Phobiarama—Dries Verhoeven

Abstract

Phobiarama by Dries Verhoeven (Chap. 13) is a performance-installation that looks like a haunted house in which audiences take a 45-minute ride. The title Phobiarama serves as an indication of how this haunted house approaches fears as phobia as anxiety disorders that are not justified by, or in proportion to, actual threats. Phobiarama is exemplary for how many of Verhoeven’s creations are constructed to evoke reflection about looking as a social and cultural phenomenon. Instead of setting the stage for the appearance of human actors, these material compositions are performers themselves. They draw attention to how our modes of looking are shaped and affected by assumptions, presuppositions, desires, and fears, and how these are part of the cultural and historical moment that we share with others. This chapter presents a close reading of Phobiarama from the perspective of the dramaturgical mode of looking introduced in Chap. 3 and traces aspects of the creative process. The chapter identifies several characteristics of the modes of thinking through practice of the makers and makes observations about the role of dramaturgy in this practice.