Discover the VIDEODROOM line-up!
Film Fest Ghent and Voo?uit join forces once more to bring you a series of exclusive evenings which combine film and live music. This edition of VIDEODROOM has cult vampire flick 'Daughters of Darkness' saying goodbye to its characteristic and mysterious score by François de Roubaix, because Condor Gruppe is ready to step in with an update. You will also be able to (re)discover 'Visions in Meditation' by experimental filmmaker Stan Brakhage thanks to Steve Gunn. And performance parcours GHOST returns, inspired by the desolate, post-apocalyptic landscapes of 'Mad Max'. Discover the complete line-up!
‘RESET’, by KRANKk and Platform-K - Wed 13.10, 20:00
With visuals, scents, sounds and textures, ‘RESET’ is not just a captivating live show, it’s a multisensory experience like you've never had before. ‘RESET’ is a story about isolation, individualism and the search for connection. It offers catharsis conducted via the soundwaves of Antwerp band KRANKk and the movements of inclusive dance company Platform-K and Rabbi Kinkela (Rabba). ‘RESET’ took shape during the various lockdowns of the past year. Special care has been taken to ensure ‘RESET’ is inclusive to people with a physical or sensory disability.
Geoffrey Burton & Sarah Yu Zeebroek / Kaboon Karavan - Thu 14.10, 20:00
Guitarist Geoffrey Burton and artist Sarah Yu Zeebroek go way back. They have shared the stage countless times as members of the band Hong Kong Dong, but are now performing together as a duo for the first time. With her surreal imagery, Zeebroek will accompany dancing guitar-dervish Burton as he loses himself in his playing. For this accompaniment she will utilise two old overhead projectors and a whole box of visual tricks. The musical compositions are from Burton's debut album ‘Me Ta Podia’, which was released in 2020 on the Gong Ear label. Although it sounds like an electronic composition, the record was made entirely on guitar and recorded as one performance. A wild gem of a show!
Kaboom Karavan is the alter ego of sound wizard Bram Bosteels. With a mix of homemade instruments, acoustic string instruments and electronics, he creates a unique world of sound. Kaboom Karavan has released four acclaimed albums on the Berlin label Miasmah, and played live performances at home and abroad (at the AB, BOZAR, Worm, ReNew Festival, HalfDie Fest and many more). The latest album from Kaboom Karavan, ‘The Log and the Leeway’ has received rave reviews in the national press. "It’s a delight to spend time in this mysterious Wunderkammer", wrote Dancing Bears (****). Humo: "The combination of found objects and traditional instruments results in folk music from an imaginary world. The journey is exciting and even surreal at times." Live, Bosteels is accompanied by Stefaan Smagghe (violin, sarangi) and Liesbeth Marit (live visuals, electronics).
Steve Gunn plays Stan Brakhage - Fri 15.10, 20:00
Virtuoso guitarist and songwriter Steve Gunn has released one masterwork after another in recent years. His new record is set to be released in late June 2021 on Matador Records. But, for VIDEODROOM, Gunn is setting this project aside to create a unique live soundtrack for four short films by master filmmaker Stan Brakhage. Brakhage was one of the most important figures of twentieth century experimental film. Over five decades he amassed an immense body of work that is enormously diverse in terms of the formats and techniques deployed: handheld camera, painting on celluloid, fast cutting, in-camera editing, scratching film, collage,... the list goes on. Central themes in Brakhage's work include birth, death, sexuality and innocence. From Martin Scorsese to David Lynch and Sonic Youth: he has influenced a lot of high-profile artists. Steve Gunn will provide a completely new, intimate score for the films in the series ‘Visions in Meditation’, most of which were originally silent. A unique and one-off set!
Proeftuin 4D RAVE w/ BLENDMODE & Parrish Smith - Sat 16.10, 22:00
The new Ghent-based collective Proeftuin presents a ruckus of rave that ranges from underground electronica to artistic crossovers. For VIDEODROOM, Proeftuin will transform the Balzaal into a futuristic rave basement. Prepare yourself for a brutal night of local and international DJs and audio-visual spectacle that will leave all your senses tingling.
Condor Gruppe plays 'Daughters of Darkness' - Wed 20.10, 20:00
The Antwerp band Condor Gruppe already has a number of top records under their belt, most recently their album 'Interplanetary Travels'. New work is set for release in early 2022. In the meantime, for VIDEODROOM, the band will focus on François de Roubaix's majestic work for the film 'Daughters of Darkness', a surreal, erotic vampire film from 1971, made by the Belgian cult director Harry Kümel. Rather than giving away the plot, we’ll just leave you with a few key words: 'horror', 'blood' and 'sadomasochism'. Our very own ‘Queen of Seaside Resorts’, Ostend, has a major role in the movie. Reviewer and author Geoffrey O'Brien about the film: “If Fassbinder had made a vampire movie it might have looked something like this".
The soundtrack to this film is by François de Roubaix, a self-taught musician and jazz enthusiast. He composed almost a hundred soundtracks, mostly for French films. In 1976 he won a César for best soundtrack with his work on 'Le Vieux Fusil’ – awarded posthumously as de Roubaix had passed away just the year before. De Roubaix has always been a great source of inspiration for Condor Gruppe. So they are only too happy to sink their teeth into his dark, hypnotic score. Unique, exclusive show!
'Holidays Inside' - Thu 21.10, 20:00
Might Robbing Millions (aka Lucien Fraipont) be Belgium’s best kept secret? He garnered all the right kinds of attention with his act’s eponymous 2016 album. Then for a while we heard nothing from Camp Fraipont. Now Robbing Millions is back with a new record! ‘Holidays Inside’ sounds like the lovechild of Ariel Pink and Phoenix. And we’re glad to say he’s coming to present this new album live during VIDEODROOM. For VIDEODROOM, Robbing Millions will be accompanied live by the Brussels duo 2Files 4Free, or 2F4F for short. Katia Lecomte Mirsky and Daya Hallé are the driving forces behind this audiovisual label. Their live scenography is a trippy combo of performance, visuals, greenscreen, fantasy and the post-apocalyptic.
GHOST: The 'Mad Max' Edition / STAKE / Reisac ft. Jiheavy / Lotta Machs / Mathijs Steels / BRENNT - Fri 22.10, 19:30 & 22:00
In July 2021, GHOST travelled to Italy together with Voo?uit for the Santarcangelo performing arts festival. A host of Belgian artists spent a week in the mini-state of Mutonia, just next to Santarcangelo. Mutonia looked straight out of 'Mad Max' (1979), the post-apocalyptic cult film that launched the career of a young Mel Gibson. On location, the travelling artists played two sold-out shows, with performances by ANKKH, Johanna Invrea, Mathijs Steels (SHHT), Lotta Machs, STAKE, BRENNT and Reisac & Jiheavy. Director of photography Jeroen De Wilde and documentary filmmaker Julie Daems created a visual report of the trip and shows.
Lolina / SKY H1 & Margarita Maximova - za 23.10, 20:00
Lolina is an electronic and digital musician, also known for her past projects as Inga Copeland. She was a member of the band Hype Williams between 2009 and 2013, collaborating with Dean Blunt on music, videos and performances. Copeland’s first solo album ‘Because I’m Worth It’ was self-released in 2014. Moving towards digital composition with her Lolina project, she released a full-length video album ‘Live in Paris’ in 2016, followed by ‘The Smoke’ in 2018. Lolina’s live performances evolved through experiments with DJ equipment. Using CDJ players to loop, scratch and manipulate her existing recordings, she developed an improvisational cut up style exemplified on her releases ‘Live in Geneva’ and ‘Who is experimental music?’, both 2019. Lolina’s three-part radio residency aired on NTS in November 2020.
SKY H1 & Margarita Maximova present a live audio-visual work to celebrate the release of the debut album of SKY H1. Margarita Maximova is a visual artist based in Berlin, and SKY H1 is a music artist based in Brussels. In their respective forms, each artist circles the intricate emotive surfaces of contemporary life in all of its mediated intensity. On the occasion of SKY H1's debut album they've collaborated on a work that takes the content of the album and deciphers its poetics into an alluring live performance.
NAH - di 13 t.e.m. za 23.10, doorlopend
More commonly known for his visceral live performances, US born and Belgian based percussionist, producer and visual artist NAH will present during VIDEODROOM selected paintings, photography, multimedia collages, and audio works alongside a Virtual Reality environment made in collaboration with Ghent based VR firm OISOI. Blurring lines between extremely raw physical and technological mediums, NAH seeks to address the confusion, disconnection, anxiety and fear that pervades the modern experience.
VIDEODROOM is a yearly collaboration between Film Fest Ghent and Arts Centre Voo?uit. VIDEODROOM 2021 takes place from 13 October till 21 October.
