MÉMOIRES DES EAUX
Barbara Raes / Beyond the Spoken
In July 2021, heavy rainfall plunged Belgium into the chaos of flooding. Over 200 municipalities were affected; 50,000 homes were damaged, 11,000 cars were destroyed and 160,000 tonnes of debris were cleared away. And, above all, 40 people lost their lives. Never before had Belgium experienced such a natural disaster. Yet today, the victims seem largely absent from the collective memory…
Five years on, the wounds are still raw, the scars still gaping. To glimpse a path towards healing, Barbara Raes opens, with *Mémoires des eaux*, a space dedicated to mourning, gratitude and recovery. Between 3 June and 5 July 2026, the project will visit certain affected areas (Chaudfontaine, Limbourg-Dolhain, Verviers, Angleur, Eupen) to invite residents to come and share a tear, a memory, an emotion, during a healing ritual.
Concert by An Pierlé & Friends
On 15 July 2026, all the tears collected will be brought together in a commemorative sculpture. The final work, designed by Manu Siebens, will be installed in the foyer of the Théâtre de Liège. All participants in the ritual will be invited to symbolically place their own tear within the sculpture, before attending a free concert by An Pierlé & Friends, open to all.
Calendar
Tarifs
- Free
Distributions
Concept and ritual by Barbara Raes/Beyond the Spoken, with the assistance of Victoria Deluxe
Sculpture by Manu Siebens, Mit Van de Vyver
Ritual guides: Anaïs Chabeur, Gaia Saitta, Delphine Mertens and Marie Dolders (Cie Agora)
Ritual musicians: David Kisser (keyboards), Julienne Thonard (classical harp), Stella Marquet (Celtic harp) and Géraldine Cozier (vocals)
Stage management: Aristide Schmit, Philippe Sumkay
Production Théâtre de Liège and NTGent
Supported by the National Lottery, Ethias, the Province of Liège, the City of Liège and the Walloon Region, the Red Cross
