Seek what's behind the veil; there you will find true beauty. When the veil falls from the face of mysteries, the world and its inhabitants will vanish.
——The Hoopoe in "Conference of the birds"————
Folds&Wrinkles
“Elders and ancestors are the oldest inhabitants on earth. Like stones and rocks they carry ‘deep knowledge’ of the earth. Time is carved in the wrinkles of the elderly. The stratification of a body becomes visible in the transparency of the skin. The fragility of the older body is opposed to the inner strength that comes from silent wisdom and deep knowing. ”
In Folds&Wrinkles Rebecca Lenaerts starts from linen, textiles and cotton bedsheets from her family. With this material full of story she transforms her body into a sculpture. The textile sculpts the body. The folds have a life of their own. Moving in still time. The layering of this moving stillness resonates through the material. The viewer witnesses how the layers slowly peel off.
Folds&Wrinkles was created in collaboration with choreographer Rasa Alksnyte. Both artists work within the organisation MUS-E Belgium on the connection between art and (elderly) care. This performance fits within The Ambulants and Nikutai, the poetic body; two MUS-E projects that seek meaningful cultural participation for the elderly. The experience of the performance is closed with a sharing circle over a cup of tea
CREDITS: Concept and performance: Rebecca Lenaerts in collaboration with Rasa Alksnyte, costume by Amber De Saeger. With the support of GC Nohva, Sabam for Culture, MUS-E Belgium (2023).