Rooted in the Werkplaats

As part of Werkplaats Oerol, we have established a collaboration with SoAP Maastricht and artist Rita Hoofwijk, focusing on the island’s natural areas that lie outside the festival permit zone. In 2024, we met at the boundary between the festival and the protected nature reserve. At ten locations, visitors were invited—through site-specific audio fragments—to find and remain on this point of contact. Rita Hoofwijk spent March, April, and June on Terschelling for Oerol Werkplaats residencies to develop Raaklijn. This project will continue to evolve over the coming years.

Bergen Verzetten tells the story of two high-ranking partners who are forced to take on the task of packaging drugs themselves. The work evokes confronting memories of their past, filled with irreversible choices in career, love, and family life. Ferhat Kaplan, who grew up on the tough streets of Brabant, created this performance from a deeply human perspective, inspired by the charismatic men he once knew. Bergen Verzetten marked the directorial debut of Ferhat Kaplan, who participated in the Atelier Lab in 2023 as part of Werkplaats Oerol.

In Gateways, metres of braided hair extend into the surrounding landscape. At the ends of the braids, rods are attached that allow the audience to play a sound installation. The tones of countless gongs scattered through the forest come together to form a unified composition in the hands of the participants. Michelle Samba, a versatile musician and artist affiliated with the Marina Abramović Institute, combines performance art, music, and installation in this work. She is part of the talent development programme Station Noord and received support from Oerol Werkplaats, Explore the North, and Tryater in the development of Gateways.

Meet the Salt-Loving Community invites you to turn the tide and re-embrace the sea in your daily life. Heighten your awareness of the landscape and discover your connection to the ocean by looking into the eyes of your aquatic ancestor. De Onkruidenier shifts the perspective, teaching us to move in harmony with the climate challenges of our time. In February 2024, De Onkruidenier came to Terschelling for a residency within Werkplaats Oerol to develop this project.

Doorgronding allows you to experience the invisible landscape of a bygone Terschelling. Based on archaeological research into drowned villages and vanished structures, the installation reveals the world beneath your feet. Since 2023, archaeology students and islanders have been investigating Terschelling’s past through the CARE Schylge project, and their findings form the basis for this installation. Sjoerd Willem Bosch and Jesse Verdoes translate these stories into an experience in the dunes, in collaboration with Dr. Heleen van Londen and the Wadden Academy. Sjoerd Willem Bosch and Dr. Heleen van Londen were on Terschelling in February 2024 for a residency within Werkplaats Oerol to develop this project.