Olivier van den Brandt

This immersive installation features the Jester seated in a surreal, chapel-like space where visitors are invited into open-ended conversations about existence, reality, and identity. The environment, a filt-lined room with no corners and a dock-like platform, creates a setting that encourages reflection without judgment, mirroring religious architecture but rejecting dogma. Acting as a curious mediator, the Jester allows each visitor’s perspective to become central. The project reimagines the function of sacred space, offering a framework for meaning-making that adapts to individual perspectives.

This world and the times I live in pulls on me like a royal court where I’ll perform my song and dance - pretending not to be caught in its intrigue and drama, while seeking new meanings and hidden beauty behind the scenes. I try to navigate these situations as a Jester, allowing absurd and surreal inspirations while speaking with sincerity to those around me. The Jester is less a project itself but more a position and professional alter-ego to use in certain contexts.

For the Bosch Parade in Den Bosch, I created a deliberately dysfunctional float operated by three performers, each with specific senses disabled. Inspired by Hieronymus Bosch’s chaotic visions, the float was a living metaphor for society’s flawed yet persistent collaboration, culminating in a real, unscripted capsizing.

The Altered is a long-term project exploring the relationship between the body, senses, and space through wearable “anti-prostheses” that disrupt natural movement and perception. Initially a personal experiment, it grew into public performances where the struggle to adapt to these altered bodies invited both tension and empathy from audiences.