Rumours of rooms

Rumours of rooms is a musical tour in which the audience, the visitors catch a glimpse of past events, experiences and memories that took place in the Governor’s mansion, during the exhibition ‘The Governor’s Mansion - Door de muren het huis zien’ on the Vlasmarkt in Ghent.

Buren re-decorated the house, together with the other artists of the group, and brought in new furniture. A fake marble table, a real marble bench, an artificial lawn and curtains in red terry cloth are precisely installed, as if they had always been there. During the 30-minute tour the house is described, praised and experienced: as a breathing organism for instance, directing and moving its visitors while at the same time it’s affected by them.
The house as a component of a hierarchy of hallways, stairs, a basement reminding us of Gaston Bachelard’s ‘La poétique de l’éspace’.
The public is guided through its rooms and its (fictive) history. The musical-aspect undermines the elitist character of the house and, consequently, points it out. It generates associations like Marry Poppins, but it also reflects on hip hop culture and how they talk about goods and chattels.
Sofie Van Aelbroeck made long red-and-white dresses for buren, with a wink to Daniel Buren, paravents and geisha’s. The other artists were wearing red costumes provided by buren and inspired by Matisse ‘The Painter’s Family’ and ‘Pianist and Checker Players'. After each performance the costumes were hung back on the clothes rack in the living room, as if the family, the inhabitants of the house could wear them any time.