First Draw

As in so many fairy tales, it is safe to start here with : ‘Once upon a time ….’.

The world of Captain Bebop, alter ego for designer Raf Roefflaer, is inhabited by countless strange but also recognisable figures and creatures who take the viewer into their story and thus lead you into a bizarre yet relevant spectacle.

For the Captain, things are just the way they are. Sometimes the characters want to impose themselves or, on the contrary, retreat from an imposed position. They question why exactly they are there or what to do with the given situation . They put into perspective the environment they find themselves in. And isn’t putting things into perspective exactly what the world needs?

What’s in a name?

‘Bebop’ sounds light-hearted and cheerful. It is a word frequently used in the comics of Philip Paquet, a very admirable cartoonist/illustrator with an obvious love of Jazz and music history. Bebop is actually a hybrid, a kind of jam session of different instruments within the same theme. Each plays its own part and yet they all belong together. Similarly, ‘Planet Bebop’ aims to show a collection of various pieces of work (Graphics, Ceramics, Paintings, Multimedia, …). Each different, yet all fitting into their own formal language and with their own story. Also, there is also a purely ‘coincidental’ connection with the manga ‘Cowboy Bebop’ created by Hajime Yatate.

Frequently Asked Questions

Bebop is one of the Captain’s favourite music streams and usually resounds throughout the whole studio. Bebop or bop is a style of jazz developed in the early-to-mid-1940s in the United States. The style features compositions characterized by a fast tempo (usually exceeding 200 bpm), complex chord progressions with rapid chord changes and numerous changes of key, instrumental virtuosity, and improvisation based on a combination of harmonic structure, the use of scales and occasional references to the melody.

An astronaut is a person trained, equipped, and deployed by a human spaceflight program to serve as a commander or crew member aboard a spacecraft. Through time and space. Captain Bebop goes in search of new and imaginative worlds.

Making ‘Bebop things’ takes a lot of time and not all exhibits are made on site. Due to the many meetings and design work in between, the Bebop Tower is open by appointment only.

In Aztec Adventure: ‘the Bebop Odyssey’, Captain Bebop ventures into uncharted territory with his Team. Like an experienced explorer, he orchestrates a peril-filled expedition to a far-flung Aztec kingdom…. In this quest of sculptures, installations and graphic work, the viewer is immersed in the mysterious realm of ‘Pechimebra’.
This total experience would eventually lead to one of the most visited exhibitions at CC De Bogaard.

The captain is everybody’s friend. Astronauts and cosmonauts are trained personnel who travel in space. “Astronaut” refers to an American or western European space traveler and “cosmonaut” refers to a Soviet or Russian space traveler. China calls its space travelers “taikonauts.” 

Designing and executing is one thing, but Bebop wouldn’t be Bebop if no one believed in it. Not just the people who have already adopted a piece, but also the people who have helped shape the Bebop World and are still helping to figure out which direction the ship is sailing every day. I would like to thank them for their support and trust. Thank you all!

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