‘Journalists and actors, journalists and authors, journalists and stage directors are soldiers in the same combats, paddlers in the same canoe. Inexhaustibly concerned with understanding the real state of affairs, but also people’s private lives, equally fascinated by the world’s upheavals and the emotions of the actors and witnesses of our time.’  — Beatrice Delvaux, chief editor Le Soir

At the start of the creation process of Veerle’s performance What Lies Beneath we read a lot of articles and books by journalists and philosophers. Our research stemmed from certain ‘classic’ questions: how can you know for sure that what you see, hear or read is really true? if in doubt, how far might you go in pursuing it? Do we have personal responsibilities in this, and if so, how might that work?

It may seem a preposterous task to try to look for truth, and of course we knew that from the beginning. That being said, it was still exciting and interesting to discover, through this particular lens – how journalists and artists are often busy working over the same ground, in their attempts to bring moments of clarity to the infinitely complex world within which we live.

During the creation process we often felt like paddlers in a canoe, not yet knowing which direction to take. But along the way we discovered building blocks in the form of dance phrases by Olympia, music by Robbie and visuals by Jelle. We stumbled upon many surprises and the occasional gift. Confronted by Lara’s text and Nadège’s gaze we continued our search. In the end, Veerle always seemed to know how to steer the canoe.

What Lies Beneath weaves together stories that seek to witness our time, both first- and second-hand. In its simplest form, it’s a plea for independent thinking, and for sustainable knowledge about our shared history.

On this page you’ll find links to a detailed and personal account of the creation process by our journalist-dramaturg Joost Ramaer and the text that is used in the performance, written by former BBC-correspondent and author Lara Pawson. By documenting the performance in this way, we hope to inform you more deeply about What Lies Beneath.

Judith Blankenberg, Dramaturg of What Lies Beneath