Continuum is a physical experience in which you become aware that everything is one continuous movement. A movement that is much larger than our humanness, which begins and ends far beyond our parameters, or perhaps never started and with this never ends. It is an experience that shows us that everything just happens as it happens. I want to disrupt Cartesian enlightenment thinking (Cogito ergo sum) which—consciously and unconsciously—permeates our lives.

Our brains have evolved in such a way that they focus on contrast. Black and white, light-dark, large-small, the greater the distinction, the more polarized the image and the greater the impact (Donald Hoffmann). In order to properly understand the world around us, we need differentiation. Which is expressed not just in contrast, but in language too. Words differentiate things conceptually. With Continuum, I want people to see in a way that goes beyond this limiting view. I hope to create space for a new, more dynamic, broader, all-embracing perspective.

To be able to offer this sweeping perspective, I created an immersive experience that attempts to eliminates the distinction between what you see, hear and feel—an experience that tries eliminates the distinction between the different senses. As a viewer you are moved through the space on a small train, and your view is limited to a framework as if you become a moving camera yourself. Through that framework you see a space that is also in motion, it is both mobile and continuously changes. This space is created by a huge white paper screen able to rotate and distort in a variety of ways and is central to the performance. The combined effect of movement, the ever-changing screen, and the play of light compels the viewer to abandon their frame of reference. What begins as a very disorientating experience can—by relinquishing old reference systems—morph into space for something new and make you part of the never-ending motion. Just like Reverse and Framing, in this project I also use very simple analogic means (moving framed view and moving white paper) to create an unforgettable immersive experience.

Credits
Concept and direction - Johannes Bellinkx
Production - SoAP Maastricht
Co-production - Feikes Huis Amsterdam, C-Takt Neerpelt/Genk
Dramaturge - Tamar Blom
Composition - Dennis van Tilburg
Lightdesign - Grisha Rungen, Neal Groot
Creative producer - Jakob Proyer
Installation - Soultech: Merijn Versnel, Guido Bevers and Merel Kamp (sacs)