One hour before the performance of Instant Loneliness, the audience will be invited to participate in these interventions in the lobby. The interventions will be moderated by Madelinde Hageman. 

6.30 PM, foyer Hull Truck Theatre

Via Berlin & Madelinde Hageman:

Language for Loneliness: interventions

Loneliness is a universal, timeless experience. That’s not to deny that it can be a problem. The stubborn taboo against mentioning loneliness often gives rise to shame, sorrow, and denial. Social designer and artist Madelinde Hageman (Via Berlin) believes there is also another issue: we have too few metaphors that enable us to speak about our own feelings of loneliness in nuanced ways. That’s what inspired her project Language for Loneliness, which explores new ways of equipping people to talk about loneliness. These artistic interventions, which will take place in the theatre lobby, are participatory and intended for the general public.

• A letter to loneliness. If loneliness were a person, what would you write to them? Would it be a formal letter, or a personal note, or a love letter? Sit down at the typewriter and write a letter to loneliness.
• Imagine your loneliness is an object that fits in your hand. How does the object look? What shape and colour does it have, does it exist or not? Use clay to make a handheld object or symbol, and put it down on the table.
• What place does loneliness occupy in your body? When you feel lonely, where do you feel it in your body? Is it in your heart, your shoulders, your feet, your head? During this intervention, we will take a Polaroid photo of that place in your body.
• The Inuit peoples have twenty-two words for snow. and Dutch and English have multiple words for rain, so why is there only one word for loneliness? Let’s think up some new words together.

Via Berlin

For fourteen years, the Dutch music theatre ensemble Via Berlin has been mounting unique productions about burning social issues, interpreted through profoundly moving images, music and choreography. Instant Loneliness is the final instalment of Villa Berlin and Cello Octet Amsterdam’s Instant trilogy, in cooperation with the Dutch dance studio Korzo.

 
This production / installation addresses themes of loneliness and connection.

If you would like to speak to someone about these themes or anything else, MIND have provided some helpful information.

There are a number of helplines that can offer immediate support to somebody who needs a listening ear or practical advice about getting help. The following link will take you to MIND’s helpline page:

https://www.heymind.org.uk/helplines/