■ DIE GEISTERHAND (THE GHOST HAND)
Die Geisterhand (THE GHOST HAND)
Antonin De Bemels
September, 2020 / Belgium ・ Germany ・ France ・ Sweden ・ Turkey
Synopsis
If you don't come to the mountain, then...
In May 2020, the measures taken to stem the spread of coronavirus prevented us from performing Whispers at the Westflügel Theatre in Leipzig. At the venue’s invitation, the Compagnie Mossoux-Bonté invited the audience and anyone who felt so inclined to make a clip about the relationship between head and hand: the strange hand, phantom hand, the outgrowth of a multifaceted body, with often conflicting intentions, inner rift ...
Contributions were sent to us throughout the summer from Belgium, Germany, France, Sweden and Turkey. Over time the desire arose to bring these solitudes together.
Antonin de Bemels, who had taken part in the challenge, then proceeded to compose a fresco in which all the shared intimacies could meet and echo each other or – in his own words – “to try and reconnect these different bodies and disparate body parts.”
Die Geisterhand bears witness to the strange days when we would self-isolate to show solidarity and try and live by the Tuareg injunction to “keep our tents apart and our hearts together.”
Director
Antonin De Bemels
Antonin De Bemels was born in Brussels in 1975. Since 1997 he directed several experimental videos which were presented at various international festivals, mainly in Europe but also in the United States, Canada, Asia, South America and Australia. He also makes audiovisual performances, and creates audiovisual backgrounds for contemporary dance and theatre shows. His music and sound research is carried out under the pseudonym of Petite Porte de Bronze. Since 2002 he has been developing video installation projects.
Credit
concept Compagnie Mossoux-Bonté
on a proposal from Westflügel Leipzig
video composition Antonin De Bemels
contributions by Justine Lebas ・ Sonia Pastecchia filmed by Justine Gasquet ・ Candy Saulnier ・ Agnès Limbos ・ Fernando Martin filmed by Patrick Dehalu ・ Jan Jedenak ・ Mirjam Ellenbroek ・ Antonin De Bemels ・ Ives Thuwis ・ Isabelle Lamouline ・ Franck Baal filmed by Célia Torrens ・ Jean Fürst ・ Dorian Chavez ・ Juan Benítez ・ Bénédicte Davin ・ Lisou De Henau ・ Shantala Pèpe ・ Mahaut Counet ・ Zoé Counet ・ Manon Dumonceaux ・ Michaël Cros ・ Elodie Paternostre ・ Sébastien Chollet ・ Fatou Traoré ・ Lars Granqvist ・ Christine Desfeuillet ・ Barbara Pereyra ・ Natalia Sardi ・ Félicette Chazerand ・ Julie Goldsteinas ・ Maya M. Carroll ・ Léonard Lesage
music & soundtracks
Sonia Pastecchia ・ Anthony Braxton ・ Barry Altschul ・ David Holland et Sam Rivers ・ Hazy ・ FM Einheit ・ Juan Manuel Tellechea ・ Ives Thuwis ・ Jean-Luc Fafchamps ・ Max Richter ・ Johannes Brahms ・ Forest Swords ・ Michaël Cross ・ Adrian Belew ・ Dorian Baste ・ Henryk Wieniawski ・ Robert Schumann
text Barbara Pereyra
production Mossoux-Bonté in coproduction with Les Brigittines - City of Brussels Contemporary Arts Center for Movement