Stef Van Looveren:
Radical Hope – Eye to Eye

• Sexual content
• Full nudity
• Penetration
• Slapping
• Sextoys
• Elements of BDSM
• In one scene a corsett is placed on in a strict but still caring way.

All these scenes take place non- violent, in a caring way with full consent of the performers and under their own terms.

You can find more information on working with content notes on the house here.

If any questions remain from the following information, please feel free to contact Hannah Aldinger at barrierefreiheit@sophiensaele.com or 030 27 89 00 35. Please note that details may change by the day of the event. Therefore, if you find out after you have purchased your ticket that the performance is no longer accessible to you, you can contact us for a ticket return at ticketing@sophiensaele.com or 030 27 89 00 45 until 5 business days after the event (Monday through Friday between 10am and 6pm).

Duration

• 90 minutes
• The Performance begins with a sequence in the Festsaalfoyer, that will last about 10–15 minutes.
• After that the performance continues in the Festsaal, about 60–75 minutes.

Language

• No Language

Audio Description

• The performance on 9 December will take place with German audio description.
• The tactile tour beforehand will take place at 8 pm. The meeting point for the tactile tour is in front of the box office in the courtyard.
• If required, we offer a pick-up service for blind and visually impaired people from the nearby S-Bahn and tram stations before the guided tours. These are S-Bahn Hackescher Markt or the tram station Weinmeisterstraße/Gipsstraße. Unfortunately, the Weinmeisterstraße underground station is currently not available due to construction work. To make use of the pick-up service, please contact Hannah Aldinger on 030 27 89 00 35 or barrierefreiheit@sophiensaele.com during our business hours (Monday to Friday between 10 am and 6 pm).
• You can find more information about audio descriptions and tactile tours at Sophiensaele here.

Light

Festsaalfoyer:

• Constantly monotone green or red light, that won’t change

Festsaal:

• There are several changes between more intense and softer light:
• Quite foggy in the beginning, when you enter the room - but some parts are lit up
• Club experience
• Neon light
• Candles
• Light motions
• Shimmering light, that changes
• Dimmed light
• Stroposcope in one moment (When the soil gets activated, there is a voice coming in, and mumbles. After that there are two performers going into the soil and there will be strobe.)
• Moving lights go around and could go over the audience as well.
• Blinding light on the side is possible
• There is one moment, when the light goes out and the beamer goes on.
• The Beamer shows a videoprojection with people who a moving in a quite bright and white infinite space (clinical/studio light).

Sound

• There are several changes between heavier and softer sounds:

Festsaalfoyer:

• soft sounds
• sound of slapping on a sculpture
• vocalization of pain

Festsaal:

• It can get loud at certain points
• Ritualistic and spacious sounds
• Clubby/danceable sound

Atmosphere

• There is a moment that could feel a little dangerous because of the atmosphere created by the sounds, lights and fast moving performers.

Other effects

• Incence gets burned

Audience area

• 2 beanbag seats bookable according to availability
• 2 wheelchair seats bookable according to availability
• There are a few chairs with backrest available.
• You can move freely through the room, or watch the performance from a fixed position of your choice (standing, lying, sitting).
• You can leave the room and come back at any time.
• Sometimes, the performers come close to the audience.
• At the end, the performers cut flowers and offer them to the audience. It is up to the audience if and how they want to receive the flowers.

Arrival

• Due to the Christmas market in Sophienstraße, the Sophiensaele cannot be approached by car on december 9. Further information on how to get there and parking can be found here.

Early boarding

If, for artistic reasons, the door to the auditorium does not open until very shortly before the performance begins, there is the option of early boarding.

Tickets

• Reservations can be made via the ticket telephone at 030 283 52 66, Monday to Friday from 4pm–6pm
• Via the online ticket shop
• At the box office

You can also find more information about accessibility here.

Concept, Performance, Sculpture and Installation Art: Stef Van Looveren
Assistant Performance Art: Mustaf Ahmeti
Technical Assistant: Gizem Karaosmanoglu
Performers: Mustaf Ahmeti, Oriana Mangala Ikomo Wanga, Julia Tröscher, Sofie Anny Nicea Velghe, Inge Grognard, Nicolas Maxim Endlicher, Rachel Alvarez Rodriguez, Stef Van Looveren
Light: Anne Meeussen
Sound: Nicolas Maxim Endlicher aka MCMLXXXV, Cem Dukkha
Assistants: Philipp Henri Kern, Ines Bodlovic
Thanks to: Julia Tröscher, Emilija Dūdaitė, Anthe Hermans, Philipp Kern, Ines Bodlovic, Charlotte De Waegenaere, Deborah Bloemen, Marloes Dadswell
Commission and co-production by: DE SINGEL

A production by Stef Van Looveren. The performance is supported by the Goethe-Institut. With the support of the City of Antwerp and the Flemish Government. Media partners: Arts of the Working Class, Berlin Art Link, Das Wetter, Missy Magazine, Siegessäule, taz.

Stef Van Looveren is an Antwerp based multidisciplinary artist. They studied Fine Arts at Central Saint Martins, London and Sint Lucas, Antwerp. Stef Van Looveren’s practice translates itself into video installation, photo, sculpture and performance. Van Looveren uses the installations as an attempt to reflect and dismantle the performativity of our human behavior. The transition and the in-between are central to their work; reflecting processes of human existence that subvert taboos on sex, gender, and sexuality.