Opening Times: 30 March, 5 & 6 April, 12 & 13 April, 19 & 20 April. 13:00-18:00.

Part of the Open Call series

Each week in April, Maria Zandvliet, Lyckle de Jong, Kim David Bots and G.C. Heemskerk will create and perform a new musical theater piece. Which will be filmed by DOP Sjuul Joosen. Each piece consists of music, text, costumes, lighting, scenery and props, which are made on site. The remains of the performances — sets, costumes, props and (video) documentation — form a weekly, changing exhibition.

Each performance has its own storyline, inspired by the history of the WG site, market forces in healthcare and the aesthetics of healthcare environments. The pieces are episodic and connected, but can also be experienced separately. We work sequentially from the themes: Healthy, Sick, Death and The Afterlife. After the exhibition we will make a film, enriched with sound design, drawings and music, seen as a powerful tool for knowledge transfer.

Performances:

1. Gezond (30 March 16:00)
2. Ziek (6 April 16:00)
3. Dood (13 April 16:00)
4. Het Hiernamaals (20 April 16:00)

In our society today, there is a strong emphasis on health. Buildings are designed for healthy, human bodies, with limited consideration for individuals who are supposedly 'deviant'. This is also true in everyday life, where strict standards determine what is considered deviant or healthy, what is considered natural and what is not. These images influence not only the design of our buildings and public spaces, but also how we are allowed to behave, what gender we are assigned, how we feel, and whether we are excluded or given more opportunities. By playing with the idea of health and illness, we challenge these normative frameworks and create an absurdist narrative that opens up new possibilities. We ask questions such as: Why is health seen as the responsibility of an individual? Isn't it eminently a social thing? This is a core part of our method: we constantly take on different roles, trying to be something we are not ourselves, thus empathically putting ourselves in the shoes of a “sick” or “healthy” Other. Perhaps fiction is the best way to really feel what it is like to be in a different situation. Fiction can thus even be seen as a powerful tool for knowledge transfer.

The artists are supported by the Mondriaan Funds and Stroom Den Haag.

Photos by Studio Plancius (www.studioplancius.com).