Video & Document > >

 

 

[END: Empirical Nonsense Daily]
Jimi Dams, Envoy Enterprises, NYC USA ⋈ 01.08.2020 – 31.07.2021

 

“I grew tired of hearing people constantly complain about the ugliness of certain neighborhoods in their own cities or villages—without taking any action themselves. Small gestures and simple, inexpensive efforts can truly change the energy of a place. That inspired me to launch an initiative with fellow artists and local residents: reading a site-specific letter in a neglected spot and leaving behind a unique artwork. It’s a love letter to overlooked places. From this grew The Utopia Book—a traveling book that its owner can share in socially or aesthetically challenged locations, as a symbol of care and commitment.”

 

 

 

Empirical Nonsense Daily: END

In a world overwhelmed by daily news hinting at the end of days, Empirical Nonsense seeks to inspire hope and creativity with “END.”

 

Empirical Nonsense Daily is a year-long project delivering daily doses of art for 365 consecutive days. Starting August 1, 2020, END showcases a diverse range of artistic disciplines—including writing, poetry, filmmaking, performance, acting, and music. Each day highlights a different artist. The project concludes on July 31, 2021, followed by a book release a month later, documenting the full 365 days of END.

Video Duration: 08:04

 

 

 

A Wider Landscape — 2020

Stefaan van Biesen’s artistic research project, titled MOSAIC [My name is Vijd], was exhibited from July 1 to October 11, 2020. The exhibition took place at Castle Cortewalle, the former residence of Joos Vijd.

 

 

A Search for Joos Vijd

This project explores the symbolism and themes of the Ghent Altarpiece through the figure of Joos Vijd—a descendant of a Flemish patrician family depicted alongside his wife Isabella Borluut on the altarpiece’s outer panels. By placing these elements in a contemporary context, it questions which connections remain relevant and timeless. How do Vijd’s era and environment resonate today in our human, social, and intercultural relationships?

Video Duration: 07:46

 

 

 

[What] The Body Knows - The Blue Parade | The Library of Walks | The village of Psarades 2019.

 

 

(What) The Body Knows – The Blue Parade
The Library of Walks, Psarades Village, 2019
Made of Walking (V) | Walking Arts Encounters Conference, Prespes, Greece
June 30 – July 7, 2019

 

This performative walk, (What) The Body Knows / The Blue Parade, took place in Psarades as part of The Library of Walks—a project initiated by Stefaan van Biesen in 1990. This ongoing exploration has inspired various events across Europe and Brasilia, developed in collaboration with curator-writer Geert Vermeire for Made of Walking.

 

Walkers:
Yannis Ziogas, Natacha Antão Moutinho, Miguel Bandeira Duarte, Rosie Montford, Anna Villas Boas, Geert Vermeire, Christopher Kaczmar, Marie-Anne Lerjen, Kristina Borg, Katerina Paisi, Juana Miranda, Raffaella Zammit, Lucia Masu, Emanuelle Klafiger, Ienke Kastelein, Caterina Giansiracusa.

 

Video:
Filmed by Annemie Mestdagh & Stefaan van Biesen, 2019

Video Duration: 10:38

 

 

Cinematography: Michaele Mitkoudi.

International encounters - conference 2019. WAC. 

Video Duration: 6:27.

 

 

 

Bon Fim Talk Rosário Forjaz & Stefaan van Biesen Porto Portugal 19.01.2019.

 

 

A Bon Fim Talk

A conversation between Portuguese artist Rosário Forjaz and Stefaan van Biesen (Belgium) about the art projects Meander and The Library of Walks. Recorded at Escola Artistica de Soares dos Reis, Porto, 2019 by Stefaan van Biesen & Annemie Mestdagh.

 

They also discuss their contributions and performative walks—Light Walk and Enter The Triangle—presented during Made of Walking (III) in La Romieu, France, August 2017, an international gathering of artists exploring the theme of walking.

 

Camera: Annemie Mestdagh | The Milena Principle, 2019

Video Duration: 21:53

 

 

 

Meander 2019.

 

 

The Walking Body

A week of conferences, workshops, and performances exploring walking and the arts will take place in Guimarães, open to students and the public. This event prepares for the international Made of Walking gathering later in 2019, set in the Minho landscape of Northern Portugal. Hosted by Lab2PT and EAUM (School of Visual Arts, University of Minho), the project offers a contemporary interpretation of rural and natural landscapes through body- and site-specific arts. It explores emotions and nomadic movements that define our Anthropocene era, raising questions and insights from participating artists.

 

Meander
By Stefaan van Biesen & Annemie Mestdagh

Walking serves as a tool for knowledge and experience in Stefaan van Biesen’s artistic practice. Drawing on Eastern concepts like silence, time, body, and mind, framed within Western thought, Meander invites participants to a silent walk/performance. Themes such as “turn on,” “let go,” “lead,” “trust,” and “care” shape the experience. In this interplay of feeling and presence, each participant becomes, alongside the artist, part of the artwork.

 

Concept and props by Stefaan van Biesen and Annemie Mestdagh | The Milena Principle

Video Duration: 7:08

 

 

 

Dragonfly Movements [Fly Ways] 2018. 

 

 

Dragonfly Movements

Based on the recorded movements of dragonflies on the surface of a local water supply pool in Neo Chorio, Akamas, Cyprus, during Made of Walking (IV) in 2018.

Created by The Milena Principle. Camera, video, and sound composition by Stefaan van Biesen.

Video Durarion: 4:07.

 

 

 

Wander Weed Variations [Letters] 2018.

 

 

Made of Walking (IV) – Neo Chorio, Akamas, Cyprus, 2018

Letters are kept within a copper fabric prop—copper, the origin of Cyprus’s name and the alchemical symbol of the goddess Aphrodite. These letters can only be felt, not read, telling stories of the land, its ancestors, and people: love, beauty, longing, death, violence, occupation, exile, despair, hope, and joy.

The video was filmed inside an abandoned house in Neo Chorio, located in a precious and largely untouched nature reserve, now increasingly threatened by real estate development. The echoes of the past linger among the stones, with whispers of old songs resonating through the ruins.

 

Camera and prop performance: Annemie Mestdagh
Concept, video, and sound: Stefaan van Biesen

Made of Walking is an international gathering of walking artists and scientists, organized by Geert Vermeire / The Milena Principle, 2018.
Video Duration: 5:52

 

 

 

Leafless (IV) | performance Eleftheria Rapti & Lina Efstathiou 2018.

 

 

Independed Art Fair
School of Fine Arts, Athens, Greece | May 17–20, 2018

Leafless IV is a “nomadic prop for silent gestures.” Inspired by the concept of “a prop searching for its performer,” Stefaan van Biesen invites body and movement artists, as well as dancers, to use the prop as a tool for introspection..

Video Duration: 21:05

 

 

Special Thanks to Performers: Eleftheria Rapti & Lina Efstathiou

Stefaan van Biesen invites participants to explore public spaces through personal experience—moving through time and space, sensing the environment in relation to others. It’s a balance of letting go and remembering, trusting the body’s innate wisdom. The body holds an emotional archive of impressions and experiences, instantly accessible.

 

For Stefaan, performance is a meaningful ritual, a sacred event—not mere improvisation but a state of being. Through archetypal gestures, the cultural and civilizational legacy is revealed as a shared memory bank. The prop serves as a nomadic object, encouraging participants to begin their journey—an invitation to feel and think.

Prop realized by: Annemie Mestdagh

Video Duration: 14:46

 

 

 

Utopia Book | National Museum Brazilia 2018.

Geert Vermeire: 40 Horas Seminário Internacional de Arte Contemporânea at the Museu Nacional Brasília 2018.

 

 

Video Duration: 06:28

 

 

 

Whiff [Whispering] – Green Line Performance
Urban Emptiness Nicosia Festival, 2017

 

 

A silent man whispers to the world—a gesture of tenderness, connection, and visible discourse. He stands as a symbol of care, desire, and hope, sending whispered words to expand across time and space. This act, seemingly noble yet fragile, invites us to become listening ears.

 

The whisperer embodies silent inner knowing, raising questions about how our actions shape our environment and socio-cultural landscape. What impact does our “being” have?

 

Whispering emerges as a powerful, deeply human act—silence demanding togetherness and care, serving as an ecological and social call to action.

Video Duration:2:57

 

 

Whisper | Performance Paphos Gate | Green Line | Nicosia Cyprus 2017.

 

 

Urban Emptiness Nicosia Festival 2017
With Geert Vermeire
Camera & Attribute: Annemie Mestdagh
Video, Concept & Soundscore: Stefaan van Biesen
Date: Thursday, December 7, 2017
Video Duration: 5:32

 

 

 

Meander | Performance Faneromeni Square Nicosia 2017.

 

 

Meander
Performance at Faneromeni Square, Nicosia, Cyprus
Urban Emptiness Nicosia Festival, 2017

 

A silent walk and performance centered on the themes of connecting, letting go, leading, trusting, and caring. Within this shared experience, participants become co-creators, transforming into the artwork itself.

Participants: Frans Van Lent, Ieke Trinks, Annemie Mestdagh, Deirdre Macleod, William Mackaness, Sophia Hadjipapa Gee, Marie Christine Katz, Abdo Alrezq
Video Duration: 4:59

 

 

 

Meander | Performance students/artists in the frame of Urban Emptiness Network 2017.

 

 

Meander
Performance by students and artists
Urban Emptiness Network, November 16, 2017
Walking as a Research Lab at ARBA-ESA, Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts, Brussels, Belgium

A silent gesture exploring walking as a form of research.
Concept & video by Stefaan van Biesen
Attribute performance by Annemie Mestdagh
Video Duration: 6:37

 

 

 

The Sergiu Celebidache Variations| Performance/video Venice 2017. 

Conducting a landscape... 2017.

 

 

Musical Landscape

“The musical material is like a landscape, with mountains, valleys, and rivers—its own unique topography. We cannot change these natural features; instead, we must integrate all information into a unified whole.

 

Musically, one cannot alter the music simply to make it more expressive. The path through this landscape, though not fully captured in the score, represents the composer’s intent. True interpretation is not about treating music like a dish to be seasoned to taste—it’s about honoring its essence.

— Sergiu Celibidache

Text by Geert Vermeire, student of Celibidache
Video Duration: 6:03

 

 

 

A Conversation Piece | Venice 2017.

 

 

Geert Vermeire and Stefaan van Biesen. Camera by Annemie Mestdagh.

Shown on the Urban Emptiness Nicosia Festival 2017. 

Video Duration: 03:41.

 

 

 

Unfolding Memories 2017.

 

 

Unfolding Memories

Performance and video in front of host Gabriella Pietropaoli’s house, La Giudecca, Venice, 2017.

The video was later shown at the Urban Emptiness Nicosia Festival, 2017.
Video Duration: 1:37

 

 

Enter The Triangle | video performance during Made of Walking Delphi Greece 2017.

 

 

Enter The Triangle

Video performance during Made of Walking, Delphi, Greece, 2017
Concept and video by Stefaan van Biesen / The Milena Principle
Attribute created by Annemie Mestdagh / The Milena Principle

 

Performers: Lina Efstathiou, Eleni Nakou, Julia Redei, Penny Finiri, Leand Kalaja, Panagiotis Lezes, Aliki Arnaouti, Ioanna Thanou-Mikro Skordopsomo, Chara Tzoka, Marianna Makri, Geert Vermeire, Haris Pellapaisiotis

Video Duration: 3:14

 

 

 

About Lucius Burckhardt & Joseph Beuys 2017.

 

 

About Lucius Burckhardt & Joseph Beuys

A talk at Peppermint during Documenta 14, Kassel, Germany — September 12, 2017.

The office library of Lucius and Annemarie Burckhardt (1925–2003 and 1930–2012) was hosted at Peppermint during Documenta 14. Their pioneering work at the University of Kassel significantly shaped educational approaches to “walking the city” as a method of learning.

 

Geert Vermeire and Stefaan van Biesen discuss the importance of this library and the concept of Spaziergangwissenschaft.

Camera: Annemie Mestdagh / The Milena Principle
Video Duration: 15:39

 

 

 

Enter the Triangle | performance Made of Walking La Romieu France 2017.

 

 

Enter the Triangle
Performance during Made of Walking, La Romieu, France | August 27–30, 2017

A silent, meditative walk/performance for three participants, focused on attentive listening to each other’s bodies and movements. This gentle exercise explores physical dialogue—becoming aware of others’ ways of moving while sensing the urban environment around them.

 

The performance reflects the delicate balance of connection and distance, inviting trust and awareness as the participants move together, forming a constantly shifting living sculpture—a triangle shaped by interaction.

Participants: Annelies Vantyghem (BE), Niran Baibulat (FI), Rosario Forjaz (PT), Andrew Stuck (UK), Mel Sutton (UK), Ivana Pinna (IT/ES), Guendouz Nawal (DZ/FR), Carol Mancke (US), Phillip Mckenzie (UK), Leo Kay (BE/UK), Pam Patterson (CA), Leena Raudvee (CA), Ruth Roadbent (UK)
Video Duration: 4:59

 

 

 

Enter The Triangle | video performance during Made of Walking (II) Delphi Greece 2017.

 

 

Enter the Triangle
Performance for three walkers and dancers
Made of Walking, Delphi, 2017

Concept and video by Stefaan van Biesen / The Milena Principle
Attribute created by Annemie Mestdagh / The Milena Principle

 

Performers: Lina Efstathiou, Eleni Nakou, Julia Redei, Penny Finiri, Leand Kalaja, Panagiotis Lezes, Aliki Arnaouti, Ioanna Thanou - Mikro Skordopsomo, Chara Tzoka, Marianna Makri, Geert Vermeire, Haris Pellapaisiotis

Video Duration: 3:14

 

 

 

 

 

Mindset for 2 globes | Hythlodaeus 2017.

 

 

Opdonder – Video/Performance

Presented at the Mercator Museum, Sint-Niklaas, Belgium, 2017.
An invitation by curators Johan De Vos and Eric Windey, performed in the space showcasing Gerard Mercator’s two globes (1512–1594). The presentation relates to a lecture on “The Beauty of Mathematics and Formulas” by Ronny van Meerssche.

 

Soundtrack: Hythlodaeus for the Utopia Sound Map: Cities and Memory, Oxford, UK, 2015
Composed, mixed, and produced by Stefaan van Biesen / The Milena Principle
Video Duration: 20:38

 

 

Utopia Talk 2017.

 

 

Utopia Talk

A discussion between curator Geert Vermeire and Stefaan van Biesen (The Milena Principle) about the Utopia project in Limassol and Nicosia.

Held at the house of Pandora during the Urban Emptiness Network exhibition at NeMe Art Centre, Limassol, 2017.

Camera: Annemie Mestdagh
Video Duration: 10:45

 

 

 

Utopia Book | A reading ritual 2017.

 

 

Utopia Book

A reading ritual by Helene Black at NeMe Art Centre, Limassol, Cyprus, 2017, during the Urban Emptiness Network exhibition.
The Utopia Book was used in walks through Limassol and Nicosia with Geert Vermeire, Stefaan van Biesen, Marielys Lely Burgos, and Annemie Mestdagh. This is the second edition, created by Stefaan van Biesen.

 

Utopia and Walking:
A book and a place exploring Utopia as a gesture—how books open, walking as a shared experience, and the transformation of space. It reflects on flow, exchange, and drift as ways to welcome people and environment, playing with the city, shifting perspectives, and embracing inner knowledge. Words carry attention and offer the gift of Utopia.

Video Duration: 9:30

 

 

The Space Between | Installation at the Lavoir 2016.

 

 

The Space Between

Installation at the Lavoir, created as a tribute to feminine care and quiet domestic devotion—honoring women as the selfless driving force within the household. Set beside a historic water source and communal washing place, the Lavoir was once a vital social hub for village women.

Presented during the solo exhibition Passages in La Romieu, 2016, with installations across various historical sites.

 

Previous presentations:

• Verticale Stromen / Vertical Streams, Bredene, Belgium (2002)

• Ventilatie, Sint-Jans Hospitaal, Bruges, Belgium (2005)

• The Go-Between, Biscainhos Museum Garden, Braga, Portugal (2011)

Video Duration: 1:44

 

 

 

Ex Voto | Votum 2016.

 

 

Registration of sound installations at the Collégiale,

a medieval monastery [1312 by Arnaud d'Aux, cousin of pope Clément V].

Solo exhibition 'Passages' in several historical places in La Romieu [Gers Midi-Pyrénées] France 2016. 

Video Duration: 02:50.

 

 

 

L’écosseuse | To Carry Memories 2016.

 

 

L’écosseuse – A Performance-Based Video Work

Inspired by a performance by Monique Adamo (University of Lyon, France) during the Passages solo exhibition by Stefaan van Biesen in La Romieu (Gers, Midi-Pyrénées, France) in 2016.

Filmed at the Va Bene Gallery, hosted by Catherine and Denis Beaugé.

 

Video & sound composition: Stefaan van Biesen
Participants: Nadia Smet, Raymond Benaerts, Catherine & Denis Beaugé, Christian & Belinda Porré, Annemie Mestdagh, Stefaan van Biesen
Video Duration: 4:43

 

 

 

Lavoir Video | performance at the Lavoir | La Romieu France 2016.

 

 

Lavoir – Video Performance

A site-specific video/performance at the Lavoir — a historic communal washhouse in La Romieu, once a vital social gathering place for the women of the village.

Created during the solo exhibition Passages by Stefaan van Biesen in La Romieu, 2016.

 

Script, sound & video: Stefaan van Biesen
Translation/adaptation: Christian Porré
Washing ritual: Annemie Mestdagh
Video Duration: 7:32

 

 

 

Sensing Silence 2016.

 

 

Sensing Silence – Performance & Workshop at EMST, Athens

“Sensing Silence – The Diogenes Variations”

A group performance curated by Geert Vermeire at the EMST – National Museum of Contemporary Art, Athens, May 2016. At the time, the newly constructed museum stood completely empty—its permanent collection yet to arrive. The first ‘artwork’ to inhabit the space was this silent performance by 15 participants (theatre makers, dancers, visual artists, and curators).

 

Workshop: Silence and the Body in Space
A complementary workshop held inside the empty museum, exploring silence, movement, and the body through sound, walking, drawing, and writing.

 

Facilitators:
Geert Vermeire (performance artist)
Stefaan van Biesen (visual artist)
Christos Kakalis (architect)
Andromachi Vrakatseli (sound artist)

 

Developed within the Urban Emptiness Network – Edinburgh–Brussels–Athens 2016, in collaboration with EMST and curator Anina Valkana. Part of EMST’s educational program, following the initiative Young Sound Explorers.

 

Organized by:

• EMST National Museum of Contemporary Art, Athens

• The Milena Principle

Partners:

• DEREE – The American College of Greece (Theatre Arts & Dance Department)

• Athens School of Fine Arts

• National Technical University of Athens (School of Architecture)

• Concept & performance: Geert Vermeire & Stefaan van Biesen (the Milena principle)
  Camera: Annemie Mestdagh & Stefaan van Biesen
  Video Duration: 24:48

 

 

 

Sketchbook Urban Emptiness 2016.

 

 

Sketchbook Urban Emptiness – Notes & Drawings

A collaborative sketchbook by Stefaan van Biesen and Geert Vermeire, created during the Urban Emptiness project at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, 2016.

The sketchbook was exhibited at the Urban Emptiness Network exhibition, Sculpture Court, ECA Main Building, Edinburgh, June 2016.

 

Exhibition:
Silence, Narrative and the Intimacy of the City
Presenting actions and outcomes of the Urban Emptiness International Network, an interdisciplinary investigation into silence and emptiness across three cities: Athens, Edinburgh, and Brussels.

Part of the symposium The Place of Silence: Experience, Environment and Affect, University of Edinburgh.

Video Duration: 2:31

 

 

 

Sea Born | A talk By Geert Vermeire and Stefaan van Biesen 2015.

 

 

Sea Born – Artist Talk in Venice

A talk by Geert Vermeire and Stefaan van Biesen (the Milena principle), held at the home of Valentina Genio on Giudecca Island, Venice. The discussion centered around the Sea Born performance, part of their contribution to the Invisible Cities project.

 

Project: Invisible Cities – Italian Cultural Institute Athens / Istituto Italiano di Cultura di Atene, 2015
Camera: Annemie Mestdagh
Video Duration: 14:23

 

 

 

Sea Born | Performance by Geert Vermeire and Stefaan van Biesen 2015.

 

 

Sea Born – Performance in Venice

A performance by Geert Vermeire and Stefaan van Biesen (the Milena principle), presented on Giudecca Island, Venice, 2015. Created for the Invisible Cities project by the Italian Cultural Institute Athens / Istituto Italiano di Cultura di Atene.

 

Concept & attribute: Stefaan van Biesen
Camera: Annemie Mestdagh
Video Duration: 2:35

 

 

 

 

Urban Rituals | Resounding Cities 2015.

 

 

Urban Rituals / Resounding Cities – Sound & Visual Installation

Wall installation at the Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Lisbon, Portugal (2015), as part of a cross-city sound project connecting Athens, Brussels, and Lisbon with students from RITCS Brussels.

 

Developed through workshops and soundwalks in all three cities, the Milena principle—in collaboration with local collectives and organizations—created a shared sound and visual installation. The project explored the subtle coherence between urban environments through artistic interventions, remote participation, and everyday urban rituals, rather than focusing on geographical or cultural contrasts.

 

Presented by: the Milena principle
Collaborators: Students of RITCS Brussels and partner organizations in Lisbon & Athens
Video Duration: 3:29

 

 

 

 

Chlorophilia |inner fluids 2014.

 

 

Chlorophilia | Inner Fluids – Installation

Presented at Biodiversity Nieuwenhoven, Belgium, 2014
Curated by: Jos Herck

 

The installation Chlorophilia / Inner Fluids draws on the concept of Chlorophilia, a term introduced in 2004 by journalist Bob Hoss (Chlorophilia – Exploratorium), describing a curious phenomenon: a deep physical or emotional attraction that some scientists feel toward the natural world—particularly plants and trees.

 

Hoss described it as a kind of love—manifested through tree-hugging, obsessive gardening, and a blurring of scientific objectivity with emotional engagement. This ambivalent response challenges the boundaries between rational research and instinctive connection, between culture and nature.

 

The work explores this passionate impulse as a transformative force—one that cultivates admiration, respect, and ultimately change. Chlorophilia becomes a shared language among artists, researchers, ecological garden communities, and breeders—bridging aesthetics, ethics, and the enduring bond between humans and the natural world.

Video Duration: 4:15

 

 

 

Fly Ways | registrations 2014.

 

 

Fly Ways registrations of insect flights 1994-2014.

Kunstenfestival Watou 2014 Belgium. 

Video Duration: 03:39.

 

 

 

Lost and Found 2013.

 

 

[Lost and Found] installation by Stefaan van Biesen for WIT urban team

at 'Mind the Gap' Warp Sint-Niklaas Belgium 2013. 

Curated by Stef Van Bellingen

Video Duration: 02:14.

 

 

 

Liquid Days 2013.

 

 

Liquid Days | video performance 2013 for the Water Carrier project

at Museu Noguiera da Silva [Minho University Braga Portugal]. 

Video Duration: 01:12.

 

 

 

Fly Ways | Installation and soundscape 2012.

 

 

Fly Ways Installation and soundscape in the coridor of the Saint Odulfus Church at Borgloon

for the Sensitive Islands solo exhibition

Curator Jos Herk and Art Borgloon Belgium 2012 during the Art Festival Manifesta 9. 

Video Duration: 04:43.

 

 

 

Reading the Book I am | Performance at the Museu Nogueira da Silva 2012.

 

 

Reading the Book I am Performance at the Museu Nogueira da Silva Braga Portugal 20.12.2012.

Holding a book you can only feel but cannot read.

Prop by Annemie Mestdagh. 

Video Duration: 02:37.

 

 

 

Sensitive Islands 2012.

 

 

Sensitive Islands project for students.

he video was shown for the first time at the Saramago Foundation Lisbon Portugal 2012

during a symposium about the work of José Saramago [writer an Nobel price winner]

Video Duration: 05:58

 

 

 

Uma orelha sobre a relva 2012.

 

 

Uma Orelha Sobre a Relva – Video Poetry

A video work by Stefaan van Biesen, featuring five poems in Portuguese by poet Geert Vermeire.

 

Part of The Dürer Connection: Uma Orelha Sobre a Relva / Uma Biblioteca Imaginária, an exhibition held at the National Library of Brasília (October 2011), exploring the library as a space of imagination. The project included video poetry and writing performances, with a thematic focus on travel as an artistic tool and a conceptual dialogue with Blindness by José Saramago.

 

Artists: Stefaan van Biesen, Geert Vermeire, Yiannis Melanitis
Curator: Geert Vermeire
Literary Consultant: Simona Vermeire
In collaboration with: EUNIC – European Union National Institutes for Culture and UnB – University of Brasília

Video Duration: 7:55

 

 

 

[alks in my Moleskine note book 2011.

 

 

Walks 2011 – Travel Notes & Drawings

A collection of travel notes and sketches in Moleskine notebooks, documenting various places visited in 2011.

The project reflects on how modern cities have often forgotten to listen to the experience and needs of walkers. It explores two key questions, punctuated by short walks:

• How can the concepts of listening to walking and listening while walking be integrated into everyday urban planning and design?

• How can art and walking advocacy collaborate to create spaces that nurture both the physical and spiritual aspects of walking, fostering healthier, happier communities?

Video Duration: 3:22

 

 

 

The Go-between | exhibition Museu Nogueira da Silva 2011.

 

 

The Go-between

exhibition Museu Nogueira da Silva Braga Portugal 2011.

Video Duration: 04:15.

 

 

 

The Go-between | Performance during the exhibition 'How Long Is Now? 2010.

 

 

The Go-between Performance during the exhibition 'How Long Is Now?'

in the garden of the Museu Nogueira da Silva Braga Portugal 2010.

Camera by Shaomin Xue. 

Video Duration: 07:38.

 

 

 

The Letter |writing performance |a letter to a scarecrow 2011.

 

 

The Letter writing performance [a letter to a scarecrow]

in the historical kitchen garden of Museu Biscainhos Braga Portugal 2011. 

Video Duration: 02:27.

 

 

 

Homage to Patinir 2010. 

 

 

Patinir (1480-1524).

Video art project and Photo festival in Braga:

Transmutaçoes da Paisagem at the convent of Tibeas Portugal 2010. 

Video Duration: 08:08.

 

 

 

A Knocking Bird 2009.

 

 

A Knocking Bird – Daily Ritual (Video)

A video recording from Belgium (2009) capturing a bird that knocked on our door each morning at roughly the same time for two months. This simple, repetitive encounter inspired the Knocking Bird project in Sint-Niklaas, involving 23 European participants and supported by Grundtvig. The project explored the relationship between birds and people in urban environments.

Video Duration: 2:27

 

 

 

Spaziergangwissenschaft | Video about drawings and Walking

 

 

Spaziergangwissenschaft – Video Exploration of Walking and Drawing

 

An in-depth video combining writings, reflections, drawings, models, and performances that examine walking as an “absolute science.” This project serves as a platform to discuss sociological and ecological perspectives, particularly the tension between ecology and economy.

 

The work draws inspiration from thinkers and artists such as Alfred Dürer (1471–1528), Caspar David Friedrich (1774–1840), Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900), Fernando Pessoa (1888–1935), Joseph Beuys (1921–1986), Luis Barragán (1902–1988), and Willem Schinkel (1976–).

Video Duration: 29:37

 

 

 

The Naumburg Variations 2005.

 

 

Public Performance at Naumburg Dom, Germany
During the Friedrich Nietzsche Seminar, Ostmansted (near Weimar), 2005.

A philosophical event organized by Ingrid Pee.

Concept by Stefaan van Biesen.
Camera & prop Annemie Mestdagh.
Video Duration: 18:57

 

 

 

Whisperer 2004.

 

 

Whisperer – Performance Extract

Excerpt from the performance Whisperer during About Melancholy / Omtrent Melancholie at De Campagne Park, Drongen, Belgium, 2004.
Curator Filip Van de Velde (SMAK, Museum of Contemporary Art Ghent).
Video Duration: 2:58

 

 

 

Wereldstede - Sleeper (II) | Sleep performance by Julie Snauwaert 2004.

 

 

Wereldstede – Sleeper (II)
Sleep performance by Julie Snauwaert during About Melancholy / Omtrent Melancholie

at De Campagne, Drongen, Belgium, 2004.
Curator Filip Van de Velde (SMAK, Museum of Contemporary Art Ghent).
Reprised at Museu Nogueira da Silva, Braga, Portugal.
Video Duration: 3:45

 

 

 

Buzzer I 2003.

 

 

Buzzer I – Installation Video

Video documentation of the installation Buzzer I at Beeldig Hof Ter Saksen, Beveren, Belgium (2003).
Part of the exhibition Uit Hetzelfde Hout Gesneden (Cut Out of the Same Wood)

Curator Stefaan van Biesen.
Sound score: Stefaan van Biesen
Video Duration: 0:57

 

 

 

Metamorphosis 2000.

 

 

The Weight of Fire & Het Gewicht van Vuur – Performance Video

Video of a performance created for the art project The Weight of Fire

at CC De Poort, Zonnebeke, Belgium 2000.

Curator Els Vermeersch
Sound score: Stefaan van Biesen
Camera & artistic assistance: Annemie Mestdagh
Video Duration: 8:09

 

 

 

[Walking the Angel 2000.

 

 

Walking the Angel – Video & Soundscape

A performance by Lies Van Lierde, with video and soundscape (Man Broke Tree) by Stefaan van Biesen.
Originally presented during the solo exhibition Het Gewicht van Vuur / The Weight of Fire at CC De Poort, Zonnebeke, Belgium 2000.

Curator: Els Vermeersch

Re-presented in the exhibition Passage, La Romieu, France (2016).
Curator: Christian Porré

Video Duration: 12:40

 

 

 

Wildman Variations 1998.

 

 

Wildman Variations – Performance Video

A performance video inspired by the mythical figure of the wildman, staged within a 19th-century Catholic chapel inside a castle, surrounded by pagan frescoes and carved wooden ornaments.

The wildman—a recurring figure in medieval European art and literature—is akin to the satyr or faun of classical mythology and shares qualities with Silvanus, the Roman god of forests and wilderness.

 

This work explores the enduring tension between nature and culture. It raises questions about our longing to return to nature—or even to be nature—while simultaneously confronting the cultural frameworks that define and often separate us from it. The term nature itself is shaped by cultural interpretation, making it an elusive and paradoxical concept.

 

Through performance, Wildman Variations examines this polarity: the struggle to bridge the gap between rationality and instinct, observer and participant, culture and body. It reminds us that we are not outside of nature—we are nature, even when we forget.

Video Duration: 05:43

 

 

 

Letter to an Orchard 1998.

 

 

Letter to an Orchard 

urban silent ritual in an orchard that has to make way for a new residential area.

Melsele Beveren Belgium 1998. 

Video Duration: 06:00.

 

 

 

My load is undefined 1992.

 

 

My load is undefined 

My first walk as the start of an artistic practice: registration of a two days walk.

Melsele Belgium 1992.

Prop Stefaan van Biesen.

Homage to Breugel and Bosch.

Camera and video Toon Saerens. 

Video Duration: 04:46.