Maarten Heijnens (NL)

A performative installation that explores the space between two people.

When, why and how do we experience closeness or distance in relation to one another? The Meeting invites you to blur the boundaries between yourself and the other person, between looking and being looked at, and between public and private. The installation offers the opportunity to encounter one another through an alternative form of intimacy. Intimacy is often associated with (physical) touch or romance. The Meeting broadens this concept through a precise interplay of light, presence and absence, closeness, interactivity and sound.

Maarten Heijnens (1996) graduated in 2019 from the Performance Programme at the Maastricht Theatre Academy. Since then, he has been creating work at the intersection of performing arts and visual arts. In 2024, he graduated from DAS Theatre (MA), where he focused on designing spaces that invite visitors to reflect on our codes of conduct – our so-called ‘etiquette’ for social interaction. In his work, he refers to situations we encounter in everyday life, such as an encounter. He uses the theatrical context to scrutinise these situations. By alienating everyday and familiar situations, he seeks to create space for us to reflect on and marvel at social situations that we normally take for granted.

Maarten has been a member of Platform Nexus since 2024. He is also an artistic researcher at Studio Dries Verhoeven. As a performer, he has appeared in works by Romeo Castellucci / Socìetas Raffaello Sanzio, Studio Dries Verhoeven, URLAND, The Airport Society (in collaboration with Opera Ballet Vlaanderen), Lara van Hoof and Sabine Pendry.