BURN GLASS GATE
90 min.
Creation, text & direction: Carly Rae Heathcote
Creation, scenography & costume design: Manuela Vilanova
Moving through a field, wading up a river, standing in a parking lot and lounging in a graveyard, we see three characters cross one another over and over again. Set in the now, their lives appear stagnant until the disappearance of one of the characters exposes the fragile grip they have on what they consider to be true. Focused on a thin line between truth and madness, a fictional world arises that both seduces and deceives the spectator.
Burn Glass Gate showcases large-scale theatrical images and narratives, where characters navigate the tensions between doubt and belief, fascination and horror. As a spectator, you embark on a humorous journey that repeatedly leads you astray.
︎ e-tcetera.be
“What strikes one immediately in the performance is in fact the visual element which mirrors the barren jumble referred to throughout the text. Manuela Vilanova creates an almost palpable scenography out of beige whose diversity of texture seems to come alive with the performers’ interaction. After the fog from the fire clears, the two main platforms are transformed into large upright mirrors, reflecting the gaze of the audience back at them; the enclosure of the audience, in turn, foreshadows the closed circuit of the eventual play-within-a-play. The costumes are no less multilayered, fabric upon fabric wrapped and crunched and folded on the performers’ bodies like a second sculptural element. At times the visuals feel like an installation, but that is not a bad thing: it grounds the performance against the destructive bewilderment of the characters.” Caroline Lee-Jeong
Performance: Anna Franziska Jäger, Jana De Kockere & Estefanía Álvarez Ramírez
Sound design & composition: Helen Olhausen
Dramaturgical advice: Jana De Kockere
Text coaching: Lara Ferrari tummma
Technical production: Wim Bernaers
Platform technical design & construction: Roeland Dubbel & Vincent Vergote
Production manager: Zita de Vos
Production: Carly Rae Heathcote & workspacebrussels (Brussels)
Coproduction: C-Takt (Pelt), DE SINGEL (Antwerp), workspacebrussels (Brussels)
Residencies: CAMPO (Ghent), workspacebrussels (Brussels)
With support from: the Flemish Community
Thanks to: Cathrin Jarema, Nathan Ooms, Ferre Vuye, Miguel Peñaranda Olmeda, Stef Assandri, Jackie Shallcross-platt, KAAP, Theater aan Zee
Images by Studio Pramudiya
90 min.
Creation, text & direction: Carly Rae Heathcote
Creation, scenography & costume design: Manuela Vilanova
Moving through a field, wading up a river, standing in a parking lot and lounging in a graveyard, we see three characters cross one another over and over again. Set in the now, their lives appear stagnant until the disappearance of one of the characters exposes the fragile grip they have on what they consider to be true. Focused on a thin line between truth and madness, a fictional world arises that both seduces and deceives the spectator.
Burn Glass Gate showcases large-scale theatrical images and narratives, where characters navigate the tensions between doubt and belief, fascination and horror. As a spectator, you embark on a humorous journey that repeatedly leads you astray.
︎ e-tcetera.be
“What strikes one immediately in the performance is in fact the visual element which mirrors the barren jumble referred to throughout the text. Manuela Vilanova creates an almost palpable scenography out of beige whose diversity of texture seems to come alive with the performers’ interaction. After the fog from the fire clears, the two main platforms are transformed into large upright mirrors, reflecting the gaze of the audience back at them; the enclosure of the audience, in turn, foreshadows the closed circuit of the eventual play-within-a-play. The costumes are no less multilayered, fabric upon fabric wrapped and crunched and folded on the performers’ bodies like a second sculptural element. At times the visuals feel like an installation, but that is not a bad thing: it grounds the performance against the destructive bewilderment of the characters.” Caroline Lee-Jeong
Performance: Anna Franziska Jäger, Jana De Kockere & Estefanía Álvarez Ramírez
Sound design & composition: Helen Olhausen
Dramaturgical advice: Jana De Kockere
Text coaching: Lara Ferrari tummma
Technical production: Wim Bernaers
Platform technical design & construction: Roeland Dubbel & Vincent Vergote
Production manager: Zita de Vos
Production: Carly Rae Heathcote & workspacebrussels (Brussels)
Coproduction: C-Takt (Pelt), DE SINGEL (Antwerp), workspacebrussels (Brussels)
Residencies: CAMPO (Ghent), workspacebrussels (Brussels)
With support from: the Flemish Community
Thanks to: Cathrin Jarema, Nathan Ooms, Ferre Vuye, Miguel Peñaranda Olmeda, Stef Assandri, Jackie Shallcross-platt, KAAP, Theater aan Zee
Images by Studio Pramudiya
2024
Aphex Continuums
Commissioned by Ignacio Sarube for the grand opening of NS2 Estudio—Pelo in Montevideo, "Aphex Continuums" transforms the Art Deco space into an immersive realm where reflections are fragmented and reimagined. The main intervention, “Aphex Arcan” is at the heart of the entrance hall, disrupts the expected elegance of the original fireplace with a sprawling, shattered mirror installation. This fragmentation invites visitors to confront a kaleidoscopic play of light, space, and self—an impossibility of singular reflection that mirrors the transformative journey they’re about to undertake.
The space folds and refracts, borrowing glimpses from outside and within, bending the contours of the house’s architecture into something new.
In the styling and cutting area, Vilanova’s three totemic structures emerge: raw concrete and mirrored surfaces fusing brutalist sensibilities with the house's inherent Deco flair. These pieces are not merely installations; they are navigable sculptures, blurring the boundaries between the reflective and the solid, the interior and the exterior.
The project speaks to the art of transformation, where architecture and self intertwine, drawing out the profound shifts that occur when our physical appearance is altered. In every mirrored shard, "Aphex Continuums" captures that fleeting moment of change, amplifying the house’s geometry into a multi-layered, almost cinematic experience.
︎Images of the project, article: superfuture.com
︎ Images of the project artículo en español: archdaily.cl
Architectural design by Toro Arquitectos Installation artworks modeled by Manuela Vilanova. Images rendered by Gonzálo Castelló. Photos Adriana A. Navarro.
Commissioned by Ignacio Sarube for the grand opening of NS2 Estudio—Pelo in Montevideo, "Aphex Continuums" transforms the Art Deco space into an immersive realm where reflections are fragmented and reimagined. The main intervention, “Aphex Arcan” is at the heart of the entrance hall, disrupts the expected elegance of the original fireplace with a sprawling, shattered mirror installation. This fragmentation invites visitors to confront a kaleidoscopic play of light, space, and self—an impossibility of singular reflection that mirrors the transformative journey they’re about to undertake.
The space folds and refracts, borrowing glimpses from outside and within, bending the contours of the house’s architecture into something new.
In the styling and cutting area, Vilanova’s three totemic structures emerge: raw concrete and mirrored surfaces fusing brutalist sensibilities with the house's inherent Deco flair. These pieces are not merely installations; they are navigable sculptures, blurring the boundaries between the reflective and the solid, the interior and the exterior.
The project speaks to the art of transformation, where architecture and self intertwine, drawing out the profound shifts that occur when our physical appearance is altered. In every mirrored shard, "Aphex Continuums" captures that fleeting moment of change, amplifying the house’s geometry into a multi-layered, almost cinematic experience.
︎Images of the project, article: superfuture.com
︎ Images of the project artículo en español: archdaily.cl
Architectural design by Toro Arquitectos Installation artworks modeled by Manuela Vilanova. Images rendered by Gonzálo Castelló. Photos Adriana A. Navarro.
2023
Invisible Unquiet Bodies Still Silent
Rooted in the exploration of manipulation's interplay with identity and body language, Vilanova's artistic research unfolds a narrative voiced in the first person. This installation and performance trace the echoes and imprints of the past, where the memory of the body is embedded in her sculptures—crafted from self-made body casts in silicone and remnants of wedding dresses from her earlier work as a fashion designer. The performance celebrates themes of abandonment, death, and transformation, subtly challenging the confines of inherited narratives. Vilanova's multidisciplinary practice—spanning costume, video and sculpture—expands through collaborations in printmaking with Joaquín Burgariotti, jewelry with Mariel M. Matute, and sound design with Mau Bigliante, featuring her own voice and field recordings. The 25-minute performance brings together Manuela Vilanova, Carly Rae Heathcote, Miguel Peñaranda, and dancer Noemí Gimenez.
Het Bos - Antwerp
Rooted in the exploration of manipulation's interplay with identity and body language, Vilanova's artistic research unfolds a narrative voiced in the first person. This installation and performance trace the echoes and imprints of the past, creating a dialogue between life, space, and material. Vilanova's multidisciplinary practice—spanning costume, video, and sculpture—expands through collaborations in printmaking with Joaquín Burgariotti, jewelry with Mariel M. Matute, and sound design with Mau Bigliante, featuring her own voice and field recordings. The 25-minute performance brings together Manuela Vilanova, Carly Rae Heathcote, Miguel Peñaranda, and dancer Noemí Gimenez.
Het Bos - Antwerp
Rooted in the exploration of manipulation's interplay with identity and body language, Vilanova's artistic research unfolds a narrative voiced in the first person. This installation and performance trace the echoes and imprints of the past, where the memory of the body is embedded in her sculptures—crafted from self-made body casts in silicone and remnants of wedding dresses from her earlier work as a fashion designer. The performance celebrates themes of abandonment, death, and transformation, subtly challenging the confines of inherited narratives. Vilanova's multidisciplinary practice—spanning costume, video and sculpture—expands through collaborations in printmaking with Joaquín Burgariotti, jewelry with Mariel M. Matute, and sound design with Mau Bigliante, featuring her own voice and field recordings. The 25-minute performance brings together Manuela Vilanova, Carly Rae Heathcote, Miguel Peñaranda, and dancer Noemí Gimenez.
Het Bos - Antwerp
Rooted in the exploration of manipulation's interplay with identity and body language, Vilanova's artistic research unfolds a narrative voiced in the first person. This installation and performance trace the echoes and imprints of the past, creating a dialogue between life, space, and material. Vilanova's multidisciplinary practice—spanning costume, video, and sculpture—expands through collaborations in printmaking with Joaquín Burgariotti, jewelry with Mariel M. Matute, and sound design with Mau Bigliante, featuring her own voice and field recordings. The 25-minute performance brings together Manuela Vilanova, Carly Rae Heathcote, Miguel Peñaranda, and dancer Noemí Gimenez.
Het Bos - Antwerp
2018
Transmission Inside Out
Transgressive in nature, this work unfolds within a continually evolving space, creating a new territory where life is breathed into the artificial—a second nature defined by the only certainty: change.
The artworks draw from a diverse range of materials, including concrete, steel, glass, water, ceramics, silicone, textiles, light, and sound.
Transgressive in nature, this work unfolds within a continually evolving space, creating a new territory where life is breathed into the artificial—a second nature defined by the only certainty: change.
The artworks draw from a diverse range of materials, including concrete, steel, glass, water, ceramics, silicone, textiles, light, and sound.
2020
Incantation Ploy
Theater / Performance
Mesmerizing and thought-provoking, 'The Incantation Ploy' seamlessly blends fate, prophecy, and diverse eras, immersing us in a world where possession blurs with control.
In a speculative-future setting, the play delves into the convergence of narratives and chaos. Modern figures merge with mystical archetypes, resulting in a multi-layered experience that intertwines poetics, fake news, and sci-fi.
Themes of narrative power and enchantment converge, influenced by Sara Ahmed's suppression through happiness narratives and Sylvia Federici's de-enchantment in early capitalism. This exploration transforms the magical body into a mechanized automaton, urging us to embrace the uncanny in our existence.
Director and Script - Carly Heathcote
Art Direction and Sound Dramaturgy - Manuela Vilanova
Performed by - Anna Franziska Jäger and Musia Mwankumi
Sound Design - Lila Tirando a Violeta
Theater / Performance
Mesmerizing and thought-provoking, 'The Incantation Ploy' seamlessly blends fate, prophecy, and diverse eras, immersing us in a world where possession blurs with control.
In a speculative-future setting, the play delves into the convergence of narratives and chaos. Modern figures merge with mystical archetypes, resulting in a multi-layered experience that intertwines poetics, fake news, and sci-fi.
Themes of narrative power and enchantment converge, influenced by Sara Ahmed's suppression through happiness narratives and Sylvia Federici's de-enchantment in early capitalism. This exploration transforms the magical body into a mechanized automaton, urging us to embrace the uncanny in our existence.
Director and Script - Carly Heathcote
Art Direction and Sound Dramaturgy - Manuela Vilanova
Performed by - Anna Franziska Jäger and Musia Mwankumi
Sound Design - Lila Tirando a Violeta
2021
Pulsar Etéreo
Pulsar Etéreo (Ethereal Pulse) is an immersive audio and video installation that brings together the performance of Lila Tirando a Violeta with the scenographic landscape created by Manuela Vilanova. It's an illusory experience within an environment of artificial nature
Premiered at the MUTEK 2021 International Festival of Digital Creativity and Electronic Music.
Presented at SOMERSET HOUSE STUDIOS and D
SUBTE Montevideo Exhibition Center,
Sponsored by MUTEK Argentina, British Council, Canada Council for the Arts, AMPLIFY, ARTLAB.
Pulsar Etéreo (Ethereal Pulse) is an immersive audio and video installation that brings together the performance of Lila Tirando a Violeta with the scenographic landscape created by Manuela Vilanova. It's an illusory experience within an environment of artificial nature
Premiered at the MUTEK 2021 International Festival of Digital Creativity and Electronic Music.
Presented at SOMERSET HOUSE STUDIOS and D
SUBTE Montevideo Exhibition Center,
Sponsored by MUTEK Argentina, British Council, Canada Council for the Arts, AMPLIFY, ARTLAB.
2021
