Join us at Varia for Water of Love, the second phase of Valentina Vella’s long-term project School of Love and Chaos (after Bad at Love, a performance with Luke Deane that took place in March 2024 at Paviljoen aan het water).

School of Love and Chaos weaves together themes of love and ecological threats through autofictional storytelling, science fiction, poetry, and performance, using cities closely linked to water—Rotterdam, New Orleans, Venice, and Rome—as its narrative landscapes. The threat of annihilation (the fear of losing physical and/or emotional control) is its narrative engine. At the core of this project lies a question: is there a significant correspondence between the material infrastructures we live surrounded by, and our intimate lives? How do the ways we, in the West, tend to handle physical survival—particularly in the face of ecological threats like flooding that are exacerbated by climate change—relate to how we manage romantic relationships, friendships, and community bonds? How does that feel in our bodies and in the body of these imaginary and autofictional characters?

Water of Love focuses more specifically on the many ways the Netherlands has tried to keep nature at bay. What does that do to our love life? Does the ocean have any opinions about the Dutch? Why does the Balgstuw Ramspol look like a gigantic condom?

There will be readings, there will be music, there will be completely improvised moments and there will be time to ask and answer questions!

Supported by CBK Rotterdam (Centre for Visual Arts Rotterdam)

with Valentina Vella, mitsitron, Stephen Kerr and other Klankschool folks

with the kind support of Amy Gowen (HumDrumPress) as wrangler