Last weekend, 27 and 28 September 2025, the first edition of the Zeelanding festival took place at Broedplaats Nesse in the old Philips factory in Terneuzen. Two days full of performances, installations and encounters.
Creators took you to the factory garden where nature and industry meet – and clash. Zeelanding is an interdisciplinary performing arts festival. Every year, they settle in a new location in Zeeuws-Vlaanderen. This landing place determines the theme and programming of that edition. They delve into the stories of history and depict the future. Together with creators and the community, they push the boundaries of theatre: from intimate stories about the Dutch East Indies to grand new media visuals. Theatre that invites, stimulates and connects.
Artistic direction by Sophia & Julia van der Putten.
De Kraakwaak is an audiovisual installation by Berkveldt. The American crayfish is on the rise, amidst Zeeland’s aquatic creatures that have populated the landscape for centuries. Using 3D renderings, animation and documentary, Berkveldt depicted the voice and story of this natural pest.
Early Warning System by Agat Sharma is an intimate theatre performance about whether we, like animals, can sense natural disasters. With heavy bass and an AI voice of David Attenborough, Agat Sharma made the earth and our bodies vibrate.
Lieve Aardappel (Dear Potato) is an audio installation by Wapke Feenstra in which farmers, residents and enthusiasts shared their personal stories about the potato: from the field to the kitchen table.
Designers and woodworkers Corneel Soeting and Kevin Caboor guide young people in creating a Landmark together. This Landmark, made from recycled materials and scrap wood, symbolises their personal connection with Zeeuws-Vlaanderen and will be presented. See through the eyes of young people from Zeeland and discover which places in Zeeuws-Vlaanderen are dear to them. Discover the places, the stories and contribute yourself.
In ‘Het Spookte in Zeeuws-Vlaanderen’ (It Haunted in Zeeuws-Vlaanderen), Broeder Dieleman took you on a musical journey through ghost stories from the time before large-scale industry arrived in Zeeuws-Vlaanderen. When the creeks and wells were full of strange creatures and widows still practised black magic.
The dance performance Porous by Pierre Bastin & Isabella Arboleda showed how we relate to each other in a world that has lost its sensitivity. That is the question Pierre Bastin and Isabella Arboleda asked in Porous after a violent experience with a police officer at a climate protest. To raw techno beats, they suggested we make ourselves porous instead of hardening.
About Broedplaats Nesse
Nesse is Terneuzen’s cultural hub for the production, development, and presentation of contemporary art and design. Located in the former Philips factory, Nesseprovides workspaces and an international residency programme for artists and designers.
A contribution by Leonne Cuppen
Photography: Leonne Cuppen and Berkveldt
