Mining Stories
In November 2015, a dam containing toxic mining waste collapsed a few miles away from Silke’s childhood home in the South of Brazil. A devastating flood of mud destroyed several villages below the dam. In the next couple of days, the poisonous sludge flowed into the river Rio Doce and eventually reached the Atlantic Ocean. The ecological impact and environmental pollution was the largest ever recorded.
Silke returned to her hometown in Brazil together with her partner Hannes in order to talk to people affected by the incident and get a grip on its immense consequences. Back in Belgium they did additional interviews with experts from various fields of knowledge, amongst others a mining expert, an activism researcher and an economics professor.
Using field recordings from their conversations in Brazil and Belgium, ‘Mining Stories’ brings together multiple perspectives on the impact of the disaster. Each of the speakers tell the story of the disaster from their own context, with their own nuances and points of interest. The result is a journey through a diverse collection of personal stories crossing topics such as memory, resistance, religion, and storytelling.
'Mining Stories' was selected for Circuit X (Belgium) in 2017 and was awarded the main prize at Zürcher Theaterspektakel (Switzerland) in 2018 with the jury stating that "Huysmans and Dereere rely on an impressive yet simple staging, with an honest, ethical statement with regard to eco-political topics and issues.”
By & with: Silke Huysmans & Hannes Dereere
Dramaturgical advice: Dries Douibi
Production: Silke Huysmans & Hannes Dereere, Bâtard Festival, Kwp Pianofabriek
Coproduction: Kaap
With the support of: VGC & Sabam for Culture
Residencies: Kaap, Kwp Pianofabriek, Vooruit, De Grote Post, Veem House for Performance
Portuguese transcriptions: Luanda Casella, Miguel Cipriano
German translation: Anneliese Ostertag
French translation: Pamina De Coulon
Thanks to: all conversation partners
REVIEW
‘Interessante denkoefening rond mijnramp’
De Theaterkrant (Belgium, 11.11.2016)
REVIEW
‘Das kann nur der Anfang sein, nicht abder das Ende’
Der Bund (Switzerland, 25.05.2018)
REVIEW
‘Ohne Rolf, Mit Ernst’
Berner Oberländer (Switzerland, 25.05.2018)
REVIEW
‘Exzellente Dokuperformance’
Der Standard (Austria, 07.08.2018)
REVIEW
‘Wo Sprache sich nicht mehr auskennt’
Perlentaucher Kulturmagazin (Austria, 08.08.2018)
REVIEW
‘Mutig, schön und unglaublich stark!’
Der Republik (Switzerland, 28.08.2018)
JURY-REVIEW
‘Zürcher Theaterspektakel, ZKB Förderpreis’
Zürcher Theaterspektakel (Switzerland, 01.09.2018)
REVIEW
‘Rudarske Zgodbe: Poskus Dehierarhizacije’
Kriterij (Slovenia, 14.09.2018)
REVIEW
‘One of the most engaging sixty minutes you’ll spend at this year’s Dublin Theatre Festival’
The Reviews Hub (Ireland, 29.09.2018)
REVIEW
‘Innovative, resonant take on a dam burst disaster’
The Irish Times (Ireland, 01.10.2018)
INTERVIEW
‘Rampgebied en hoe het weer op te bouwen’
De Standaard (Belgium, 02.11.2016)
RADIO-INTERVIEW
‘Noorderzon ondergronds’
NOS Radio 1 (The Netherlands, 18.08.2017)
RADIO-INTERVIEW
‘Belmondo’
Klara (Belgium, 26.08.2017)
INTERVIEW
‘Ons werk heeft altijd een documentair karakter’
Exit Magazine (Belgium, 01.10.2017)
ESSAY
‘The essay in times of crisis’
Performance Philosophy (UK, 03.09.2018)
ESSAY
‘Thinking out loud. Essayistic figures on stage.’
Etcetera (Belgium, 28.11.2018)
PAST DATES:
→ 2020
June 23: BE Festival, Birmingham (UK) *
May 5: CC Sint-Niklaas, Sint-Niklaas (BE) *
→ 2019
Dec 13: l'Ambazada, Notre-Dame-des-Landes (FR)
Oct 17: Festival Verão Azul, Loulé (PT)
Oct 10: 4+4 Days in Motion, Prague (CZ)
Sep 27: Trafó, Budapest (HU)
Sep 21: Conde duque, Madrid (ES)
Sep 20: Conde duque, Madrid (ES)
Jun 4: 2 Degrees Festival, London (UK)
Apr 24: C-Mine cultuurcentrum, Genk (BE)
Mar 23: La Villette, Paris (FR)
Mar 22: La Villette, Paris (FR)
→ 2018
Nov 17: Fast Forward, Dresden (DE)
Nov 16: Fast Forward, Dresden (DE)
Nov 11: CC Berchem, Antwerp (BE)
Nov 10: Arca NTGent, Ghent (BE)
Sep 30: Dublin Theatre Festival, Dublin (IRL)
Sep 29: (19:45) Dublin Theatre Festival, Dublin (IRL)
Sep 29: (15:45) Dublin Theatre Festival, Dublin (IRL)
Sep 28: Dublin Theatre Festival, Dublin (IRL)
Sep 21: CC Brasschaat, Antwerp (BE)
Aug 30: Mladi Levi, Ljubljana (SI)
Aug 28: Zürcher Theaterspektakel, Zurich (CH)
Aug 27: Zürcher Theaterspektakel, Zurich (CH)
Aug 26: Zürcher Theaterspektakel, Zurich (CH)
Aug 12: Theater op de Markt, Hasselt (BE)
Aug 11: Theater op de Markt, Hasselt (BE)
Aug 8: ImpulsTanz Festival, Vienna (AT)
Aug 6: ImpulsTanz Festival, Vienna (AT)
May 24: Auawirleben, Bern (CH)
May 23: Auawirleben, Bern (CH)
Apr 21: MOOOV Festival, Dilbeek (BE)
Mar 24: Festival Cement, Den Bosch (NL)
Mar 23: Festival Cement, Den Bosch (NL)
Mar 22: Festival Cement, Den Bosch (NL)
Feb 23: Théâtre de l'Usine, Geneva (CH)
Feb 22: Théâtre de l'Usine, Geneva (CH)
Feb 21: Théâtre de l'Usine, Geneva (CH)
Feb 16: Artefact Festival, Stuk, Leuven (BE)
Feb 15: Artefact Festival, Stuk, Leuven (BE)
Feb 10: Beursschouwburg, Brussels (BE)
Feb 9: Beursschouwburg, Brussels (BE)
Jan 27: Parallèle Festival, Marseille (FR)
Jan 25: CC ’t Schaliken, Herentals (BE)
→ 2017
Dec 15: Campo, Ghent (BE)
Dec 14: Campo, Ghent (BE)
Nov 11: Spielart, Munich (DE)
Nov 10: Next Festival, Harelbeke (BE)
Nov 8: Schwankhalle, Bremen (DE)
Nov 7: Schwankhalle, Bremen (DE)
Oct 28: Veem House for Performance, Amsterdam (NL)
Oct 27: Veem House for Performance, Amsterdam (NL)
Oct 26: Kunstencentrum Nona, Mechelen (BE)
Oct 20: Kaap, De Werf, Bruges (BE)
Oct 5: Explore Festival, Bucharest (RO)
Aug 31: Het Theaterfestival, Brussels (BE)
Aug 20: Noorderzon Festival, Groningen (NL)
Aug 19: Noorderzon Festival, Groningen (NL)
Aug 18: Noorderzon Festival, Groningen (NL)
Aug 17: Noorderzon Festival, Groningen (NL)
→ 2016
Nov 4: (22:00) Bâtard Festival, Brussels (BE)
Nov 4: (19:00) Bâtard Festival, Brussels (BE) | premiere
* cancelled / postponed due to covid-19
Mining Stories
In November 2015, a dam containing toxic mining waste collapsed a few miles away from Silke’s childhood home in the South of Brazil. A devastating flood of mud destroyed several villages below the dam. In the next couple of days, the poisonous sludge flowed into the river Rio Doce and eventually reached the Atlantic Ocean. The ecological impact and environmental pollution was the largest ever recorded.
Silke returned to her hometown in Brazil together with her partner Hannes in order to talk to people affected by the incident and get a grip on its immense consequences. Back in Belgium they did additional interviews with experts from various fields of knowledge, amongst others a mining expert, an activism researcher and an economics professor.
Using field recordings from their conversations in Brazil and Belgium, ‘Mining Stories’ brings together multiple perspectives on the impact of the disaster. Each of the speakers tell the story of the disaster from their own context, with their own nuances and points of interest. The result is a journey through a diverse collection of personal stories crossing topics such as memory, resistance, religion, and storytelling.
'Mining Stories' was selected for Circuit X (Belgium) in 2017 and was awarded the main prize at Zürcher Theaterspektakel (Switzerland) in 2018 with the jury stating that "Huysmans and Dereere rely on an impressive yet simple staging, with an honest, ethical statement with regard to eco-political topics and issues.”
By & with: Silke Huysmans & Hannes Dereere
Dramaturgical advice: Dries Douibi
Production: Silke Huysmans & Hannes Dereere, Bâtard Festival, Kwp Pianofabriek
Coproduction: Kaap
With the support of: VGC & Sabam for Culture
Residencies: Kaap, Kwp Pianofabriek, Vooruit, De Grote Post, Veem House for Performance
Portuguese transcriptions: Luanda Casella, Miguel Cipriano
German translation: Anneliese Ostertag
French translation: Pamina De Coulon
Thanks to: all conversation partners
REVIEW
‘Interessante denkoefening rond mijnramp’
De Theaterkrant (Belgium, 11.11.2016)
REVIEW
‘Das kann nur der Anfang sein, nicht abder das Ende’
Der Bund (Switzerland, 25.05.2018)
REVIEW
‘Ohne Rolf, Mit Ernst’
Berner Oberländer (Switzerland, 25.05.2018)
REVIEW
‘Exzellente Dokuperformance’
Der Standard (Austria, 07.08.2018)
REVIEW
‘Wo Sprache sich nicht mehr auskennt’
Perlentaucher Kulturmagazin (Austria, 08.08.2018)
REVIEW
‘Mutig, schön und unglaublich stark!’
Der Republik (Switzerland, 28.08.2018)
JURY-REVIEW
‘Zürcher Theaterspektakel, ZKB Förderpreis’
Zürcher Theaterspektakel (Switzerland, 01.09.2018)
REVIEW
‘Rudarske Zgodbe: Poskus Dehierarhizacije’
Kriterij (Slovenia, 14.09.2018)
REVIEW
‘One of the most engaging sixty minutes you’ll spend at this year’s Dublin Theatre Festival’
The Reviews Hub (Ireland, 29.09.2018)
REVIEW
‘Innovative, resonant take on a dam burst disaster’
The Irish Times (Ireland, 01.10.2018)
INTERVIEW
‘Rampgebied en hoe het weer op te bouwen’
De Standaard (Belgium, 02.11.2016)
RADIO-INTERVIEW
‘Noorderzon ondergronds’
NOS Radio 1 (The Netherlands, 18.08.2017)
RADIO-INTERVIEW
‘Belmondo’
Klara (Belgium, 26.08.2017)
INTERVIEW
‘Ons werk heeft altijd een documentair karakter’
Exit Magazine (Belgium, 01.10.2017)
ESSAY
‘The essay in times of crisis’
Performance Philosophy (UK, 03.09.2018)
ESSAY
‘Thinking out loud. Essayistic figures on stage.’
Etcetera (Belgium, 28.11.2018)
PAST DATES:
→ 2020
June 23: BE Festival, Birmingham (UK) *
May 5: CC Sint-Niklaas, Sint-Niklaas (BE) *
→ 2019
Dec 13: l'Ambazada, Notre-Dame-des-Landes (FR)
Oct 17: Festival Verão Azul, Loulé (PT)
Oct 10: 4+4 Days in Motion, Prague (CZ)
Sep 27: Trafó, Budapest (HU)
Sep 21: Conde duque, Madrid (ES)
Sep 20: Conde duque, Madrid (ES)
Jun 4: 2 Degrees Festival, London (UK)
Apr 24: C-Mine cultuurcentrum, Genk (BE)
Mar 23: La Villette, Paris (FR)
Mar 22: La Villette, Paris (FR)
→ 2018
Nov 17: Fast Forward, Dresden (DE)
Nov 16: Fast Forward, Dresden (DE)
Nov 11: CC Berchem, Antwerp (BE)
Nov 10: Arca NTGent, Ghent (BE)
Sep 30: Dublin Theatre Festival, Dublin (IRL)
Sep 29: (19:45) Dublin Theatre Festival, Dublin (IRL)
Sep 29: (15:45) Dublin Theatre Festival, Dublin (IRL)
Sep 28: Dublin Theatre Festival, Dublin (IRL)
Sep 21: CC Brasschaat, Antwerp (BE)
Aug 30: Mladi Levi, Ljubljana (SI)
Aug 28: Zürcher Theaterspektakel, Zurich (CH)
Aug 27: Zürcher Theaterspektakel, Zurich (CH)
Aug 26: Zürcher Theaterspektakel, Zurich (CH)
Aug 12: Theater op de Markt, Hasselt (BE)
Aug 11: Theater op de Markt, Hasselt (BE)
Aug 8: ImpulsTanz Festival, Vienna (AT)
Aug 6: ImpulsTanz Festival, Vienna (AT)
May 24: Auawirleben, Bern (CH)
May 23: Auawirleben, Bern (CH)
Apr 21: MOOOV Festival, Dilbeek (BE)
Mar 24: Festival Cement, Den Bosch (NL)
Mar 23: Festival Cement, Den Bosch (NL)
Mar 22: Festival Cement, Den Bosch (NL)
Feb 23: Théâtre de l'Usine, Geneva (CH)
Feb 22: Théâtre de l'Usine, Geneva (CH)
Feb 21: Théâtre de l'Usine, Geneva (CH)
Feb 16: Artefact Festival, Stuk, Leuven (BE)
Feb 15: Artefact Festival, Stuk, Leuven (BE)
Feb 10: Beursschouwburg, Brussels (BE)
Feb 9: Beursschouwburg, Brussels (BE)
Jan 27: Parallèle Festival, Marseille (FR)
Jan 25: CC ’t Schaliken, Herentals (BE)
→ 2017
Dec 15: Campo, Ghent (BE)
Dec 14: Campo, Ghent (BE)
Nov 11: Spielart, Munich (DE)
Nov 10: Next Festival, Harelbeke (BE)
Nov 8: Schwankhalle, Bremen (DE)
Nov 7: Schwankhalle, Bremen (DE)
Oct 28: Veem House for Performance, Amsterdam (NL)
Oct 27: Veem House for Performance, Amsterdam (NL)
Oct 26: Kunstencentrum Nona, Mechelen (BE)
Oct 20: Kaap, De Werf, Bruges (BE)
Oct 5: Explore Festival, Bucharest (RO)
Aug 31: Het Theaterfestival, Brussels (BE)
Aug 20: Noorderzon Festival, Groningen (NL)
Aug 19: Noorderzon Festival, Groningen (NL)
Aug 18: Noorderzon Festival, Groningen (NL)
Aug 17: Noorderzon Festival, Groningen (NL)
→ 2016
Nov 4: (22:00) Bâtard Festival, Brussels (BE)
Nov 4: (19:00) Bâtard Festival, Brussels (BE) | premiere
* cancelled / postponed due to covid-19