An artist, a stage, a performance – and a magic box as an artwork. In “notallwhowanderarelost”, Benjamin Verdonck presents displaced little stories with the aid of geometric figures; questions written on cardboard suddenly appear behind opening doors, disappearing again behind falling curtains, answered by a delicate feat of skill. Strings, colours, forms and materials merge into a kaleidoscope of acoustic and visual poetry.
In his works, the theatre-maker and actor Benjamin Verdonck alternates effortlessly between genres, developing stage interpretations, performances in public spaces, object theatre, and visual art installations. He translates critical awareness into original manifestations, language becomes tangible matter, silent objects begin telling stories.
This project originated from Verdonck’s idea of a “mini-theatre”, which he now stages in the form of an Arte Povera-style show box – a mechanical table-top theatre imbued with wondrous life in a performative act. This table-top theatre is the centrepiece of the stage version of “notallwhowanderarelost”. Here Verdonck plays the role of director, performer and stage engineer of a theatre that, while having a very palpable scale, remains enigmatic.