Benjamin Verdonck: WEWILLLIVESTORM

It’s Not Easy to Play a Horse
The projects of Benjamin Verdonck, the Belgian artist, can be described as an amalgam of theatre, performance art, visual art and poetry. “A Big Swallow” is well known and only on a few occasions realized urban installation by Verdonck, where he installs a huge bird’s nest on the top of the highest building in a city. The nest is aparable of home, of migrations and of nature. With its presence, it stimulates citizensto come and watch it every day. The performance “Wewillivestorm“ is based on simpler and shorter performances entitled “Never Go to Sleep”. It is more intimate; it has something childlike, innocent and at the same time something extremely magical and funny/sad. (Verdonck is sometimes called the Flemish Buster Keaton.) “Even the most accomplished actor finds it hard to play a horse,” says the artist referring to one of the scenes. This is a flirtation using acting, poetry, exhibition and a theatre of objects. The artist described his performance simply, as a Zen poem: “My father and I are on a stage. My friend, a musician, stands by one side. There is a lot of loitering; someone is moving some strings. Without words and without a story. There is almostno music.”

Created by: Benjamin Verdonck, Valentine Kempinck
On stage: Benjamin Verdonck, Herman Verdonck
Live music: Tomas Desmet
Production: Nieuwpoorttheater
Executive production: Thet Toneelhuis

70 minutes