On the Burg in Bruges, an eye-catching “dream mast” is erected. Not only is it beautiful to look at with its nod to the sea but also to listen to. Dreamy sounds emanate; colourful ribbons flutter in the breeze. Passers-by, young and old, are invited to add their wishes to the mast. On the last day of the festival, they will be brought to the canal at the Concertgebouw. Michiel Alberts will acknowledge all the hopes and dreams during a ritual performance before commending them to the water and the wind. All these wishes will thus be carried to the sea.
Wensen voor de wind
Theme
Wensen voor de wind (Wishes for the Wind) links the Reie Festival’s theme of “Faith” to the hopes and prayers of the locals and visitors who pass by. The colourful ribbons reference the cloth trade that made medieval Bruges rich, as well as the prayer flags that you find in some temples. The connection with the sea recalls Bruges as a port city with its abundance of sailor’s hopes and dreams: prayers for a safe journey and return; hopes for a good catch and dreams of finding treasure. But the dream mast also speaks to the universal wishes that have always existed: wishes for comfort and connection, wishes made to all the different deities.
Credits
Concept Michiel Alberts & NARWAL (Winny Ang & Bart Verheyen)
Dream mast and raft builders Sig Beunen and Sarah Geirnaert (Timecircus)
Performance Michiel Alberts
Music & soundscape Ruben Nachtergaele
Live electronics Stef Heeren
Michiel Alberts (°1972) has been active for many years as a performance artist, visual artist and theatre maker and devised Wensen voor de wind in collaboration with Narwal. His work focuses on durational, concentrated actions, ritual performances and visual narratives. In 2020, following many visual performances, photographic, cinematographic and graphic works, he returned to the theatre and directing with De Tijdtemmer (2020) for WITHWIT, with whom he also created De Stad (2021) and De Grote Zwarte Vogel (2022).
NARWAL is Winny Ang (°1975) and Bart Verheyen (°1986). As a team, they look for inspiring collaborations and unexpected cross-pollinations.
Winny Ang loves the stories big and small that she encounters in daily life. This passion led her to train as a child and adolescent psychiatrist, specialise in cultural psychiatry and teach communication and diversity to future doctors (Antwerp University). Winny also enjoys inventing stories. To date, she has authored three children’s books, published by Studio Sesam and De Eenhoorn.
Bart Verheyen is a classical pianist, organist and teacher at the Royal Conservatory of Antwerp. He performs at home and abroad, both solo and in ensembles. Among others, he has collaborated with Katrien Baerts, I Solisti and Collegium Novum Zürich. He is also a composer and enjoys dialoguing with other art disciplines and other fields. This is how he created the soundscape for Captain Nemo, NARWAL’s first production.
Sig Beunen (°1985) and Sarah Geirnaert (°1986) are the dream mast and raft builders. They belong to the artist collective Timecircus, where they make a diverse range of different structures from recycled materials. They work with various theatre companies.
Ruben Nachtergaele (°1974) provides the music and soundscapes for the installations. As a performing arts composer and musician, he has collaborated for many local and international theatre companies and artists. He founded Audiomakerij Selkie together with Eva De Groote, and creates artistic podcasts including Nabij and the Fabelachtige stad. As a solo artist, he has created sound installations at home and abroad. His performances fall in the realm of perception, consciousness and transformation. His creations are inspired by listening, and a love for and focus on silence.
