Jeff Mills Transforms Rembrandt’s Masterpiece in New Film Premiering at Amsterdam Dance Event

In an unexpected collision of classical art and electronic music, Detroit techno pioneer Jeff Mills has collaborated with event organisers Audio Obscura to reinterpret one of the world’s most famous paintings.

Mills was invited to study Rembrandt’s 1642 masterpiece, ‘De Nachtwacht’ (The Night Watch), and respond with an original multimedia creation. The resulting film is set to premiere at the Rijksmuseum during this year’s Amsterdam Dance Event.

Rather than simply using the historic artwork as a static backdrop for a DJ set, Mills composed a completely new narrative. His work imagines the arrival of arts patron Marie de’ Medici just beyond the edges of Rembrandt’s original canvas. This conceptual extension of the painting inspired both Mills’ musical composition and the accompanying choreography by dancer Sophie Boursier.

“It was a great pleasure to create, explore and perform in the presence of Rembrandt’s The Night Watch. The painting is an incredible source of inspiration and invites you to look, think and imagine in a different way.” – Jeff Mills

Directed by Hans Pannecoucke, the film takes audiences on a visual journey down the museum’s Gallery of Honour. The performance is split into three distinct acts. It begins with Mills at his equipment before Boursier steps in to manifest the imagined characters through dance directly in front of the painting. The piece concludes with a live performance by Mills, eventually fading out to leave only Rembrandt’s historic work in focus.

“We didn’t ask Jeff Mills to play a DJ set with De Nachtwacht as a backdrop. We asked him to study the painting and respond to it as an artist. He built an entire world around it, from the music and dance to the way viewers approach the work. This project captures what Audio Obscura stands for: we create culture, not just events.”– Jeroen Fontein, co-founder and managing director of Audio ObscuraCreating culture, not just events

The Rijksmuseum presentation serves as the opening act for Audio Obscura’s wider ADE programme. The organisation is well known for merging electronic music with unique architectural spaces. They have previously hosted parties at Amsterdam Central Station and an exclusive rave on the A10 motorway.

Supported by museum founder KPN, an exclusive premiere will take place in the Gallery of Honour on Wednesday 21 October. Public screenings will then run in the Rijksmuseum auditorium from Thursday 22 October to Sunday 25 October. A limited number of complimentary tickets are available to the public.