Klei

Press

Critics choice: “This striking representation offers a non-hierarchical view of the Earth” – de Theaterkrant

Read the whole review (in Dutch)

★★★★★ – de Volkskrant

“The true Spring vibe, centred on breathtaking performances, only really emerged the following day, at the premiere of Klei, a gruelling 90-minute ordeal featuring two percussionists and three performers, who immersed themselves in a pool containing ten tonnes of clay and five hundred litres of water. Together with kinetic artist Zoro Feigl and sound artist Gemma Luz Bosch, director Boukje Schweigman designed a thrilling sensory performance, full of bubbling sounds, soggy masquerades and quivering bodies. What began as mudflat walking to the power of ten, in a playful piste-like form, turned out to be a mythical whirlpool of bubbling mud pools. Associations abound, from the creation of golems to an amphibious toad migration, and from sinking into a sucking swamp to the raging revenge of an abused earth.”

Read the whole review (in Dutch)

For KLEI Zoro Feigl has created an earthy and unpredictable clay landscape. Within it, the performers of Schweigman& surrender to the rhythm, the vibration, the weight, and the transience of the clay. At times, body and clay merge, feeling safe and familiar. At others, it becomes a struggle as the greater forces of the landscape seem to take over. Percussionists from HIIIT play ceramic instruments by Gemma Luz Bosch, creating a sonic world of clay and water.

Klei is an exploration of the ancient connection between humans and clay, in all its beauty, struggle, and wonder. The performance is an invitation to return to the essence. How do we relate to our bodies? And to the land on which we live?

“This time calls for us to come together, to listen to what wants to be heard and felt from the underlying layers of our existence. How do we learn to listen again to the signals of our bodies and of the earth?” – Boukje Schweigman

Allow yourself to be immersed in this musical and sensory world of clay.

Dish of the Day from the Noordertuin at Steck

Before the performance, head to the Noordertuin, where a pop-up festival kitchen will be serving up delicious food!

From 5.30 pm, you can enjoy a vegetarian daily special (€14.50) and snacks such as pita bread with dips, BBQ corn on the cob and Noordertuin popcorn.

You can sit comfortably on their lovely terrace and get into the spirit of things. There’s also a bar where you can order drinks. Plus, there are the beautiful gardens of Voedseltuin Overvecht, the Gagelgaard, the Glitter Gladiool and Stekkers, so do come and enjoy all the greenery.

Noordertuin is a garden café in Utrecht, Overvecht, located on the grounds of the Steck garden centre, where they work with whatever is locally and seasonally available. A warm, green spot where indoors and outdoors blend seamlessly and where you’re welcome to linger. Many of the ingredients come from the immediate vicinity, including the Food Garden opposite the terrace, and together with local producers and partners, they are building a place where food, environment and community are interconnected.