Museums and hotels have more in common than you might think: they are like crossroads between arrivals and departures, gateways that people pass through in silence, places where they gaze, stay, and disappear. In Solitude Hotel 2.0, Annelinde Bruijs has three people wander through the Ghent University Museum. They sing their thoughts aloud, breaking into a stutter where language fails. The words are borrowed from people who have spent their lives in hotels. Fragmented, awkward, but imbued with a desire to be. 

The performance culminates in a meeting of these three figures in the form of a choral work with no tonal centre, an attempt to find a foothold in a space that offers no direction. The voices of Hélène Vrijdag, Timo Tembuyser and Annelinde Bruijs glide through the museum like guides, shadows and fellow travellers. 

The solo texts are based on interviews with regular hotel guests. The final text was written by Maartje Wortel. 

The walk takes place several times throughout the evening: ideally, you will join the performers at the start, but you might also cross their path unexpectedly as you wander through the GUM. 

‘By wandering aimlessly, all places became equal.’ (Paul Auster, City of Glass) 

Performers

Annelinde Bruijs, composition
Annelinde Bruijs, Timo Tembuyser en Hélène Vrijdag, creation en performance
Maartje Wortel, final text
Jasper de Groot, guest performer

With thanks to Suze Milius.
In coproduction with O. Festival Rotterdam

Discover the artists

Annelinde Bruijs: website | Instagram
Timo Tembuyser: Instagram
Hélène Vrijdag: Instagram
Maartje Wortel: website | Instagram