@ Hendrik De Smedt
Review
«The enthralling stage setting, combined with the marvellous hypnotic music of Rutger Zuydervelt, creates a magical dream-world. The repetition of the movements soon turns your attention inwards to your own thoughts, which makes watching EXIT a highly personal, sensory experience. […] It makes you reflect on the rat race into which we are constantly forcing ourselves.»
Jozefien Van Beek in De Morgen, 21/01/2012
« Verdonck and Eynaudi develop their thesis with consistency – subtly and without pretension, with the aim of influencing our perception. In which they succeed brilliantly. » Sarah Vankersschaever in De Standaard, 23/01/2012
@ Nicolas Provost
Biografien der Künstler_innen (english)
Alix Eynaudi
was trained as a ballet dancer in the Opéra of Paris. She worked in various ballet companies before entering PARTS when the school first opened. In 1996, Alix joined Anne-Teresa De Keersmaeker's company Rosas where she worked for 7 years, participating to the creation of 6 pieces: Just Before, Drumming, I Said I, In Real Time, Rain, April Me, as well as to the retake of repertory pieces such as Woud, Achterland and Fase.
Since 2005 Alix has been creating her own pieces: Crystalll, in collaboration with Alice Chauchat (2005), Supernaturel (2007), Komposition (2008) in collaboration with Anne Juren, Marianne Baillot and Agata Maszkiewicz, The Visitants (2008) and Long Long Short Long Short (2009), both in collaboration with Agata Maszkiewicz. In 2011, following a research on the benefits of sleep and rest, Alix created, together with Kris Verdonck, EXIT, a solo in which she puts the audience to sleep. In 2012 she creates a dance duet with Mark Lorimer: Monique, which finds its inspiration in bondage. Edelweiss (2015), a danced rebus where signs and references abound, was presented in Kunstencentrum Buda, Tanzquartier Wien and Kaaitheater.
Besides creating her own work, Alix makes a point of continuing to develop projects with other artists, both as a collaborator and a performer. She took part in projects as a performer with: the collective Superamas (BIG3 happy/end, Empire arts/politics), Kris Verdonck (I / II / III / IIII), Anne Juren (Tableaux Vivants) and she is currently touring with Boris Charmatz in his piece Manger which premièred in 2014 at the Ruhrtrienale.
Alix’s artistic practice also involves teaching workshops in PARTS, Brussels, ImPulsTanz, Vienna, Reykjavik, Panetta Movement Centre, New York, Skolen for Moderne Dans / The Danish National School of Contemporary Dance and SEAD, Salzburg.
@ Kristof Vrancken
Kris Verdonck
studied visual arts, architecture and theatre and this training is evident in his work. His creations are positioned in the transit zone between visual arts and theatre, between installation and performance, between dance and architecture. As a theatre maker and visual artist, he can look back over a wide variety of projects.
He directed theatre productions and produced various installations, a.o. 5 (2003), Catching Whales Is Easy (2004), II (2005). The first STILLS, consisting of gigantic projections, were commissioned by La Notte Bianca in Rome. In 2007 he created the theatrical installation I/II/III/IIII, while in 2008 END premièred at the Kunstenfestivaldesarts in Brussels.
Verdonck often presents combinations of different installations/performances as VARIATIONS. VARIATION IV was shown during the Festival d’Avignon in 2008. In 2010 Kris Verdonck finished the ‘circuit performance’ ACTOR #1 which shows three variations on the theme from chaos to order. K, a Society, a circuit of installations inspired by the work of Franz Kafka premièred at Theater der Welt 2010 in Germany. In 2011 Verdonck presented two research projects: TALK sets out to explore language, while EXIT, created with Alix Eynaudi, aims to tackle theatre as a medium. In the same year, his first solo exhibition was held at House for contemporary art Z33 together with a new work: EXOTE. In 2012 Verdonck created M, a Reflection: a theatre production with texts by Heiner Müller with actor Johan Leysen and his digital double on stage. H, an Incident, a musical theatre performance for big stage, based on the life and work of Daniil Harms, premièred in 2013 during the Kunstenfestivaldesarts.
UNTITLED (2014), a solo creation for the Spanish dancer and performer Marc Iglesias, explores the phenomenon of the liberated figure, the performer who is thrown into theatre in a limited way as if by a mechanical construction. ISOS, a 3D video-installation based on the world and characters from the apocalyptic science-fiction novels of J.G. Ballard, was presented in his workspace in Brussels last September 2015. Currently, Verdonck is working on IN VOID, an exhibition / performance about human absence, which will première this February 2016 in Kaaistudio’s.