Wat (Niet) Weg Is
THAT WHICH IS (NOT) GONE
14+
An ink eraser. An ink pad. Printer paper.
That was the starting point for the theater piece That Which Is (Not) Gone (Dutch: Wat (Niet) Weg Is). A piece about mourning, the human memory, and what remains of things long gone.
In a letter to Mr. Jef Colruyt, Fien looks for answers to unanswerable questions in a playful way. How do you cope with loss, as a person and as a society? How long does missing someone take? Should you keep and remember everything? Can you register a life in text and images? And what happens to us when we die?
That Which Is (Not) Gone / Wat (Niet) Weg Is is a search for comfort and answers, moving through science and personal anecdotes, in the form of a multi media performance piece. Every audience member gets the chance to experience this story on his own, isolated in a small cubicle, with headphones, confronted with desktop images, interviews and a personal narration.
Text, narration, camera, editing, directing: Fien Leysen
Décor & scenography: Manu Siebens, Fien Leysen, Hugo Moens
Coaching: Tom Struyf, Willem De Maeseneer, Geert De Vleesschauwer
Mentor: Rebekka de Wit
Artistic advice: Bart Baele
Special thanks to: Benjamin Albertijn, BERLIN, Bart Baele, Yves Degryse, Jan Dewinter, Karine Vandaele, Dirk De Graef, Luc Crevits, Chris Anthonis, Kris Dons, Lydia Chagoll, Royal Conservatory Antwerp, Anna Dupon, Clara De Decker.
Booking: http://www.collageproducties.be
PRESS about That Which Is (Not) Gone
"A modest yet passionate quest by Fien Leysen. Her soft, warm Leysen-voice, her smile, her images grab you by the throat. Won't let you go. A sadness that stays with you."
- Tuur Devens (De Theaterkrant, 1/08/2018)
"Fien Leysen is a real discovery. An "author", and there aren't thousands of those. Her piece is brutal, yet simply made, using home video, but outlines an unbelievably moving portrait of a daughter saying goodbye to her father. It is almost impossible to leave the theatre without crying."
- Michael De Cock (Seizoensbrochure De Warande, Turnhout, 2019)
