against one. The scapegoat leaves the room, joining the public. The other five get ready by putting on the masks. Armed with a wooden stick, they too leave the greenroom. What follows is a confrontation between the birds and their victim, confronting the audience with their ambiguous role, being both spectator and accomplice.