#verdonck

Source: the-athenaeum.org

Benjamin Verdonck - Vogelenzangpark 17bis (2012)

antwerp-based theater director, writer and visual artist benjamin verdonck has developed the work 'vogelenzangpark 17bis' for art festival TRACK:a contemporary city conversation in ghent, belgium. his newest environmental intervention artwork draws a subtle connection between old and youngin the context of a close, yet inaccessible treehouse next to a senior activities center. the artist brings to the public space a housing component, partiallyobscured from view as it is placed within the branches of a tree outside this gathering area. in vogelenzang park, the clubhouse for senior citizens, first built in the 1950's, has now received a replica of one of the segments which comprise this building nestled just in front of this social housing structure. the almost-clone like building has been constructed at a ratio too small for human access and instead functions as an evocative work, imploring the viewer to combine facets of both his/her youthful and older realities, reflecting upon the notion of their current sense of self.

Kris Verdonck - END (2008)

In the performance END artist Kris Verdonck shows the possible final stages of a human society in ten scenes. Melting glaciers, burning forests, cities under water, ubiquitous screens and cameras spying on us, the uncontrolled availability of weapons of mass destruction, and so on. 

END starts out from the images the media project onto our retinas all day and every day. The ten scenes are linked by a monologue spoken by a single character: the witness who sees it all happen. While this survivor - like the messenger in Greek tragedy - talks unceasingly, a series of ‘Figures' appears on stage: machines and people or a combination of the two. They go from one side of the stage to the other, all in the same direction. Are they fleeing something? If so, what?