Apparitions

Diederik Peeters

Drawing of Diederik Peeters cutting his own tongue with a pair of scissors

When Diederik Peeters started working on a new performance in 2017, he didn’t want to produce it in the conventional way. He wanted to experiment with different formats and media, without the constraints of a single final form. Therefore he developed several autonomous pieces around the same content, that for example took the form of an installation, a radio-play, a dance-piece… The performance ‘Apparitions’ is the last one in this series of creations.

An associated production by SPIN & L’Amicale
Supported by the Flemish Community (B) and the City of Rennes (F)

Coproduction : Centre Pompidou (Paris/F), Kunstencentrum BUDA (Kortrijk/B), Kunstencentrum NONA (Mechelen/B), Schauspiel Leipzig (Leipzig/D), Le Vivat (Armentières/F), Kunstencentrum Vooruit (Gent/B).
Support during the creation : La Bellone (Brussels/B), De Brakke Grond (Amsterdam/NL), La Chartreuse (Villeneuve lez Avignon/F), Far West (Penmarch/F), Fructose (Dunkerque/F), Impakt festival (Utrecht/NL), Netwerk (Aalst/B), Playground Festival (Leuven/B), Superamas (Amiens/F), Théâtre de Poche/Salle Ropartz (Hédé/Rennes/F)

In search of the ultimate proof that ghosts exist, during the last 2 years Peeters has been exploring the damp tunnels that connect science with magic and horror with technology. He reappeared regularly to present his findings in different forms: from dance-piece over installation or lecture to even a radio-play. ‘Apparitions’ is the latest in this series of works, and takes the shape of a fully fledged show.

Convinced that magic can enrich our relation with reality, Peeters takes on the role of an illusionist and sets out to get lost in his own illusions. Using some 19th century optical tricks, he blows life into his own shadow and resurrects some ghosts of the future. From the dust, a visual delirium appears that leaves us between skepticism and belief. Echoes of Méliès or Houdini bump into the 22nd Century, the dead might very well be alive, and the future turns out to be the present.

A performance by Diederik Peeters in close collaboration with Jonas Chéreau (performer), Henri-Emmanuel Doublier (lights), Lieven Dousselaere (music & sound), Marion Le Guerroué (artistic collaboration & production), Jérôme Dupraz (robotics), Camille Bono & Thomas Riou (production assistance), Christophe Hefti (visual design), Danai Anesiadou (outside eye), Grégoire Blanc (theremin), Kevin Deffrennes & Laura Deschepper (administrators), Marine Thévenet (international relations)

Collaborators during the creation of other modules :
Bart Capelle, Anna Czapski, Caroline Daish, Ivan Fatjò, Pierre George, Sara Manente, Michael Portnoy, Marine Prunier, Clémence Rousseau, Benjamin Seror, George Van Dam

Thanks to : Hans Bryssinck, Bart Capelle, Bram Coeman, Anna Czapski, Caroline Daish, Ivan Fatjò, Pierre George, Françoise Lebeau, Ursula K. Le Guin, Kate Mcintosh, Francis McKee, Corinne Petitpierre, Michael Portnoy, Marine Prunier, Clémence Rousseau, Benjamin Seror, George Van Dam, Kurt Vanhoutte, Ingrid Vranken & Agnès Quackels.

Production / booking :
Marion Le Guerroué
marion[at]amicaledeproduction.com