For ECHO, I worked alongside artists Alexandra van Paassen and Edwin de Klein on a seven-week collaborative art project exploring homelessness and the stories behind it.
Selected by Stichting KOP, we were invited to create new work together with people who are currently or formerly homeless in Breda. The project was organised by Uit je Dak! and Stichting KOP and culminated around World Homeless Day on October 10, 11 and 12, with the work presented throughout the city. During the seven-week working period, I worked on-site at Stichting de Herberg, a local shelter and community space, collaborating directly with people who have experienced homelessness. Edwin de Klein took this immersion even further, choosing to live at the Herberg for six weeks to gain a deeper understanding of what it means to stay in a shelter. Alexandra van Paassen developed a performance together with the SMO theatre group. The resulting works took many different forms, including performances, installations and a mobile cargo bike parade, eventually coming together as a collective artwork that moved through the streets of Breda.
Rather than presenting homelessness as a statistic, ECHO focuses on the people and stories behind it. The project creates space for different perspectives on the city and invites audiences to listen, connect and reflect on what it means to have, or to lose, a place to call home. With more than 1,000 people estimated to be living without a home in Breda according to the 2024 ETHOS count, ECHO aims to share voices that are often overlooked and create opportunities for empathy, dialogue and connection.
