Holle Haven

During the first lockdown, Gaea Schoeters wrote an adaptation of Paul Van Ostaijen's poem Holle Haven for De Buren's Besmette Stad (Infected City) project. In the months that followed, that text was transformed into a kind of slam 2.0 for voice, mezzo-soprano, and prepared piano during a co-creation with pianist Lies Colman, mezzo Els Mondelaers, and composer Annelies Van Parys. By bringing together spoken word and contemporary classical music, they wanted to explore and stretch the boundaries of the genre. Photographer Sébastien Van Malleghem ventured out into Antwerp at night and translated the music into film. And now director Sjaron Minailo is taking the final step and bringing all these elements together into a staged performance that paints a picture of the impact of the pandemic on our lives.