Wishing Well

Wishing Well showcases the story of a mythical character who, feeling lost and alone, whispers their desire to meet their kin into a magical well. In return, the well echoes the voices of unheard ancestors, telling stories and myths never archived and long forgotten. As a magical vessel, these voices connect, creating a sense of togetherness through eternal singing, transcending temporalities and physicalities.

Referencing Sasa’s own journey of self-discovery through singing with queer communities, Wishing Well aims to connect people who may have never met, reminding each user that they belong in a wider quantum collective and will never be alone again.

Wishing Well is an interactive sound installation presented by SasaHara (1993 – French-Algerian – they/them) as their graduation piece from the Sandberg Instituut in 2024 (program re:master opera).
In this extended version of the work, Sasa collaborates with Alex Olloman to research and experiment with the design of a collective spiritual practice using the voice and the Wishing Well as tools of resistance. Sasa and Alex are also collaborating with Nathan Marcus who created a new spatialized sound-design for the installation.

OPENING TIMES FOR PUBLIC:

• Wednesday 11-09 | 19.00 to 22.00
  with voice performance from SasaHara and Alex Olloman.
• Thursday 12-09 | 20.30 to 22.30
• Friday 13-09 | 14.00 to 22.30
• Saturday 14-09 | 17.00 to 22.30

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In this new presentation of the Wishing Well, a workshop is also proposed to the local queer community of Enschede to explore togetherness and belonging through soft vocal practice using the Wishing Well as a spiritual shrine.

WORKSHOP INFORMATION:

“Shared Incantations of the Wishing Well” is a workshop using collective vocal meditation as a spiritual practice for queer people, inspired by the sonic meditations and the deep listening practice of Pauline Oliveiros. Through soft vocal exploration, we heal the wounds of our erased ancestries. The Wishing Well is an interactive sound sculpture working as an altar for queer people to use as a tool of resistance and a vocal archive.

Through computer data, looping, and editing, the Well combines the voices of the participants who will learn to use it as an instrument to explore their voice.

Over the course of three workshops, we will find tools to free our inner voices, connect with each other through vocal experimentations, and
finally create a healing ritual that will result in a collectively produced sound piece.

DATES & TIMES OF THE WORKSHOP
THURSDAY 12/09 session 1 - 18:00 to 20:30
Group meeting, and small vocal liberation workshop, community building via voice.

SATURDAY 14/09 session 2: 13:00 to 16:30
workshop with a break in the middle - discovery of the Wishing Well and our possible interactions with it.

SUNDAY 15/09 session 3: 13:00 to 15:30
performance (not public) and recording

>> REGISTER HERE (10 spots available)

NB: This workshop is by and for the queer community. People whose ancestries were silenced by colonisation are also very welcome to take a part in this collective healing practice. Allies to the queer and decolonial fights are also welcome to participate, to the extent that they are mindful the space they hold. No singing or any type of performative experience is required.