Play

A lot of my work is intermediary, like my graphic scores, that are musical compositions as well as paintings or the drawings. I create stories by making drawings and the other way around. So what I post here is partly also applicable for the Art pages.

Play is the word that covers:

  • Songs: Making music and writing songs and lyrics; for instance in my cooperation with composer Reniet Vrieze, Studio RAW (songwriting) and Thomas Geerts (classical music, opera). I met Thomas as I sang in two of his productions.
  • Performance: a form of physical interaction but related to art, for instance like my ‘Perfume meetings’
  • LARP: Life Action Role Play, that is part of Gaming
  • Story telling: In a lot of my works I want to tell a story. Most of the time visually. But I also write and was accepted for a masterclass with Maria Goos. Spoken Word is a form from storytelling that I did.
  • On stage: like the Dinnershows, concerts (Melkweg, Paradiso) and music theatre with Stichting Buog from director Pieter Stellingwerf.
  • HKU: for the University of the Arts HKU, I also have been working with game students for the interactive theatre, amongst others for the Holland festival with Micha Hamel and director Arlon Luijten.

Songs

At RAW studio, putting my songs into music….Luv it!

Performance

Vincent, Sien, Theo en HenC

A performance I wrote and performed, about the love Vincent van Gogh had for the prostitute Sien. In Spoken word and songs 2023. At the Dutch Heroes Festival.

HenC as Vincent in front of Theatre Purmaryn.

Petten aan zee; The Bottlepose

Bottleposing is based on the Fluxus action of artist Wim T. Schippers. He emptied a bottle of lemonade in the sea near Petten on 29 of October 1961. I filled a bottle 50 years later on the same data and on the same spot. It was freezing cold. By filling the bottle I hoped that the sea level would fall. Bottleposing is taking a position as if you fill a bottle with water from the sea expressing that you care about water and the environment!

Filling the bottel. Caring about the environment

Others doing the Bottlepose:

Perfumes

I saw ‘The Famous’ having their perfume. I wanted one too. The process could be a performance with the bottles as a pieces of art. My first perfumes were created around 1969. Golden Ophelius, a perfume men dream of and Hamletta, a wet dream for women. My first publication was in the Penthouse, ooo. I went out on the street and asked people to smell my perfume, and than I photographed them and exhibited them online so they could get their portrait.

At a certain point I decided to create perfumes for/from places and spaces. I was invited to create a perfume from Lombok, a part of the City Utrecht where I was born ( L’ eau de Lombok) and also to create one from new developed part of Amsterdam (New Domain). I also created perfumes from the museums where I was showing my work, Frans Hals Museum (Frans!), Fodor Museum (Fodeur). I interviewed visitors at the spot and asked them to smell my perfume and photographed them. They could download their portrait from the internet where I published them. I only show a small selection here.

Smelling my perfume

Elvis, from the Not Art Project/Exhibition

It only took a view seconds before I was asked (read summoned) to leave: Dirk Van De Broek. Since I left my Dirk, I found me a place to dwell. It’s dawn at the end of Lonely Street at Heart Brake Hotel.

LARP

I changed into an old man for the Life Action Role Play (LARP) in an retirement home. I took the train to Utrecht as an old person…

The pics after shows the development of a LARP we created around the rich family Borsky. Johanna was the first Bankers woman. The whole game was played on the former estate of the Borsky’s, Elswout. I painted this Mona Lisa of the Low Lands.

Storytelling

I like to tell a story whether it is in words visuals or sounds. I work on an opera, write songs or write and read a stories as in spoken word. As a complementary skill I studied Dramaturgy at the Gerrit Rietveld Academy. As a teacher I have seen a lot of stories for movies and games.

On Stage

All sorts of:

Drawing life at the concert of Liberium

Show:

Performance at Tivoli Utrecht. A hot Caribbean moment and more. With Miranda Melger and the Crystal Dancers.

Theatre: Wie wind zaait

HKU

Holland Festival

With students we created a game as part of the concert of De Luistermutant at the Holland festival. The goal was to get insight in what way you were listening to the concert. The creator of this concert was Micha Hamel. De director was Arlon Luyten.

Born Digital Festival, HKU students Games and Interaction

Still proud of this beautiful game made with students from Games and interaction and Sound & Technology. I was their coach during this group project. Sound response was an important part of the interaction. By the University of the arts HKU for Born Digital for Free mote festival.

Homeostasis at Crossing Border Festival with HKU student Media and film

For 5 years I was coaching projects with students for the Crossing Border Festival, The Hague. Crossing Border is a great festival about music and art and literature.

This video is about the Homeostasis Interactive Installation created by HKU/EMMA (=Master education) students. This public installation gives people the opportunity to express their emotions by choosing a colour for the light in the umbrella. Their choice is based on how they are feeling in/ about the festival, and the music. The colours

trigger video-animations projected on the theatre based on their moods. Also the music can transforms from for instance major to minor.