Musical and poetic work inspired by the Frisian landscape
FEAN tells the story of the problems faced in the Dutch peatland regions, like in the Lage Midden van Fryslân. This year in April, the Frisian collective Piiptsjilling took up quarters in the Thomaskerk in Katlijk, after having taken to the Frisian fields together with their Belgian guest musicians (Joachim Badenhorst, Sylvain Chauveau and Annelies Monseré) to tell about what is going on in the peatland region. With the issues at play in the peatlands as guiding principle, the makers engaged in experimentation, culminating in a marvellous recording session. The result of the collaboration will played live for the first time ever at Explore the North.
"We want to explain the consequences of the changing landscape for the community or for an individual like me." - Piiptsjilling in a 3voor12 interview
Over a relatively short period of time, peatlands were drained by people and the peat harvested for fuel, with the land then developed for agricultural purposes. The draining leads to the ground subsiding and settling, with the landscape increasingly falling further and further below sea level. The peat oxidises with massive CO2 emissions as a result.
FEAN is a Piiptsjilling and the Popfabryk production, which received support from It Fryske Gea and was made in collaboration with the Never Ending Orchestra.