On 9 and 10 September, WIELS will host Workers in Song, a collaborative performance and installation by composer Billy Bultheel and visual artist James Richards. Koi Persyn met up with Bultheel in Brussels last July. Their encounter spawned the following text, composed by Persyn and inspired by the spectral rhythms and heterogenous influences of the performance.
The sun is setting when we meet at a grimy bar called Hurdy-Gurdy. Although the clandestine cafe is located in one of the most restless regions of the Belgian capital, we find ourselves in an entirely empty and silent saloon. Slender tendrils of vapour climb the decaying walls. One thing is for sure: other rules apply here. Smoking inside is tolerated if not encouraged, there are no women’s restrooms and cash is the only toll. The seats are divided into cubi…
