A site-specific play located at the Ceramics Museum Princessehof in Leeuwarden, the Netherlands features the shard-based work of Diane KW, who we’ve been following on CFile for some time. The original run was from Jan. 14 to Feb. 8, but we’re told the performances have been extended through March 22.
Brekber is a story about Wieke, an elderly woman who has a fantastic collection of porcelain plates. Sensing that her full and independent life is coming to an end, she attempts to say goodbye to her family and to find a home for her collection. In speaking with a museum curator, she begins to see her collection, and by extension her life’s work, in a new light.
In addition to being performed in the museum, the play features a selection of 888 plates from Europe and Asia pulled from the Princessehof’s collection. Among these are works by Diane KW (Diane Chen), an artist from Hawaii. In CFile’s previous coverage of Diane, we point out how this artist has a fascination with porcelain shards. She’s worked with antique items, some of which have been pulled from shipwrecks. She imbues these shards with text, giving these historically-weighted pieces an element of narrative. In the past she’s transferred passages of journals from sea captains onto the shards.
The play is produced by Tryater, a theater company in Friesland, the Netherlands. The company boasts that they’re the oldest and most widely-developed theater group in the country and that they “perform everywhere and for everyone.” Please visit the museum for more information about the show and tickets.
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Click to see the full-size image.
Click to see the full-size image. Photographs from the play “Brekber,” at the Ceramics Museum Princessehof.
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