“This sense of shared humanity when you are in a room full of strangers and you feel that you can connect on such a deep level… it’s wow!”
“It’s dark inside and you get some excitement the way it’s building up. The way the box is moving – vibrating – you feel it inside and that makes you feel so connected with everything.”
“There’s this gentleness about it that transcends who we were in the room. We were all utterly equal.”
At its heart, BELONGALONG seeks non-ordinary ways to find playful connection and presence with others. Participants are guided from the discovery of the unique collectively-played instrument through a series of otherworldly visual and sonic pieces that invite connection through intentional listening.
The sounds and vibrations of the BELONGALONG are felt in the body and immediately participants realize that they themselves are the essential medium of the experience – that nothing comes to life without their collective intention. BELONGALONG is a collaborative experience that is as much about listening and opening up sonic space for others as it is about one’s own expression.
Important:
You can join a round at 19:00 or 21:00. After each round, there will be a short discussion with the participants and organizers.
BELONGALONG was created by Christopher Bowen, a sound and visual performance artist, instrument inventor, musician, actor, and composer for film.
His explorations into interactive, immersive theatrical group experiences started in 1991 when he began his decades-long career with the internationally acclaimed and Grammy-nominated Blue Man Group. During this time, he was a Blue Man as well as a Creative Development Director, Writer and Composer for the Group. His film scores include Cannes Camera d’Or winner ‘Jellyfish’, the Annie-nominated stop-motion feature ‘$9.99’, and the documentary feature ‘Nathan-ism’, 2023 winner of DocAviv’s Yad Vashem award.
Belongalong guides: Leyla de Muynck and Laila Claessen
Special contribution by: NYC-based musical artists Y&I (Yuli Beeri and Isaac Gardner)
Produced by: Alexandra Milteer
Interactive Systems Co-developed by: Rocco DiSanti
This program is part of The Grey Space’s residency program House Guests in which we facilitate the interaction between a work, the space and the audience. Each House Guest has a week-long mini-residency, culminating in a public event.
This edition of House Guests is supported by the municipality of The Hague.
