What an incredible powerful performance … PLAY!
The Bruegel year not only led to blockbuster exhibitions like the one at Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, but also inspired artists of other fields to develop this contemporary dance theatre production for instance.
Basis for PLAY! is Pieter Bruegel’s famous painting “Kinderspiele”, also to see at Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna. Dschungel Wien and Het Paleis Antwerp did an exciting coproduction bringing together the Belgium choreographer Karolien Verlinden and her crew with six professional Austria based dancers. After the premiere in Vienna in September I took the chance to the Belgium premiere yesterday in Antwerp (by the way one of the last pieces where I did production back in Vienna ;) … The piece surprised, and has it all - great performers, an unique choreography (actually more sport than dance), sound, costumes, set design … and above all: games, games, games … without hardly more than some wooden slats these guys used their bodies to play a countless number of competitive children’s games*
Highly recommended. Don’t miss PLAY! in December on stage at Dschungel Wien age 10+
Well, once in Antwerp, I obviously seized the chance to visit Chinatown and have lunch there! The topic I was occupied with intensively for my publication Vienna Chinatown INvisible still thrills me so much. In 2001, Antwerp was Europe’s second city (after The Hague shortly before) to build up a dragon gate and call this quartier near the Central Station officially Chinatown, even though Chinese migration to Antwerp dates back to the 1970ies. It’s Belgium’s only official Chinatown, though there is a Chinatown INvisible, as I would call it, in the very centre of Brussels between La Bourse and St. Catherine. It felt so familiar to walk through this not more than 3 streets … and, it reassured me that Vienna’s decision against building up such an architectural sign like the dragon gate is a good one. It’s above all a marketing gag - what’s happening in this area is the interesting part, not its branding.
The food was delicious*
For the whole blog of the brusselsARTproject click here.