www.benjaminameirhaegheperformance.tumblr.com
Deel van het Gouvernement in Vooruit-residentie programma
Met de steun van Vooruit en Stad Gent / Cultuur Gent
Archaic forms of opera and ballet are given a contemporary update in Benjamin Abel Meirhaeghe’s practice. Known for his operatesque, enchanting and sometimes alienating theatre shows, he unfolds theatre as a timemachine in which he is in charge of the game. Currently, he’s brewing a new performance and concert. ‘Spectacles’ promises an excentric ritual in which the fool shuffles past, present and future in a very shamanic way. The result? A surrealistic, almost mystical spectacle.
During his residency, Meirhaeghe wishes to construct one of the key elements: the musical foundations that help lift the theatrical experience and blur the musical boundaries. Accompanying him in that task is artist-composer-musician Laurens Mariën, with whom Meirhaeghe has often worked in the past. Together, they let themselves become inspired by elegant, bombastic and aggresive pop, as well as jazz, funk, punk, gospel, trance, fado, and – of course – opera. Experimenting and juggling with these completely different genres, the artists aspire to break down the boundaries.
Their musical research can lead to either an exhuberant or complete ‘dada’ public moment, happening on 14 August. Capacity is limited, so reserving your seat is essential.