MaMA 

The visitors were invited to make a creation with the clay and to personally place it within the clay landscape. A selection was of the completed little works of art was could be seen via the Internet. The public could vote for their favourite works via the Net or in the showroom itself.

SES-Clay-Dee-Day was completed with a prize draw. Each winner won a year’s supply of the modelling clay. The underlying idea to make modelling clay available to the public came from the 17 year old Victor Vroegindeweij. The idea was adopted and was mapped out by a creative team working in collaboration with Vroegindeweij. This think tank consisted of: Ruud Disco aka Oscar de Marci (also 17) who generated the title SES Clay Dee Day, Sander van Hest ( 33, a designer and advertising specialist) who did the research. Jeroen Everaert and Boris van Berkum ( both visual artists and responsible for MAMA) designed the implementation of the arrangements. Syrup Berboserot designed the invitation.

Jeroen Everaert undertook to persuade the clay manufacturer SES-creative in Enschede to sponsor the project and donate a 1000 kilograms of children’s modelling clay.

The manufacturers think very differently about their product after this project. “We state clearly on the pots of plasticine ‘suitable for ages 3 to 90 years’ but we never believed it ourselves. MAMA led us to see that clay really is for all ages.”

Multicultural
The invitation to get to grips with clay was extended to a cross-section of the population. Young and old, people from all social strata and with all cultural backgrounds. Day-trippers, American tourists, Morrocan mothers, Turkish fathers, students from the Graphic Lyceum, policymakers, organised tour groups from Rotterdam Festivals and Rotterdam 2001 and happy, peppy families from the suburbs (complete with golden retriever) were all part of this public.

Next to the largest group, youths (both those from ethnic minorities and majorities), who form MAMA’s regular audience, ethnic minority elders were the most keen to add their own clay work to the landscape. Traditionally this group rarely or almost never enter the Showroom. In terms of the cultural outreach plan, this MAMA project was a great success.

Lectures
The project and the various aspects of ” SES Clay Dee Day” were presented in three lectures by Boris van Berkum. These lectures were given at the Willem de Koonig Academy in Rotterdam, to the second year at St Joost te Bread and students of the Art Academy, Arnhem. The last presentation was given under the auspices of a series of lectures by Franz Haks. This series had the overarching theme of “New Mediators”.

Publication
The cultural philosopher Liesbeth Levy (consultant for R2001 and The Rotterdam Art Foundation) wrote a column at MAMA’s request in ‘Hunch’, the publication of the Berlage Institute…
” ….. On the following Saturday, I returned to MAMA and stood outside looking through the window at my work in the changing colored landscape. Next to me two young Turkish boys admiring their own creations. I became aware of a a certain feeling between us- a mutual understanding. Looking together through the glass at our contributions to this landscape made us, in a peculiar way, colleagues….”

Ad!dict
MAMA presented a selection of the best clay works in the Belgian glossy, ‘Ad!dict’ that is is distributed worldwide. Together with the designers Syrup Berboserot and Rufus K. the put together two spreads for their ‘Choice’ issue.

Animations
A team of four Rotterdam art academy students (animation department) made a number of short animations with the clay models. A compilation was shown in the exhibition ‘Mama’s Great Ass Tits’ in September 2000.

Spin-off
The artists’ initiative, Lokaal 01, in Antwerp planned to adopt the project for realisation in Antwerp in mid-December 2001.