All About Theatre About Film
October 3, 2021–January 9, 2022
The history of film is inextricably linked to that of the theatre. This autumn Eye Filmmuseum, in collaboration with director Ivo van Hove and scenographer Jan Versweyveld, presents an exhibition that brings together these two worlds.
The starting point is a selection of theatre productions that Van Hove and Versweyveld made based on films by seven directors: Marguerite Duras, Michelangelo Antonioni, Pier Paolo Pasolini, Ingmar Bergman, John Cassavetes, Luchino Visconti and Sidney Lumet. In All About Theatre About Film, Van Hove and Versweyveld swap the stage for the museum, breathing new life into dramatic works in the exhibition space in an associative manner. In the process, they make use of a carefully chosen selection of sound recordings, film fragments, costumes, notebooks, props, photographs and video recordings – not to mention smells, water, light, sculptures, wall drawings, and even the engine of a truck. The exhibition triggers new forms of perception that appeal to all the senses. The title is a nod to two iconic films about the theatre: All About Eve (1950, Joseph L. Mankiewicz) and All About My Mother (1999, Pedro Almodóvar).
Film and theatre
Eye’s exhibition policy focuses on film in the broadest sense of the word. Unexpected connections between film and other disciplines, among them visual art and architecture, open up new perspectives.
Theatre formed the guiding principle during the initial years of cinema. Early films looked very much like filmed stage plays. Even during the golden age of Hollywood (1915–1945), many films were based on stage plays. The work of Van Hove and Versweyveld exemplifies the interplay that gradually arose between the two disciplines, with as most recent development the groundbreaking livestreams of their theatrical performances.
All About Theatre About Film offers a fascinating glimpse into the universe of Van Hove and Versweyveld, where cinema and theatre merge. Now, following the conversion from film to stage play, comes the move to the exhibition space. The visitor passes through various rooms, each of which focuses on a different dramatic work.
About the makers
Director Ivo van Hove and scenographer Jan Versweyveld, both born in Belgium in 1958, rank among the world’s most influential theatre makers. Working closely since the early 1980s, they joined Het Zuidelijk Toneel in 1990, with Van Hove as director and Versweyveld as scenographer. Since 2001 Van Hove has been director of Internationaal Theater Amsterdam, where Versweyveld is scenographer and lead designer. Together they have worked on dozens of productions that have caused a sensation internationally for the way they constantly explore the boundaries of theatre. A recurring point of departure for them is cinema.
The exhibition will be accompanied by a film programme compiled by Eye in collaboration with Ivo van Hove and Jan Versweyveld.
