The Time Between Two Mistakes NeedCompany
The Time Between Two Mistakes is a commentary on Peter Brook’s ‘The Empty Space’ and for this purpose delves into the Needcompany archive. When images from the archive are looked at anew, their content changes. The visual idioms of Grace Ellen Barkey and Jan Lauwers are being brought face to face for the first time, with dramaturgical accompaniment from the music of Maarten Seghers. At the same time, the spectator’s view and the artist’s role in society are questioned and made more specific. Such statements as ‘an artist has to be nice, so you can understand’ and ‘if art is our lover, then who the f*** are you?’ are chanted all around, making the theatre hilarious, passionately and violently burst its seams.
A new era now presents itself for Needcompany and in this project it is directed towards a new form of freedom. The original ensemble looks for confrontation with young performers in the form of workshops prior to the performance, and thus introduces a new dynamic.
‘The Time Between Two Mistakes’ is constantly evolving. The research for this project was launched during Steirischer Herbst 2014 and the MESS Festival in Sarajevo, where it was awarded the SOUND OF MESS Prize. Each performance of ‘The Time Between Two Mistakes’ raises new questions, and thereby generates a new form on each occasion.
Anything we do not want to share is completely worthless. After war and cannibalism, art is the most hysterical expression of civilization. Beauty is a commitment. Ugliness is a lack of thought. Anything we do not want to share is completely worthless. We never know what the end result is, or what it should be. We call it an endless party for tomorrow. The performance for the citizens of this city is an attempt to share beauty. Moreover, we act as a group and you are alone. Anything we do not want to share is completely worthless. The only task an artist takes upon himself is to question beauty and truth. THE TIME BETWEEN TWO MISTAKES is a search for the boundary between art and entertainment. A people that loses itself in a party ceases to exist. This feast must have a purpose. That is the job of every reveller. This party will be watched. A party that is watched is not a party, but an image.
Jan Lauwers
Choreographer assistant and Performed
Taiwan International Festival of Arts, at the National Theater Concert Hall 2017
