11 questions to ...
Joe Henry
Joe Henry is the curator and musical director of »Century of Song« 2008.
Which work of art, in any genre, has aroused the strongest emotions in you?
The film »To Kill A Mockingbird«(starring Gregory Peck and directed by Robert Mulligan).
In which cultural building – other than your own institution - would you most like to spend a night?
The Picasso Museum in Barcelona, if it was catered.
A sponsor gives you 1 Million Euros. How would you spend the money?
Promoting high school foreign exchange programs between young aspiring poets in the US, Europe, Africa and the Middle East.
If you weren’t what you are now, who or what would you like to be?
If it can’t be »a better version of what I am«, then i’d say a filmmaker, photographer or baseball player.
Which is your favourite building in North Rhine-Westphalia?
I’d love to find out.
How do you usually start the day?
With a double-espresso. And it’s ALWAYS.
What do you think of when you hear the words »box office hit«?
Not good enough to be offensive.
What is the most common occupational disease in your profession?
Arrogance.
Which great painter or photographer would you most want to produce your portrait?
Painted by Basquiat, photographed by Authur Penn, or portrayed in a film by James Stewart.
Who would you rather be: Faust or Mephisto?
Faust, because –as Kiekegaard said- »the man who cannot be seduced cannot be saved.«
Give us one image that cheers you up.
My children, laughing between themselves.
Ivo van Hove
The production of the dutch theatreman Ivo van Hove is based on the film »Rocco e i suoi fratelli« by Luchino Visconti
Which work of art, in any genre, has aroused the strongest emotions in you?
Most recently, Richard Powers’ The time of our singing, a novel that deals with racial themes against the background of the second half of the twentieth century in the United States, shocked me by the elegant and beautiful complexity of style and content. A novel written by an aristocrat of the heart.
In which cultural building – other than your own institution - would you most like to spend a night?
The colosseum in Rome: a place of heroism, death and entertainment. The first real life shows.
A sponsor gives you 1 Million Euros. How would you spend the money?
Producing a television series with my own company of great actors.
If you weren’t whatyou are now, who or what would you like to be?
The lead singer of a rock group
Which is your favourite building in North Rhine-Westphalia?
There is a enormous silo along one of the highways which always brings fantasies of what is going on inside.
How do you usually start the day?
I am not a morning person, waking up is horrible for me so I try to start slow, without talking too much, getting used to what a new day brings.
What do you think of when you hear the words »box office hit«?
Making money on a production allows one to invest in new exciting projects.
What is the most common occupational disease in your profession?
Finding brilliant excuses for arriving too late at rehearsals.
Which great painter or photographer would you most want to produce your portrait?
Bill Viola: he brings out what is hidden beneath the surface.
Who would you rather be: Faust or Mephisto?
Faust: he is more human.
Give us one image that cheers you up.
My partner sleeping.
Alain Platel
Director of »pitie! Erbarme dich!«
Which work of art, in any genre, has aroused the strongest emotions in you?
A little aquarel made by my father
In which cultural building – other than your own institution – would you most like to spend a night
Museum of Contemporary Art in Bilbao
A sponsor gives you 1 Million Euros. How would you spend the money?
Buy the wall in the Occupied Territories to break it down.
If you weren’t what you are now, who or what would you like to be?
A retired housekeeper in the buildings of Les Ballets C. de la B ...
Which is your favourite building in North Rhine-Westphalia?
Rehearsal studio of Pina Bausch in Wuppertal (if it’s still the old cinema)
How do you usually start the day?
Look out of the window to watch the clouds.
What do you think of when you hear the words »box office hit«?
People very excited to go to see, hear and live an event
What is the most common occupational disease in your profession?
Manic – Depression
Which great painter or photographer would you most want to produce your portrait?
Lucian Freud or Sam Dillemans
Who would you rather be: Faust or Mephisto?
…
Give us one image that cheers you up.
A tree in springtime while nearby churchbells are ringing
We would like to thank our media partner K.West – who have provided this questionnaire – for their support.