While my house is still in a total mess I’m working out. Trying to shoot ugly buildings in a beautiful way for the short film I have to make. Although it is tough working in this weather, we are lucky it starts snowing, for snow hides everything.
On the set I used a garden chairs.
The cover of my new novel is ready and I think it’s great. This time it is designed by Marieke Oele who works for the publishing house Prometheus/Bert Bakker, my own publisher Vassallucci merged with. Luckily not all the core members of Vassallucci had to go. The heart still beats.
This in contrast with Dogtroep, that also went through a mayor change. The board of this company (Dogtroep caused international furore in the nineties as a visual theatre collective) fired all it’s artists and gave the company (= the money and the name) to an outsider who has no idea about the way of working. To use the words of one of the board members: it doesn’t mind which puppet is in charge as long as the name survives.
I have a totally different opinion. I’m convinced that artistic companies (a publishing house, a theatre group or other art firms) can not just be taken over by other people. An art company is not a biscuit factory. These managers don’t realise they are creating empty shells, outside the beautiful name still shines, but inside…