The Memory of ... Lara Staal
Lara Staal comes from Zwolle (Netherlands). She is a theater maker, writer, and researcher.
She shares with us her first memory of Kortrijk and is happy to give a tip to young artists from Kortrijk;
What is your first memory of Kortrijk or the region?
When I was still working as a programmer at Frascati Theater, I often attended the Budavista programs, where there was a unique Kortrijk Congé experience: within Kortrijk, a temporary city was created where you could pay the entrance with vegetables. All artistic practices revolved around community building and sharing care, knowledge, and tasks.
Another important memory was performing the play 'DISSIDENT' for an audience of people from the education sector. I remember an intense and emotional discussion afterwards with teachers, students, and CLB members – the unique feeling of delivering a performance that lands exactly in the right place.
I also had a very nice experience with Ecopolis in 2023 in Kortrijk. Documentary maker Aisha Adepoju, I, and a group of students from PTI had conversations about the climate crisis and made a short film. All in all, many pleasant and memorable memories of Kortrijk!
Do you have a specific place in Kortrijk that is special to you and why?
In the summer of 2019, my partner had a residency in Kortrijk, and we slept with our four-month-old baby in our Volkswagen van in the city garden of DURFBAR. On the first night, my son woke up with at least thirty mosquito bites on his face. Despite everyone thinking he had some serious childhood illness, that garden was a fantastic place in the shelter where culture and social exchange constantly intertwine.
What place do your roots take in your artistic oeuvre?
Roots can mean so many different things. My parents and brother have been crucial in shaping who I am now, just like their deep ties to international contexts. Moreover, I think the people I work with when I create theater are often very much defined by their roots and backgrounds. That theme runs like a red thread through my work.
What would you like to say to the young generation of artists from Kortrijk?
I dare not claim that I know what it means to grow up as an artist in Kortrijk. So what follows will mainly apply to everyone who is active as an artist: look at the world around you and know that your work always relates directly or indirectly to that larger context; try, despite the fact that the life of an artist often feels very vulnerable, to find the gaps and crevices where you can make your own choices instead of merely experiencing dependency; dare to trust your voice and that it will always speak through everything you do, in whatever context or form, and find the right ears; practice trusting in the ripples that are created when you throw a stone into the water.