With KIOSK, Te Jong & Te Laet present an ice cream stand as the starting point for an audio walk exploring the forgotten history of Bruges’ origins. From medieval pirates and smugglers to the squatter movement of the 1970s and today’s activists: Bruges turns out to be a city with a rich but often unknown counterculture. How does resistance relate to the city? What traces remain? And how does that memory live on? Te Jong & Te Laet translated these questions into a legend about a forgotten counterculture: stories of underground voices resisting the dominant narrative. Through testimonies from neighborhood residents, local organizations, and archival research, the creators bring these hidden histories to light.
Ice takes center stage: water that refuses to flow and resists in its solid form. Thus, ice becomes a symbol of frozen history and hidden counterforces. Perhaps it even preserves tiny remnants of the past that, just like Ice Age fossils, might resurface?
For the performance, the creators set up an ice cream stand in the Arentshof. From there, visitors—ice cream in hand—embark on an audio walk through a hidden Bruges. While tourists follow the well-known routes, the listening group forms an unexpected countercurrent. KIOSK lets you experience the city with fresh eyes.
Credits
Concept and Production Te Jong & Te Laet Co-production with Brugge Plus (Reiefestival) With thanks to the voices, stories, and traces of Bruges’ countercurrents that helped shape the journey along the way