Here are our reviews, all on one page, most recent first . . .
31st MAY
This evening we returned to Galerie Artline for a musical event by Space_tial, a band founded by Italian composer Alberto Tudisca with clarinettist MIchele Adelizzi in Tilburg and together they explore the world or space and science fiction. Their work Mima, which they performed last night, is inspired by the epic Swedish poem Aniara and Mima is an AI that offers personalized experiences to space travellers. Mr Tudisca played what looked like a small round barbecue but is apparently called a handpan. This unlikely looking instrument produces beautiful sounds when tapped with the fingers. Aided by an array of computers, effects, lights and projections the duo produced a very satisfying and relaxing set. Recommended.
30th MAY
One thing I particularly like about the Delft Fringe Festival is the locations. Not content with conventional or predictable sites any space that has enough room for a performer and some wooden benches for the audience is fair gain. So cafés, shops, art galleries, botanical gardens, private houses and factories – both in-use and former – are all grist to the mill, as is Delft’s only mill itself. All are wonderful atmospheric and often unique spaces but they are not always suitable for performances. But more of that later.
For the first of our two visits last night we were at Heleen van Haaften’s excellent Artline gallery on Voldersgracht to see Fran Schollaert’s one-woman show, (Un)familiar. She waited patiently, squatting on the floor in a simple long black dress for the audience to take their seats. Before the performance started Ms. Schollaert warned us that this was going to be a harrowing experience and if it proved too much for anyone they were free to leave. But nobody did, this was riveting, absorbing stuff.
The performance, part dance, part mime often took the form of unspoken dialogue with an unseen figure. The interaction caused anger, subjugation, but most of, all fear. This was moving and, yes, harrowing but above all powerful. I hate to imagine what events and situations inspired this story but like many traumatic experiences, it resulted in a fine and very worthy piece of art. Enjoyable is not a suitable description for witnessing someone’s nightmare, but I’m glad I saw it.
Our second visit involved a short walk to Rietveld to see Liza Sulaiman perform her Iraqi Bodies. This took place in a private garage and courtyard and was an interesting enough space. However, it was arranged in such a way that any given moment about eighty per cent of the audience would not be able to see anything and have no idea what was going on. This is a perennial problem, not only with this Festival, when the performer and audience are on the same level but it is particularly acute when it is a dancer who spends a lot of time on the floor. It is not fair on the audience and it is not fair on the artist.
So, as I wasn’t able to see most of the performance, I am unable to comment on it. What I did catch of the second part was impressive. Ms Sulaiman sat on an antique armchair in the open courtyard with a tablet which she moved around in front of her upper body, screen towards the audience. It was as though she was taking selfies or X-rays with the tablet’s camera. For the finalé she held the tablet up in front of her lower face. However, the lower face on the screen was not hers, but a man with a beard. Such were the conditions in the space that my companion wasn’t even aware a tablet was being used until towards the end Ms Sulaiman when stood up.
This issue with sight-lines must be addressed and the organizers must be aware of how they arrange a venue. You can’t just put down a row of wooden benches and hope for the best. Michael Hasted 31st May 2024
THE OPENING NIGHT
The 2024 Delft Fringe Festival got off to a flying start at the Theater de Vest on a cold and wet evening with three performances and a lot of speeches. Director Roel Funcken told the packed audience that, “Stories give colour to your world. Especially in these times, listen carefully to what is really being said. Take these stories with you and share them with the people around you.” While Delft Councilor for Culture, Frank van Vliet said, “The stories at Fringe keep you moving and thus contribute to happiness.”
First up was Stories of Begetters performed by Ard Kok, Bob Donkers and Remijn Weijdema as three young men who had instigated abortions for their respective partners. They told their stories and provided some music on the way.
Next Oudail el Omari in a set consisting of various dusty suitcases told us his story. He was born in Curaçao and grew up in a mountain village in Lebanon. At the age of 13 he emigrated to the Netherlands with his parents. In poetic terms he talks about his wonderful childhood in Lebanon, where he played carefree in his grandmother’s garden. When that ends, he packs a small suitcase with a few important things: his religion, his culture, his language and his voice. Oudail’s story reveals homesickness. Where is his home? He concludes with: “I build my own house with my own bricks.”
After the interval dance makers Emma Thomson and Mariví van den Hooff performed But What If We. In their dance we see two people who interact with each other in different ways. Harmonious and comforting. Aggressive and desperate. The movements are synchronous, supporting or opposing each other. The strong facial expressions of both dancers complement their movements perfectly. Despite the struggles with each other, there is always a tempestuous embrace. Until one last, calm embrace. Then they each go in a different direction.
The Delft Fringe Festival continues until 9th June.
