Peter Greenaway: The Dance of Death – Ein Basler Totentanz

In this video we attend the opening of the exhibition Peter Greenaway: The Dance of Death / Der Tanz mit dem Tod – Ein Basler Totentanz, a project by Verein Totentanz at Predigerkirche and Totentanz in Basel, Switzerland. Peter Greenaway’s Dance of Death is a reinterpretation of the original Totentanz, the famous 15th Century wallpainting in Basel, that reminded people that whether rich or poor, and no matter one’s station in life, everyone has to die.

Peter Greenaway became famous for his films such as The Draughtsman’s Contract (1982) and The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover (1989). His first film, Death of Sentiment, is a churchyard furniture essay filmed in four large London cemeteries. His work deals with the topics sex, religion, violence, and death. For his Totentanz-project in Basel, Peter Greenaway conceived a multi-media installation that consists of 18 funerary monuments, which serve as displays for films that depict various ways to come to death.

The exhibition runs until November 30, 2013 and is accompanied by several events such as films, concerts, guided tours and talks.

Peter Greenaway: The Dance of Death / Der Tanz mit dem Tod – Ein Basler Totentanz. Predigerkirche and Totentanz Park, Basel (Switzerland). Vernissage, October 31, 2013.

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