BRUZZ Interview: Un Caillou, Un Vélo, et Bacchus

WHAT IS ART?
Kris: I don’t really know. But I think art inevitably has something to do with beauty. And beauty, in turn, with almost everything that can make life pleasant.

WHICH LIFE WISDOM DID YOUR PARENTS GIVE YOU?
My father, who was never a great poet, once gave me this wisdom: “Under a tree, it rains twice.” I had an idea of what it might mean, but when I asked for clarification he said: well, when it rains and you stand under a tree, the leaves get wet and then they keep dripping afterward. So it means exactly what it says. To this day I’m grateful for this wisdom. A saying that means little more than what it states. Wonderful.

WHICH LIFE WISDOM IS OVERRATED?
Most of them. I follow Franz Kafka in this: when someone says “the grass is greener on the other side,” he wondered—what grass? Which other side? Only experience produces real life wisdom. But that already sounds too much like a life wisdom. The chance that you truly learn from your mistakes isn’t actually that big.

WHAT SENTENCE MAY APPEAR ON YOUR FUNERAL CARD?
Preferably nothing at all. Certainly no dates. I even doubt whether my name is necessary. Just a stone—or rather, just a rock—and I’d be satisfied.

DOES GOD EXIST?
Most certainly: Bacchus.

WHAT WAS THE BEST GENERAL NEWS OF THE PAST FEW WEEKS?
I’ve asked myself that question regularly.

MAKE A PREDICTION ABOUT THE FUTURE.
I just read in the newspaper that a Dutch company is in the final phase of producing flying cars.

MAKE A CRAZY FUTURE PREDICTION.
Soon we’ll all be flying around in our own cars.

WHAT USED TO BE BETTER?
A world without flying cars.

WHICH WIDELY USED INVENTION ARE YOU PARTICULARLY GRATEFUL FOR?
Well—still the bicycle. It’s an absolutely brilliant invention. On your own human power you move faster forward, and it’s also a bit magical: how is it that you don’t fall over on those two wheels? I know—gyroscopic forces—but those are a bit magical too.

WHICH LESSER-KNOWN APP WOULD YOU RECOMMEND TO EVERYONE?
None. The best app is probably the flashlight on your phone. As Denis Mukwege once asked aloud: do you really need a smartphone?

WHICH APP IS MISSING FROM YOUR LIFE?
None. The flashlight is already there.

WHY WOULD YOU PLAY THE LOTTERY?
If I wanted to lose money.

DESCRIBE BRUSSELS IN THREE WORDS.
Anti-advertising for politicians.

WHEN DID BRUSSELS SURPRISE YOU?
That elected politicians get elected—and re-elected. But that doesn’t apply only to Brussels.

WHO TRULY DESERVES TO BE DECLARED A SAINT?
The Congolese gynecologist Denis Mukwege.

WHO IS THE MOST FAMOUS PERSON YOU’VE EVER SPOKEN TO?
I once had the pleasure of spending an entire afternoon in a café, just the two of us, with Blixa Bargeld (Einstürzende Neubauten, former Nick Cave collaborator).

HOW MANY PEOPLE DO YOU THINK SEPARATE YOU FROM A FAMOUS PERSON X?
I’ll have to rely on Blixa Bargeld and his connections—and the Mongolian chief of police—but I fear the latter doesn’t have many connections.

WHICH HISTORICAL EVENT WOULD YOU HAVE LIKED TO WITNESS?
The invention of fire.

WHICH HISTORICAL EVENT WOULD YOU HAVE LIKED TO INTERVENE IN?
Too many to list.

WHAT WAS THE BEST PERSONAL NEWS OF THE PAST FEW WEEKS?
That the renovation of the studio of A Two Dogs Company has started, so that by spring we’ll have a place where we can host more artists. The goal is to share as many of the materials and techniques lying around here as possible with other artists.

WHAT MISCONCEPTION EXISTS ABOUT YOU?
That I deliberately seek controversy with my work, such as blowing up a truck engine in the middle of the city.

WHAT CAN YOU DO THAT MOST OTHERS CAN’T (SOMETHING CONCRETE)?
It would be fantastic if I knew that.

IN WHICH OTHER PROFESSION COULD YOU ALSO EXCEL?
I took a winemaking course at COOVI in Anderlecht. For the past three years I’ve been making wine in my cellar in Saint-Josse-ten-Noode. I’d like to be really good at making wine.

WHAT MISTAKE DO YOU MAKE AGAIN AND AGAIN DURING THE CREATIVE PROCESS?
Starting something, only to think halfway through: “What have I gotten myself into this time?” And then quickly starting a new project. I often think of Samuel Beckett: I am here because my feet brought me here. Where have they taken me now?

WHAT HAS YOUR WORK OR YOUR AUDIENCE TAUGHT YOU ABOUT LIFE OR ABOUT YOURSELF?
My first large-scale theatre production, END, shown at KunstenFESTIVALdesarts, caused a lot of controversy—while that was absolutely not the intention. After the premiere there was a party. When I joined the audience, many people wanted to share their reactions and analyses with great intensity. One loved it, another hated it. My response was always: “Sorry you didn’t enjoy it” or “Glad you enjoyed it,” but in any case: thank you for coming. What else could I say? Since then, I usually disappear after a performance (if I’m there at all).

DO YOU DO ANYTHING SPECIAL ON YOUR BIRTHDAY?
No. Nothing. I have to make an effort not to forget it. Sometimes I even have to think about how old I am.

WHAT DO YOU OCCASIONALLY TREAT YOURSELF TO?
A small artwork. Nothing spectacular. But it’s an absolute pleasure to bring affordable art into your home.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO GIVE OTHERS AS A GIFT?
I wish I had more money so I could give people a small artwork.

WHAT DID YOU ONLY REALIZE AT A VERY LATE AGE THAT EVERYONE ELSE ALREADY KNEW?
I get the impression the list is quite long.

WHICH QUOTE DO YOU LIKE TO PULL OUT?
I once took the Trans-Siberian Railway from Hong Kong to Saint Petersburg. When we were in Mongolia, someone knocked on the door. They asked whether it was true that an important artist (!!!) was on the train. The chief of police of Mongolia sat down in front of me, in traditional dress, with his interpreter and a bottle of vodka. They had prepared questions: How do you motivate people? What is the responsibility of a director? Where does the difficulty of directing lie? What is art? Etc. A very special conversation. And yes, we finished the entire bottle. I have no idea what this anecdote means, but it was a remarkable experience.

WHAT USELESS FACT CAN YOU TELL US?
Oof. Too many to list.

WHAT STRANGE OBJECT IS LYING AROUND IN YOUR HOUSE?
A small mirror that the Sioux held in their hand while dancing. By reflecting the sun, they dance with the sun in their hand. An incredibly simple yet brilliant object.

DO YOU OFTEN LOOK IN THE MIRROR? WHY?
No. I only have one mirror at home above my sink (which I use twice a day) and one meant for dancing with the sun (which I will most likely never use).

WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO IN THE COMING MONTHS?
The completion of the renovation of the A Two Dogs Company studio.

WHERE WOULD YOU LIKE TO MOVE TO, AND WHY?
To a house with a vineyard.

WHICH OTHER QUESTION SHOULD WE HAVE ASKED YOU?
Do you like talking about yourself?