van den vos the photographs a book by fc bergman with photographs by maarten vanden abeele text by josse de pauw and a link to the music by liesa van der aa, daniella strasfogel, michael rauter and paul valikoski
van den vos the photographs For Van den vos, the Photographs FC Bergman joined forces with photographer Maarten Vanden Abeele, who previously put his signature under marvellous books of photos on the work of theatre celebrities such as Pina Bausch and Jan Fabre, and who recently brought out another noteworthy book about the making of the film Rundskop (Bullhead). The aim of this collaboration was not so much to report on the making of the theatre production Van den vos, but to capture an autonomous artist s unique view of a working process. As such, Van den vos, the Photographs is an artefact in itself. The visual material selected by Vanden Abeele loosely follows the various locations where preparations for the project were made: the Scottish Isle of Skye and the Bourla theatre, where the production Van den vos opened on 5 December 2013. Space has also been reserved in this book of photos for a short introduction to the project by FC Bergman; for text excerpts by Josse De Pauw, who wrote the libretto; and for a link to the music, which was composed by Liesa Van der Aa in collaboration with the Berlin ensemble Kaleidoskop. All of the texts are in four languages (Dutch, German, English and French). Designed by graphic design studio Casier/Fieuws. With Van den vos, the Photographs, an autonomous artistic track has been added to a unique collaborative project, one that will prove to be a wonderful memento for spectators, the local volunteers, the organizers and all lovers of photographs, tout court. By FC Bergman Photographs Maarten Vanden Abeele Text Josse De Pauw Graphic design Casier / Fieuws Music Liesa Van der Aa / Daniella Strasfogel, Michaël Rauter & Paul Valiskoski (Solistenensemble Kaleidoskop) Published by Toneelhuis Van den vos was financed with the support of the Culture Programme of the European Union.
van den vos, the photographs 3
4 van den vos, the photographs Maarten Vanden Abeele (1970), born in Brussels, Belgium, widely known as a photographer, works also as a cinematographer and a visual artist. His activities cover a wide range: his photos are published in numerous international magazines and books, as posters and as covers for records or movies. Several series of photographs in which he follows international dance- and theatre companies have been published as monographs. He develops his visual art by creating installations in combination with his photo-works and performances, directed and -sometimes- performed by himself. His works led to (long-term) collaborations with Pina Bausch, Opéra National de Paris, deus, Jan Lauwers, Meg Stuart, Jan Fabre, Vogue Paris,... FC Bergman consists of six actors/theatre-makers/artists: Stef Aerts, Joé Agemans, Bart Hollanders, Matteo Simoni, Thomas Verstraeten and Marie Vinck. They quickly developed a theatrical language all of their own, which apart from being anarchistic and slightly chaotic, is essentially visual and poetic. In their shows the floundering, ever-striving human being has often taken centre stage. In 2009 FC Bergman won the Young Theatre Prize at Theater Aan Zee with its adaptation of Harold Pinter s The Homecoming. With Walking along the Champs-Elysées with a tortoise so as to have a better look at the world, but it is difficult to drink tea on an ice floe if everyone is drunk FC Bergman was short-listed for the Dutch Theatre Festival (2010). The members of FC Bergman are individually involved in various other theatre productions, TV projects and films. Josse De Pauw (1952) (1952) is an actor, director and author. After studying at the Royal Conservatory in Brussels, in 1976 he co-founded the legendary theatre group Radeis International. In 1985 he became an independent artist and started writing plays, often for himself but also for others.josse De Pauw also writes fiction, observations, jottings and travel reports. Two books, Werk and Nog, provide a compilation of his written work. He has won a number of awards for his theatre work, his film performances and his screenplays. In 2012 he was awarded the Prix Bernadette Abraté, the most prestigious prize for stage work in the French language. The young violinist, composer and actor Liesa van der Aa (1986) graduated from the cabaret department of the Studio Herman Teirlinck in 2008 with a solo music project, using a combination of her voice and violin. Liesa Van der Aa is currently enjoying success at home and abroad with her debut CD Troops (February 2012). In 2012 she appeared at TAZ and Gent Jazz, Les Nuits de Botanique, Concertgebouw Brugge, the prestigious French festival Les Femmes s en mèlent and elsewhere. She was part of the support programme for the Belgian singer Arno at the Olympia in Paris and was nominated Best Musician at the MIAs 2012. 2013 sees the start of a collaboration with desingel in Antwerp where her new music production Het gewicht van het hart (The Weighing of the Heart) will be premièred in December 2014. The Kaleidoskop Soloist Ensemble (based in Berlin) was originally formed in 2006 by cellist Michael Rauter and conductor Julian Kuerti as a chamber orchestra, which set itself the task of breaking away from the traditional concert style. Under the artistic direction of Michael Rauter and Daniella Strasfogel, contemporary works are contrasted against different musical eras to show listeners how they relate to each other. The core of the ensemble is made up of 15 string players who are joined by guest musicians according to the demands of the programme. One particular trademark of Kaleidoskop is that its members perform both as soloists and chamber musicians. Besides excellent musical skills, it is above all the musicians openness, personal commitment and willingness to experiment that best characterise the ensemble. Their wealth of experience, both in historical performance practice as well as in the performance of contemporary music, results in a collision and merging of different sounds and musical languages.
van den vos, the photographs 5
6