Biographies

"The search for "the Beautiful and Exalted" has to be attended with such an extreme knowledge of its shadow-side, namely: the Ugly and Depraved. If not so, poetry would be a dead concept, as would be the mainspring of creation. Sem verdade tu és perdedor."

Benjamin Petitjean (Belgium, 1976) was educated at the "Stedelijk Instituut voor Ballet" in Antwerp and the "Hoger instituut voor Dans" in Lier. After his studies he danced with the "Rotterdamse Dansgroep" for three seasons, during which he worked with Ton Simons, Bruno Listopad, Jacopo Godani, Anouk van Dijk and Xavier de Frutos. After these three years he danced with "Dansgroep Krisztina de Châtel" for two seasons where he also did choreography like - in cooperation with the "Hogeschool voor de Kunsten Utrecht" - Chemical Wedding. He is one of the founders of artists collective MorphoDidius for which he did choreographies for "Mitochondria", "Chambre d'amis", "Voyeur, Voyou, Voyant", "Chambre des petits plaisirs" and "Entropy". Furthermore he was choreographer and artistic director for Jorre Vandenbussche's theatre monologue "Falanx: a choleric comedy" and dancer as well as choreographer for the Visisonor production "Mensa Secunda".

"By looking for the thin line that separates what exists and what could be mutated; to get transported to a ‘magic room’ through the secrecy of the senses, I reckon: ‘Nothing is serious anymore, and that, I take very seriously.’"

Isabel Ariel (Portugal 1974) studied in Portugal (Escola de Dança Ginasiano and the Escola Superior de Dança de Lisboa), France (Centre de Danse International Rosella Hightower in Cannes) and at the "Rotterdamse Dansacademie". She worked with Itzik Galili, Samuel Wuersten, Thom Stuart and performed in productions of Pieter de Ruiter, Ruby Edelman, Bruno Listopad and Marie-Cécile de Bont and others. After dancing for two seasons with "Dansgroep Krisztina de Châtel" she co-founded and is the driving force behind MorphoDidius, where she danced in among others "Mitochondria", "Chambre d'amis", "Voyeur, Voyou, Voyan" and "Entropy". She conceptualized and directed the piece "Chambre des petits plaisirs".

"Following the lines of my thoughts and desires, in a struggle of signs, languages and colours; a combination of structure and imagination shared with others: Forgetting oneself and falling into transformations."

Nicolas Delamotte Legrand (France 1975) studied at the Conservatoire de Rouen (France), the Centre de Danse International Rosella Hightower in Cannes (France) and the Rotterdamse Dansacademie. He worked in France with Bruno Jacquin and in the Netherlands with Nanine Linning, Samuel Wuersten, Nils Christe and Bruno Listopad. Since he graduated in 1999 he danced with "Dansgroep Krisztina de Châtel" and could be seen in different productions by Dylan Newcomb. He is co-founder of the artists collective MorphoDidius and danced in "Chambre d'amis", "Voyeur, Voyou, Voyant", for which he did the installations and artwork and "Entropy". He also danced in "Chambre des petits plaisirs" for which he designed the costumes.

Biography of additional artists working on Loretta's Room

Juan Felipe Waller (1971 Mexico City) His studies include Plastic Design at the AAPP in Paris, composition at the CIEM in Mexico, the Rotterdam Conservatorium with Klaas de Vries and electro acoustics composition at the IRCAM in Paris. Two forces are prominently active in his works: in some, (El Culto, Calumnia), it's the evident influence of Mexican instruments, colors and style; while in others (Neurotica Luminosa, Jeu de Dames), the source of the musical tale finds it origins in a more dark and psychological inspiration. In both cases a surrealistic surroundings are created. Through musical collaborations he worked together with geographer Christina Gehrig Binder (Coeur du Savon, Chimera) as well as the animation eccentric Martha Colburn and the Maarten Altena Ensemble (Secrets of Mexuality), this marks the time he himself started to experiment with Super8 animations. Among his animations are Hot Gunpowder -a cowgirl story, Teguala II music for 120 tiles and video, and more recently Killing Silver featuring live music by The Warlips.

Marc Verhoeven (Netherlands 1960) has had a successful career in the squatter's movement, numerous bands and improvisational collectives (The Urge, The Warlips). He taught electronic music at the Rotterdam conservatory, writes instrumental music (OH GOD I LOVE IT!, PIX (i.e. International Big Band Rotterdam), war-strife(NSK)) and he composes electronic music (i.e. Zombies Under Stress, Horny as Hell, The Book of Light, Left/Right).

Elizabeth van den Akker (Netherlands 1933) has had her education as an artist at the Willem de Kooning Academy for the fine arts in Rotterdam, where she graduated in 1957. Besides her work as an artist she has been active as a teacher drawing and art history at several high schools and as a teacher textile and idea development at the "Hogeschool voor de Kunsten" (college for the fine arts) in Utrecht. Elizabeth regularly exposes her work both nationally and internationally, in 1975 she took part in the then famous Biënnale de la Tapisserie (Lausanne, Suisse). In 2003 one of her objects was presented at the International Textile Exhibition "Nahstelle" in Graz Austria. Her works can be found in public buildings, among others at the Rotterdamse Kunststichting "Vruchtbeginsel" (1973).

".. van den Akker feels attracted to nature, music and traveling. Thoughts about life, transience, ancientness and the limitations of our perception keep her occupied. Therefore it's no surprise these themes can be found in her works …" (Asrid Tanis, art historian)