An audience must be won over, one by one.*
This edition of Prelude, titled One by One, combines moving image, performance recordings and live activations and considers the question of how the body is seen, heard, defined and restricted. Dutch performance and video art pioneer Lydia Schouten (*1948) joins in dialogue with artist Astrit Ismaili (*1991), who works in the same vein and with a similar innovative approach. Both artists create standout works that respond to imposed social and structural boundaries. Also on view is a live performance by Amina Szecsödy (*1995), a Brussels-based artist interested in historical notions of the female body and voice as disruptors of power. Furthermore, the evening turns a spotlight on the work of Hugo Roelandt (*1950 – †2015), a key figure in Flemish performance history. In his ‘post-performance projects’ from the 1980s, he replaced performers with machines. The contributions of the four artists highlight an unbounded, subversive and transformational potential. Combined they will form a collage in space and time, of live and projected images from past and present with an eye to the future.
* Title of a painting by artist Sands Murray-Wassink, which was part of the opening program of Prelude
ABOUT PRELUDE
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 distinct 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.
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.
