Inter:view, DE HOE

All interviews are actually about the interviewers, you know that, right? Interviews are about the vanity of interviewers who think: you do talk to me. I am the one you open up to, the one to whom you can show your true self. I am the one with whom you come to insights that you didn't even know you had. Two women are on stage. One is a celebrated actress who is about to make her first own film, the other an acclaimed journalist who confronts her with questions, suspicions, and rumors. What starts as a friendly Q&A gradually derails into a game of proving oneself, shifting power dynamics, and fanatical attempts at unmasking. Despite all the revelations, it remains the question of how well we really get to know them. Does it remain that endless attempt to say something that wants to be true, honest, or complete, but never is? How do you elicit what you are after? What do you say to answer what is asked of you? And who are you when the other determines your words? In the heyday of clickbait, Natali Broods and Katelijne Damen venture with feigned openness into the art of the in-depth interview to honor it, to question it, and to parody it. This is how they show what it essentially is: not a reciprocal exchange, but a form of self-sculpture and control - a thin layer of varnish over a chaotic life. from Natali Broods, Willem de Wolf and Katelijne Damen - with Katelijne Damen and Natali Broods - scenography and technique Bram De Vreese - production DE HOE - with the support of the Flemish government - © photo Koen Broos