Peter Missotten is a trained video artist. Alongside his career as a media artist, he has worked in theatrical spaces all his life, starting out as a lighting designer for The Cement Garden in 1983. This marked the start of his long collaboration with Guy Cassiers as a stage, video and light designer, which lasted for around 25 years and included productions such as 'Wasp Factory', 'Sunken Red', 'Rage d'Amour', 'The Flying Dutchman', 'The Woman Who Fell into Doors' and 'Onegin', to name but a few.
His work focuses on the disruptive effect of technology on humanity. By embracing digital technology, he creates uncanny performances and installations that question our grip on the speed of technological advancement. Who's in control?
In 1994, he founded the Filmfabriek with Anne Quirynen and Anne Heyman. The company deals with the crossover between digital and performance art. The company collaborated intensively with artists such as William Forsythe, Wim Vandekeybus, Guy Cassiers and Georges Aperghis on projects. Over the years, other artists joined them, including Wies Hermans, Bram Smeyers, Kurt d'Haeseleer and Ief Spincemaille. The company produced a number of experimental digital feature films, including The Way of the Weed, and worked as a graphic design agency for numerous arts organisations, including the Blindman Quartet, Laika, Needcompany, SACD, Ro Theatre and the Breda Museum. Meanwhile, Peter Missotten continued to work as a set, video and lighting designer on a wide range of projects.
From 2000 onwards, he developed from a designer into a director of performance art and opera productions. From 2006 to 2010, he worked as a director and designer at Toneelhuis in Antwerp, Belgium. His first production, Quartett by Heiner Müller, was co-produced by the Schauspielhaus in Vienna. His adaptation of The Waste Land by T. S. Eliot was selected for the Holland Festival in 2008.
In 2009, he directed the world premiere of 'Kepler', an opera by Philip Glass, for Linz09 at the Landestheater Linz in Austria. As always, he was responsible for the stage, video and lighting design. In 2010, he created Montezuma – Fallender Adler, an opera by Bernhard Lang, for the Nationaltheater Mannheim (Germany). He has also designed sets and lighting for several choreographies, including 'The New Factory' by Guilherme Miotto and Michael Schumacher for Dansgroep Amsterdam.
He developed a visual, performance-based libretto for 'Der Golem', a new opera by Bernhard Lang. He staged this opera at the Nationaltheater Mannheim in 2016, taking care of the direction, video, lighting and set design.
Throughout his career, he has used his network and expertise to mentor younger artists, including designers, media artists and performance artists.
He holds a Master's degree in Visual Arts from LUCA School of Arts Brussels and a Masterclass degree in Cultural Management from the University of Antwerp.
He taught performance art at the Toneelacademie Maastricht for almost 20 years (2003–22) and is the head of the Technology-Driven Art research group at Zuyd University in Maastricht.
This website showcases highlights from his extensive career as an artist.
For more information about his work as head of the Technology Driven Art research group at Zuyd University in Maastricht, please visit technologydrivenart.org.
foto © Moniek Wegdam 2015
