Sleeping is an elusive activity in which reality and reason are let go. Can we see the associative stream of images that starts in our subconscious at night as a source of wisdom? According to BVDS, it could be the key to the next step in the transformation process of man and her place on this earth. Fremdkörperis a rite of passage from an old patriarchal society, in which we have lost contact with our body and our environment, to a possible new form of existence. In Fremdkörper, the duo invites the visitor to a dormitory for a ceremony inspired by ritual temples of ancient Greek scholars. The visitor’s exploration mainly goes inwards, towards a dreamed reality.

Fremdkörper’s texts are, among other things, inspired by various public hypnosis sessions on YouTube, the death contemplations from Tibetan Buddhism and various scientific studies into ancient Greek sleeping temple rituals. In addition, Fremdkörper contains text fragments by Saskia de Jong.

Fremdkörper is part of the Future Fossils series: a multi-form art project about digital creatures in a non-human era. The series explores what it means to create art in the non-human era, an age in which human beings are no longer the measure of all things. From the central question: ‘If humankind is no longer the central object, then what is humanity?’, BVDS sets out to discover the relevance of theatre in a new era.

Are you looking for more background information about Fremdkörper? Following the premiere at the Holland Festival last June, the following items have been published:

— Podcast De Groene
— Interview De Groene Amsterdammer
— Interview Het Parool
— Interview dagblad Trouw
— Interview NRC
— Interview Holland Festival
— Interview Telegraaf


‘Fremdkörper is een raadselachtig slaapritueel dat bij vlagen diep ontroert’
— Volkskrant

‘De donkerte, geluiden en geuren brachten me in een wat wazige sfeer, die de wreedheid buiten, vooral die verschikkelijke pandemie met al haarleed, op een prettige afstand hield en mij ruimte gaf voor andere gedachten.’
— Metropolis M

‘Na afloop van Fremdkörper wil je eigenlijk nog maar één ding. Slapen. En dromen. Heel lang slapen en dromen. Maar dan bij voorkeur in je eigen bed.’
— Eindhovens Dagblad

CREDITS

CONCEPT & DIRECTION Suzan Boogaerdt & Bianca van der Schoot
DESIGN Lotte Goos
SOUND DESIGN Remco de Jong & Florentijn Boddendijk
LIGHT DESIGN Theun Mosk
PERFORMANCE Klara Alexova, Niels Kuiters & Dennis Tiecken
COSTUMES & DOLLS Karin van der Leeuw, Erik Bosman & Sara Hakkenberg
PROPS Tamar Stalenhoef
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER Siemen van der Werf | Ruimtetijd
PRODUCER Lene Grooten & Marc Meijer
CO-PRODUCER Holland Festival & Theater Rotterdam
WORLD PREMIERE 4 juni 2021 @ HEMbrugterrein – Zaandam

ALL PRODUCTIONS