What's underneath?

Water is a word that entails a lot of content. Water is a formula. Water is the sea, a river or a lake. Water is ice and water is gas. With water we wash ourselves. Our body consists more than half of water. In short, water is the foundation of a whole range of things existing on planet earth. A life without water is impossible, but at the same time it has the power to take away our lives. In my research, water is a metaphor for anxiety and might. These are two terms where an area of tension arises mutually. The mystery and uncertainty that runs between these two concepts is the guidance through the design. The power that water contains, both to steal lives and give lives brings forward a dark, double feeling. A feeling that I want to use for making people aware, translated into a scenography.

What’s underneath? takes place at Nemo33 in Brussels. The pool is 25 by 25 meter en exists of 5 levels of depth. The deepest point is located in a twelve-angled pit and measures about 34 meters to the bottom. For the scenography, I designed an experiential space reflecting different aspects of my research. The visit to the area has to be done barefoot. Concepts such as anxiety, darkness, ignorance and vulnerability coalesce into a dark and mysterious scenography. The highlight of the visit is the descent into the 24 meters deep and dark pit, which is accompanied by visuals and sounds. Virtually, you go underwater and experience some fearful and groundbreaking minutes. The design lets you get acquainted with the dark side of the phenomenon of water and is reflected by your deeper emotions.