If the permits are obtained on Monday, construction of the waste cathedral in Koekangerveld can start this week. On the pasture of farmer Bert Jansen at the Mr. J. de Blieckweg is creating a circular theater consisting of scaffolding, discarded banners and white cloths that contractors use in construction and that they normally throw away after construction.
There was an almost cheerful atmosphere in the Theaterschuur in Linde on Saturday afternoon at the starting afternoon of what should be the highlight of Wiede Wold: the theater performances Atropos in the waste cathedral in question. It should be the icing on the cake of De Wolden as a cultural municipality of Drenthe. Almost everyone involved in the prestigious circular project was present. From the ladies of the sewing workshop, the professional and amateur actors, members of the Koekangerveld Village Team, designers and the people behind the scenes.
Circular design
The enthusiasm with which an Atropos cake was cut clearly reflected the attitude of everyone involved in this Peergroup theater project. There was plenty of news to report: that the construction of the waste cathedral will start soon, but especially the design of the structure. NICE, the Northern Innovation Center for Circular Economy, plays a major role in this. Ascon de Nijs from Amsterdam is the designer of the cathedral as well as the complete decor and he provided insight into the ideas behind his grand, but also circular design. “A pimple in the landscape near Koekangerveld with two towers, which belongs to a cathedral. A building without plastic, only with material that is given a new purpose,” said De Nijs.
For example, those banners that can be found everywhere in the streets to promote events and are often no longer needed afterwards. “We now collect them, get them from everywhere. From Amsterdam to Groningen and Meppel. We also collect texts at various places in De Wolden: what do people from De Wolden think about the environment, for example. All these texts are written on the banners and are then clearly readable for everyone.” The construction of the cathedral is supervised by a resident of the village: Rob Wolswinkel, who has the necessary experience in that area.
Heavy bunker music
Those present on Saturday also got an insight into the music and dance of Atropos. Tom van Wee is a composer and producer and spoke to the people in Linde through a video. The accompanying bunker music was quite heavy, but he immediately showed another side of his work. The dance by choreographer Anne van Suurendonk also came to those present through the film: it left them speechless. “It will be a really big thing, which is why we as a Peer Group only do this once every four years,” said Dirk Bruinsma, responsible for the entire concept and also director. “I wanted to integrate dance into location theater, which has never happened before. You mainly see it in a black box, I want to bring it into the light. It was a special search for how to integrate the music, dance and text.”
Timeless shapes
With the ladies from the sewing studio in the front row in the Theater Barn, fashion designer Jonathan Kok Wai Ho talked about his ideas. “No boring production work, but designs based on old clothing, which with emotions and feelings become timeless shapes. We have very talented people in Koekangerveld, a total of about sixty costumes are made.” The twenty young players who together play the leading role Atropos (previously called Max), were previously able to show what their favorite clothes are; based on this they are fitted with a costume.
Short term thinking
The story of Atropos was written by Bruinsma, partly inspired by various books. The book ‘The Great Ancestor’ by Roman Krznaric about man’s increasingly short-term thinking, but also The Story of Stuff’ by Annie Leonard about overproduction in the world and its consequences. Perhaps the most inspiration came from the book ‘Small people in the big world’ by our own A. den Doolaard. “It is the downside of all our stuff, it has an expiration date. Many things end up in nature or are burned, which produces extra emissions,” says Bruinma. “Roman Krznaric writes that short-term thinking must be replaced by the long term. That is called cathedral thinking, that is how the waste cathedral came into being.”
On the Malieveld
Everyone is really looking forward to it, as became very clear on Saturday afternoon in Linde. Such as cultural councilor Albert Haar and mayor Inge Nieuwenhuizen of the municipality of De Wolden. “We have to look for a different path for the future, but there are still people who see the future as a threat,” Haar philosophized. “But the future also offers perspective, what is possible in the countryside of De Wolden? Actually, the waste cathedral should be on the Malieveld in The Hague. I hope that Atropos provides a new perspective.”
The mayor then noted that he encountered people every day in De Wolden who actually thought about the future. It is not without reason that this is the theme attached to Wiede Wold: The future of the countryside.
For more information: www.wiedewold.nl