For as long as mankind has existed, he has turned his head upwards – to the sky, the clouds, the sun, moon and stars, in search of a sign to guide him. Something. In the Middle Ages – as Bregje explains to a Gregorian choir in episode 5 of Boijmans TV 2013 – the gaze is directed only towards God and the afterlife. It was not until around 1400 that artists begun to discover the beauty of the world around them. But because they were not interested in landscapes or building before this time, they were not immediately able to create the illusion of depth and light.

Bregje and the male choir think it mysterious that only a little later the painter Jan van Eyck was able to do that so convincingly. Meanwhile Arie sees a puzzling artwork in one of the galleries. It resembles a laboratory set-up, with monitors, tubes and microscopes. When he discovers that living worms are responsible for the dark song emanating from the installation, he asks the artist, Matthijs Munnik, how he would feel if he were in their place. That should be the function of the work!

Although it’s an icy winter’s day, both Mandy and the ‘bouncer’ have taken up position at their regular posts. Neither of them appears to be concerned about that ‘something’ up above. Or does Mandy know more than she wants us to believe?

Credits

Boijmans TV is a collaborative project of Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, RTV Rijnmond and Ro Theater, developed with support from the VSBfonds and the Mediafonds. The series is produced by the Rotterdam production office Popov Film.

Contributors:

Sander Burger (final editing)
Kuba Szutkowski (producer)
Dragan Bakema (creative producer)
Edgar Kapp (production manager)
Jetse Batelaan (director of tours)
Wilfried de Jong (concept and interviews)
Els Hoek (research and editing)
And many others.