‘I am not at war’ performed by solidarity choir KONTRARIE at the 20th commemoration of Transport XX on 21 April 2013 in Boortmeerbeek, Belgium. Theme this 20th commemoration : “In the track of Transport XX after 70 years”. Dutch: 20e herdenking – “In het spoor van Transport XX na 70 jaar”.
With a roaring special contribution by a helicopter ;)
I am not at war with anyone
I am not at war with anyone
Go away warplanes
You bring fear and shame
I am not at war with anyone
I give my love to Iraq, and to America
I give my love to Israel, and to Palestine
We could live as one
Between the sea and sun
I am not at war with anyone
I don’t need to be friends with everyone
But I’d like to live in peace with everyone
This rush to war is wrong
And so I sing this song
I am not at war with anyone
I am not at war with anyone
I am not at war with anyone
I am not at war with anyone
Go away warplanes
You bring fear and shame
I am not at war with anyone
I am not at war with anyone
I am not at war ~ Performance : April 21, 2013 by Strijdkoor KONTRARIE | kontrarie.be ~ Words and Music: Luka Bloom ~ Music Adaptation: Luc Wynants (conductor KONTRARIE) ~ Film : 20201130 Michel van der Burg | Miracles•Media
Behind-the-scenes late night video editing work with London (UK) based videographer Shogo Hino ( Shogo Media ) a few days before the premiere online April 19th 2020 of this work, the virtual PUSH Opera – Finale with giant choir – Lockdown 2020 🇧🇪 🇬🇧.
More than 150 singers from the UK & Belgium have recorded the finale of PUSH and film editor Shogo Hino has edited the result into a virtual performance uniting the four casts and choruses.
Screening started in the night of the 19th April 2020, exactly 77 years after three Brussels resistance heroes stopped the Nazi train Transport XX, transporting 1600 Jewish deportees to Auschwitz, and more than 200 prisoners escaped from the train before the German border.
Based on Simon Gronowski’s story
Epilogue from the opera PUSH – based on the story of Simon Gronowski – an 11 year old Jewish boy who was pushed from the train – Transport XX – by his mother on the way to Auschwitz. Documented in the film “Transport XX to Auschwitz” presented here – https://michelvanderburg.com/2013/04/19/transport-xx-to-auschwitz/
A virtual performance during the April 2020 Corona virus lockdown by members of the casts from previous productions of PUSH in Battle, Chichester, Salisbury, London and Brussels.
Composer and librettist Howard Moody on piano, Carlos Bruneel on flute, and with the soloists James Newby, Sheva Tehoval, Tereza Gevorgyan, Ivan Ludlow, Lars Thorkildsen, Ciaran o’Donovan and Eleanor Farmer. Soundmix and additional production by Adrian Zolotuhin.
Film editing by Shogo Hino | @shogomedia.
Additional video work from the Miracles project together with Richard & Karen Bloom by Michel van der Burg | Miracles•Media .
With special thanks to Simon Gronowski, and Linda Lovrovic, Sue Kent, Sally Lampitt, Chris Stones, Jill Hoskings, Claire Apel, Jo Nicolai, Philippe Paque, Benoît Giaux, Andrea Frankenthal, and Sarah Ehrlich.
In memory of the three members of the Belgian resistance Jean Franklemon, Robert Maistriau and Youra Livschitz, whose bravery in April 1943 saved the lives of many, as our health workers continue to do today.
Making-of PUSH Opera Virtual Finale ~ PUSH : Howard Moody and co-workers | howardmoody.co.uk ~ Screen recording : Shogo Hino | @shogomedia ~ Film : 20201114 Michel van der Burg | Miracles•Media
Placing of Koenraad Tinel’s work of art EMBRACE – a translation of his remarkable friendship with lawyer Simon Gronowski – in Ganshoren , Brussels , Belgium, October 22, 2018.
A sculpture on Simon Gronowski’s jump to freedom at the age of 11, when pushed by his mother out of the 20th death train to Auschwitz in 1943.
Both Koenraad Tinel and Simon Gronowski together received honorary doctorates (doctor honoris causa) by both the VUB and ULB Brussels’ universities today Sep. 22th 2020 at 3:22 PM CET in Brussels.
Embrace Installation | 20200922 | Michel van der Burg | michelvanderburg.com | Miracles.Media
Jewish Resistance ~ Book : Jewish Resistance Against the Nazis, edited by Henry Patrick | Catholic University of America Press ISBN 9780813225890 ~ Film : 20200912 Michel van der Burg | 1-memo•com
Camp Prisoner Badge W-46 Kazerne Dossin ~
A prisoner’s cardboard badge number W/46 from the SS administration of Kazerne Dossin. Jews earmarked for forced labour as prisoners in the SS Mechelen transit camp, the Dossin Barracks (Kazerne Dossin) carried a cardboard neck badge with “W” (Werk) followed by a number.
Interview with Janiv Stamberger (researcher Kazerne Dossin / University of Antwerp) filmed by Michel van der Burg (michelvanderburg.com) on August 18, 2016 at the Wiki Loves Art event in Kazerne Dossin , Mechelen , Belgium.
A still from this video (Image Ref.: mvdb20160818_182230) is available via Wikimedia .
Note : I corrected the number (from 64 to 46) in the Wiki description today , but I am not able to change the number in the file name (and the listed camera metadata) on Wikimedia.
Camp Prisoner Badge W-46 Kazerne Dossin | 20200819 | Michel van der Burg | michelvanderburg.com | miracles.media
Image The Other ~
Expo ‘The Image of the Other’ filmed March 18, 2014 in the Brussels Bequinage church.
Imaging the Other , Imagining Danger. How are “others” depicted? Are stereotypes necessary or dangerous? Does the comparison with contemporary cartoons hold up?
Quote :
“The Image of the Other wants to dwell on the image of the ‘Other’ : ‘the Black’, ‘the Jew’ , ‘the Turk’ , ‘the Heretic’. Examples from the Flemish and Dutch religious art from around 1450 – 1750 reflects this perception.
In art , the ‘Other’ is often stereotyped. Works of medieval or renaissance now give us the impression of being racist or discriminatory. But what about our newspapers and advertisements” Are they doing so much better?
The way in which the ‘Other’ is imagined should better not be underestimated as this could lead to serious consequences. For example, certain stereotypical views remain for decades and these biases can be part of our overall imaging. This process can even develop into structural racism. In that sense, there is a certain danger in the images of the other from the past. So we are quite critical of the thousands of images that we see every day.” — Quote from the installation ‘DE ANDERE VERBEELD / VERBEELD GEVAAR’ (The Image of the Other / Imaginary Danger) by ORBIT.
With this exhibition ORBIT wants to critically analyze our view of “the other”, past and present. ORBIT not only wants to dwell on the portrayal of ‘the other’ in Christian art, but also wants to dwell on today’s portrayal in the media. How are “others” depicted? Are stereotypes necessary or dangerous?
Thanks to Karen Wyckmans , Heritage Project Coordinator | Project “De Andere Verbeeld” (The Image of the Other) | ORBIT – http://www.orbitvzw.be . More info at site https://deandereverbeeld.wordpress.com .
Thanks also to priest Daniel Alliët – host of both the expo and the concurrent Afghan Refugee Camp (March 2014) in the Brussels Beguinage Church (Saint John the Baptist at the Béguinage – Église Saint-Jean-Baptiste au Grand Béguinage ) – now House of Compassion – http://www.houseofcompassion.brussels .
In the background sound of the Afghan Refugee Camp and the Béguinage church pipe organ played during music lessons by Félix Snyers and student.
From the Beguinage Project by Kristen Cattell (USA) and Michel van der Burg (Holland).
Film : Image The Other | 20200801 | Michel van der Burg | michelvanderburg.com | miracles.media
