Rijksakademie Open Studios 2024

Karel van Laere NL

  • 35
Ground Floor

Reach

In the fall of 2022, Van Laere attended a six-hour surgery at St. Antonius Hospital in Nieuwegein. Before his eyes, he saw the surgeons make incisions into a body and work on it with laparoscopic instruments. In the heat of the moment, vital decisions were made by doctors hovering over the body and talking to each other, determining how much flesh to cut away. This crucial improvisation continued to haunt Van Laere, and the episode is given a prominent place in his multimedia sound performance. He also interviewed various other professionals, from a deep-sea diver to a police officer, in order to find out what role improvisation plays in their work.

Working live with the same laparoscopic instruments, Van Laere makes these recorded voices audible in the performance. The experience of improvisation is not only approached in terms of content; the performers themselves must constantly improvise with their tools in order to transmit sound. In 'Reach', as in the rest of his oeuvre, Van Laere offers a leading role to the human body, always at the mercy of the situation it finds itself in at any given moment.

Inspired by conversations with: Anke Smits, Guus Bökkerink, Amos Ben-Tal, Marta Warelis, Ellen Parren, Maryana Golovchenko & Stef, Laparoscopic co-workers Zahira Suliman, Ben Terwel, Mayke van Kruchten

Rijksakademie
Open Studios 2024

  • BUY TICKETS

    There will be no ticket sales at the door. Tickets can be only purchased online.

    • Tickets: €12.50
    • Discount tickets €6.25 (Student-, CJP, Amsterdam City Card)
    • Free entrance: children up to 12 years


    Please bring your discount card with you to the entrance.

  • The Rijksakademie is located in the former Kavallerie-Kazerne, near the centre of Amsterdam. The building is situated next to the Muiderpoort, close to the Tropenmuseum and ARTIS and within easy reach of the NS stations.

    The Weesperplein Metro station is a 7-minute walk from the Rijksakademie. Tram 7, 14 and 19 stop in front of the door (Alexanderplein stop). Find more detailed directions at the bottom of our contact page.

    Please note that there is no possibility to park your car or bike on our premises.

  • The building is wheelchair accessible with the exception of project space North on the fourth floor. The accessible toilet is located on the second floor.

    If you need assistance during your visit, you can reach out to us at openstudios@rijksakademie.nl. We will then contact you about the possibilities of providing you with the appropriate support.

  • There is no cloakroom at the Rijksakademie. Handbags are allowed if they are smaller than A4. Unfortunately, there is no room for backpacks. A limited number of lockers is available at the entrance.

    It’s not allowed to bring food and drinks inside the building. There are different snacks and drinks available at the Rijksakademie courtyard, which you can enjoy there.

    Dogs are not allowed, with the exception of service dogs.

  • For environmental reasons, we are offering limited printed floor plans of the building. You can access our digital floor plan via the QR code that you can scan with your phone at the entrance. from 29 May, it will also be possible to download a printable version of the floor plan.

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