Iglu by Guy de Cointet
November 9, 20.00 hrs and 21.30 hrs
P.O. Box 51144, 1007 EC Amsterdam
+31(0)203378711
Restaging Iglu
From the late 1960s until his untimely death in 1983, French-born artist Guy de Cointet was an influential member of the Los Angeles art scene. His encrypted works on paper and theatrical productions – inspired by the works of Raymond Roussel and the tropes of TV soap opera – were often as mysterious as the man himself.
De Cointet’s performances are surreal sceneries in which ordinary, daily events are linked to specific objects, colours and letters – often in a lucid way. “Iglu” combines an abstract visual vocabulary with television situation comedy, Rousselian word play, and drama. A special role is attributed to sound. For “Iglu”, cowriter Robert Wilhite – who often fabricated the objects onstage for de Cointet’s productions – authored music and composed a sound track featuring prerecorded phrases from a Spanish-language course.
“Iglu” premiered at Vanguard Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, in 1977. Its first restaging took place 33 years later at the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum in Ridgefield, Connecticut, as part of the exhibition “Paying A Visit To Mary”. Now the play has its European premiere in Amsterdam.
Performance in Residence
If I Can’t Dance has invited Marie de Brugerolle to be the first cultural practitioner to research a case study in the new programme titled: “Performance in Residence”. “Performance in Residence” ‘hosts’ a performance for a substantial period of time, allowing the researcher to engage in an in-depth inquiry, connecting archival research to practice. Marie de Brugerolle will examine Guy de Cointet’s play “Five Sisters” (1983) – the last performance to be staged during his lifetime. The staging of “Iglu” and the lecture at the Stedelijk Museum mark the start of this research period. The staging of “Five Sisters” is expected in June 2011.
Marie de Brugerolle
Art historian, curator and playwright Marie de Brugerolle, currently professor at the École Nationale des Beaux-Arts de Lyon, commenced researching Guy de Cointet’s oeuvre in the early 1990s. In October 2010, her monograph about Guy de Cointet will be published by JRP|Ringier. Her documentary film “Who’s that Guy? … tell me more about Guy de Cointet” will be released this fall.
Events in Amsterdam
The performance of “Iglu” is embedded in a larger programme of events. The staging of “Iglu” is part of the exhibition “The Temporary Stedelijk” – also the lecture and film screening will take place in the premises of the Stedelijk Museum. This winter, Maxine Kopsa will present the second part of her exhibition “Paying A Visit to Mary” in Kunstverein, featuring amongst others, Guy de Cointet, Sarah Crowner, Elad Lassry, Alexandre Singh and Robert Wilhite.
Performance: “Iglu” (European premiere)
Guy de Cointet & Robert Wilhite
Actors: Helen Berlant, Allison Byrnes, Carmen Thomas and Leo Tolkin
November 9, 2010, 20.00 hrs and 21.30 hrs
If I Can’t Dance at Frascati WG
Bookings: www.theaterfrascati.nl
Lecture & film screening: “Who’s that Guy? About Guy de Cointet”
Marie de Brugerolle
November 11, 2010, 17.00 hrs
Stedelijk Museum
Bookings: www.stedelijk.nl
Exhibition: “The Temporary Stedelijk”
August 28, 2010 – January 9, 2011
Stedelijk Museum
Information: www.stedelijk.nl
Exhibition: “Paying A Visit to Mary Part 2″
December 10, 2010 – January 30, 2011
Kunstverein
Information: www.kunstverein.nl
Partners
The restaging of “Iglu” in Europe is coproduced by Kunstverein, Stedelijk Museum, and STUK arts centre. Our special thanks to Frascati Theatre, Air de Paris and Guy de Cointet Estate.
The activities of If I Can’t Dance are financially supported by the Culture Programme of the European Union and the Mondriaan Foundation.
