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Researching Contemporary Visual Culture: 'Catalog of Shadows II'

DansBrabant and PARK are celebrating their tenth anniversary and that should be celebrated. Tilburg choreographer Kristel van Issum, filmmaker Martin Kers and composer Han Stubbe spent two years polishing a new collection of life-size female portraits in a DansBrabant production. The result is a moody universe of moving and distorting images, audio, video and music.

The Comprehensive 'Document Series' Project

'Catalog of Shadows II' is an overarching part of the broader 'Document Series' project. After years of collaboration within the Tilburg dance company T.r.a.s.h., filmmaker and digital artist Martin Kers, composer Han Stubbe, choreographer Kristel van Issum and Swedish performer/actress Ulrika Kinn Svensson started the project 'Document Series' with DansBrabant as co-producer. An ongoing interdisciplinary laboratory with different themes, forms and outcomes; text/audio, photography, film, digital image and sound technology, live performances and spatial installations.

Ulrika Kinn Svensson as Protagonist and More

In both the previous "Catalog of Shadows I" series and Part II, Ulrika Kinn Svensson takes center stage as the protagonist and interpreter of all female characters. The project explores deep-seated role models and archetypes, the physical extensions we use to personify them, and the impressions the outside world leaves in our bodies and minds.

Image Creation: A Mix of Analog and Digital

The creation of the women's portraits is an intriguing process that involves both analog and digital audiovisual and (random) composition techniques. The research revolves around discovering new findings to continuously unleash new artistic processes and explore the essence. The choreography of the body is the starting point here, with the body acting as a portal to the outside world. This highlights the many roles we play and the physical extensions we adopt, and stimulates reflection on the fiction of identity.

Han Stubbe's Sound World

Han Stubbe has created a rich sound world for "Catalog of Shadows II" with references to music, soundscapes and sound effects from films and series. He created new compositions with synthesizers and electronics and edited the sound from the original image recordings. The sound world evolved during the making process, in which Stubbe and Kers collaborated on experimental audiovisual editing techniques.

An Intriguing Viewing Experience

The artwork is displayed on seven screens and speakers, which individually display different digital manipulations. At the same time, together they form a composed overall image. This allows the viewer to zoom in at his or her own pace, stand back, make associations and become fully immersed in the experience. Each of the seven female characters is featured for approximately 60 minutes.

About the Makers

This remarkable creation is the result of the collaboration of talented individuals:

  • Martin Kers, has been working in the field of animation and film for more than 20 years. He has made several short films in collaboration with Van Issum and T.r.a.s.h. These films have been screened worldwide. The film "for Tracey," also a collaboration between Kristel van Issum and Martin Kers, won the Cinedans 2012 award for "camera re-work | best stage adaptation.

  • Kristel van Issum, shaped her work for twenty years as a choreographer with the Tilburg collective T.r.a.s.h. where she made films in addition to numerous performances. These performances were shown in many theaters and festivals in Europe (USA and Canada). She is currently working as guest choreographer on her second production with TANZ_KASSEL at Staatstheater Kassel (DE), at Hochschule für Musik und Tanz in Frankfurt (DE) and is one of the core creators at DansBrabant Tilburg. She also has an expanding teaching practice at Fontys Dance Academy. 

  • Ulrika Kinn Svensson is a Swedish dancer and performer. She studied at Fontys Dance Academy and worked for 10 years with Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui and Damien Jalet in various productions. She also worked with companies such as Liquid Loft (Austria) and T.r.a.s.h. Dance Performance Group, among others. Currently she is artistic director at Fontys Dance Academy.

  • Han Stubbe is a musician, composer, founding member and clarinetist of the well-known Antwerp band DAAU. He also works as a composer on various theater and dance performances (Toneelhuis, KC Nona).

The opening will take place on Saturday, Oct. 28, at 4 p.m. and will be conducted by Heleen Volman, director of Corpo Maquina. For more information check out the website of Park.

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