Wat (Niet) Weg Is
THAT WHICH IS (NOT) GONE
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14+
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An ink eraser. An ink pad. Printer paper.
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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.
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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?
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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.
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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.
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Booking: http://www.collageproducties.be
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PRESS about That Which Is (Not) Gone
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"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."
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- Michael De Cock (Seizoensbrochure De Warande, Turnhout, 2019)
