Prelude is a series of live events exploring the interconnections and influences between moving image and performance on the one hand, and between visual artists of different generations on the other. The series of evenings is inspired by the musical prelude: originally intended for musicians to tune their instruments before a concert, and demonstrate their virtuosity to incoming audiences.
Prelude invites artists and audiences to “tune in” and consider the theatre as a place for time-based visual art. Unlike the individual viewing experience in an exhibition, Prelude emphasises the collective presence of the audience and the physical space of the theatre as an essential part of the experience of the work.
The name suggests an opening to something new, something to come. By encouraging collaborations between artists, and providing support, Prelude promotes new paths for invited artists and offers new perspectives on their work. The first series drew on diverse narratives of the past, present and future, through themes of language and the body, power and imagination, beauty and interconnectedness. This series began with a joint work by Billy Morgan and Sands Murray-Wassink at Perdu in May and re-enactments of works by Pedro Barateiro and Agnieszka Polska at the Brakke Grond in June. In October, Astrit Ismaili and Lydia Schouten, among others, will follow.
Prelude is an initiative by curator Titus Nouwens, with a visual identity by Edoardo Ferrari. The series is supported by the Brakke Grond, Perdu and Amsterdam Fonds voor de Kunst.
