Irrsinn – Die Show

Searching for ultimate proof that reality is just an illusion, Diederik Peeters dives deep into the archives of psychiatry and neurology. In his new performance, he explores the connections between historical characters, personal accounts and mental disorders, pushing back the borders of reason and normality. Firmly convinced that a new view of mental health and insanity can change our concept of reality, Peeters takes on the role of a psychiatrist who also works as an illusionist.

While our host loses himself in the labyrinth of his own accounts and diagnoses, the perception of reality seems to become blurred. Even the show’s very nature appears fluid and undefinable. What starts as a lecture on neuropsychiatry turns into a concert or morphs into a visual delirium.
Oscillating between science, entertainment and art, the performance searches for a fixed form – guided not least by an immersive role-play that is set in an imaginary future and opens a view of a radically integrative society, free of stigma and taboos around mental fragility.

“Irrsinn – Die Show” invites us to review our relationship with people’s mental constitution. Where does reality end and imagination begin? From what point is our perception considered pathological? What are the criteria that determine what we regard as normal in our experience of reality; how have these criteria evolved over the course of history, and how can we reinvent them for the future?

Diederik Peeters obtained a master’s degree in visual arts in Ghent, Belgium. He has performed in various international theatre, dance and film productions and served as an artistic consultant for productions of like-minded artists. His own works oscillate between performance and installation and are presented both in theatres and exhibition contexts. In 2019, he produced the piece “Erscheinungen” at Residenz. His current exploration of divergent perceptions of reality has been tested in a variety of artistic formats over a period of two years at several locations in Europe. In March 2024, he presented “Wahnsinn – Ein (live) Podcast” in Leipzig, a first preliminary stage of the project that is now being finalised with “Irrsinn – Die Show”.