A Two Dogs Company / Kris Verdonck (BE)

Born in 1974, the Belgian theatre-maker and visual artist Kris Verdonck studied visual arts, architecture and theatre. This broad educational background is reflected in the work he produces: his creations can be situated in the transit zone between the visual arts and theatre, between installation and performance, between dance and architecture and are staged by the artist’s A Two Dogs Company. He has directed theatre productions and produced various installations, e.g. “a.o. 5” (2003); “Catching Whales Is Easy” (2004) and “II” (2005). The first “STILLS”, voluminous naked human figures projected onto buildings in public space, were created in 2006 and commissioned by the festival La Notte Bianca in Rome. In 2007 the theatrical installation “I/II/III/IIII”, featuring four female dancers hanging like marionettes in a huge machine, was staged in Ghent and in 2008 the performance “END” premièred at the Kunstenfestivaldesarts in Brussels. Verdonck often presents combinations of different installations/performances as “VARIATIONS”. “VARIATION IV”, a combination of seven installations, was shown during the Festival of Avignon 2008. In 2010 he finished the ‘circuit performance’ “ACTOR #1”, which shows three variations on the theme from chaos to order. “K, a Society”, a circuit of installations and projections inspired by the work of Franz Kafka, premièred at Theater der Welt in Essen, 2010. In 2011 Verdonck presented two research projects: “TALK” sets out to explore language, while “EXIT”, created with dancer and choreographer Alix Eynaudi, aims to tackle theatre as a medium. Also in 2011, the first solo exhibition of his work “EXHIBITION #1” was shown at Z33 in Hasselt, Belgium, together with the new work: “EXOTE”. At the start of the season ’12-’13 “M, a reflection” premiered in Ghent: a theatre production based on the texts of Heiner Müller, with actor Johan Leysen and his digital double on stage. www.atwodogscompany.org