During Cultura Nova, artist and choreographer Clarinde Wesselink presents Zones of Tones, a performance that emerges from her residency at Kasteel Wijlre estate. Since 1 July, she has been exploring the site’s bio-acoustic potential: from birdsong and the croaking of frogs to subtle ambient sounds. In Wijlre, she deepens her research into how sound can activate a place and resonate within the bodies of performers – a line of enquiry she initiated earlier this year at Dat Bolwerck in Zutphen.

In Zones of Tones, the woodland at the edge of the estate functions as an active force – a presence that ‘moves along’ with the performers. The performance departs from the idea that sound is an autonomous actor: a force that reveals hidden relationships between bodies, environment and perception. Performers attune themselves to the site’s subtle acoustics – birdsong, frogs, rain and the rhythm of passing cars – which guide their movement and shape the work.

By tracing these resonances, rhythms and vibrations, the performers enter a field in which human and non-human agencies become intertwined. The work explores how moving through our world is never a solitary act. Every step, every gesture carries the potential to connect bodies – individually and collectively – into something greater than ourselves. Here, connection is not a fixed state, but an ongoing process shaped by attention, rhythm and proximity.

This residency is a collaboration between Kasteel Wijlre estate and Intro in Situ (Maastricht).

Dates and times

• Thursday 3 September, 20:00 – 20:45
• Friday 4 September, 20:00 – 20:45
• Saturday 5 September, 20:00 – 20:45
• Sunday 6 September, 06:00 – 06:45 (morning performance with dawn chorus of birdsong)
• Sunday 6 September, 14:00 – 14:45

Attendance at the performance is free upon presentation of a valid admission ticket.