‘The intention of Homo Sapiens 12,000 years ago was to domesticate grain, but grain ultimately domesticated Homo Sapiens.’ - Yuval Noah Harari

In the collection of heroic stories, Gilgamesh, who is often accompanied by his friend Enkidu, experiences mythological adventures. For example, he goes in search of eternal life, or he fights a duel with supernatural creatures sent to Uruk by the gods. In addition, he confronts himself with existential questions concerning, among other things, the awareness of mortality.

The epic is one of the oldest examples of literature in human history. The stories were passed down orally for centuries and later frequently written down in cuneiform script. The definitive version is thought to date from the twelfth century BC, but older fragments date back to the third millennium.

Together with Mesut Alp, archaeologistand expert on Mesopotamia, Mesut Arslan rewrote the epic and excavated a number of contemporary core themes from it. Arslan and Alp treat the encounter between Enkidu and Gilgamesh as one that pits nature against civilisation, Homo Sapiens against Neanderthals, and time against space.

© Stan Wannet


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In the beginning there is an ordinary girl, in the wild, near a river. Suddenly, she is given a task by the Gods: she must create the humans and she must invent a language to teach the humans everything she knows. 

Play with the 'Oermoeder' (primal mother/ ancestress) to turn the room into a cave, into a belly, into a mouth, into a dream, into a lake. Sound by sound, letter by letter, word by word, you come to listen to an ancient, comforting myth in which your own creation can find a place. As a versatile theatre maker and writer, Enrica Camporesi investigates what language means and how we do and change things with our words. In 'Oertaal - oefeningen'  she spreads an invented myth in the form of texts, improvisations and theatre workshops. For the STORMOPKOMST performance at C- Mine, Genk, she opens her research room to the public with the help of dancer Andreia Rodrigues and vocalist Mieke Bombeke. Read more...
 

For three days, Beyond the Black Box breaks out of boxes and dares to colour outside the lines of the classical genres. During this transdisciplinary festival, you will discover artists who go off-grid, presenting work that goes beyond easily categorisable disciplines. For this Antwerp edition, we bring together artistic practices that manoeuvre on the cutting edge of disciplines, exploring their boundaries and forging new connections. 

We present work of Dan Mussett, Laurent Delom de Mézerac, Sophie Guisset, Clement Layes, Par Hasard, Tiran Willemse, Evelien Cammaert, Benjamin Vandewalle & HYOID, CREW & K.A.K., ...  Beyond the Black Box invites creators and the public to experiment with form, space and time. The festival challenges you to look at things differently. Be surprised by works in unexpected places and moments. 

Following the traces of the Amsterdam edition of Beyond the Black Box (Brakke Grond, SoAP Maastricht en C-TAKT), four Belgian organisations (C-TAKT, Monty, Platform 0090 and wpZimmer) breathe life into an Antwerp version of the festival. Read more...
 

In RETROSPECT, we take a trip down memory lane and we shine a light on a performance, happening or installation that has been produced / coproduced by Platform 0090. This month, we'd like to highlight YU by Gizem Aksu. 

This work is an attempt for a provocative and productive way of thinking about body, and life; the electromagnetic spheres all hearts/ intestines/ stomachs resonate with, affect, meaning, reality and life. Silence and darkness welcome the unseen and unhearable presence of deep-in-side of the body. With/in the silence of the muscular ground, it may be time for the organs to dance, shake and vibrate the world!

Watch the trailer of YU by clicking the image, or click here!