Burning Ice bids farewell with visions of the future

Last February, the Burning Ice arts festival in Brussels launched its ninth edition under the banner End of Story, reflecting its apocalyptic view of climate change. Now the festival’s own story is ending with a 10th and final edition.

Next year it merges with the Kanal Festival to form a new event in the autumn, covering both environmental and intercultural themes.

This valedictory edition of Burning Ice emphasises the festival’s interest in artists whose work can help us make the transition to a sustainable society. “They do this by undertaking critical and uncompromising analyses of the current system,” the organisers explain, “by offering perspectives that allow us to deal with confusion and uncertainty, and by sketching out an alternative view of human beings and the world.”

The festival’s premières include Mount Tackle by Brussels-based artist Heike Langsdorf, a huge heap of stuff (including people) that is part installation, part dance performance. Then there is Syden by Niko Hafkenscheid, Pablo Castilla and Hedvig Biong, a mini-opera that explores the climate shift of southern holidays in wintertime.

Tonight, Lights Out! is a theatrical experiment led by Belgian-German artist David Weber-Krebs, which gives each of 60 people a light bulb and a switch and asks them to go on a journey into darkness.

And Worktable by the Brussels-based New Zealander Kate McIntosh issues an invitation to destroy everyday objects with a range of tools. Safety glasses will be provided.

Dutch duo Lotte van den Berg and Daan ’t Sas present two theatre pieces inspired by conversational practice among indigenous peoples. Parliament of Things (pictured) wonders whether we can shift our attention from people to the things around us, while Time Loop Talk drops the here and now in favour of thinking of past and future generations. Both performances are in English.

The top attraction, however, is the revival of We Don’t Speak To Be Understood, performed by Flemish artist Benjamin Verdonck and choreographer Pieter Ampe. This revisits Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons with an eye to the distortions of climate change. Like the ice caps, tickets are disappearing fast.

Burning Ice #10, 3-10 December, Kaaitheater & Kaaistudio’s, Brussels