Stukafest struck Rotterdam last night like a bolt of “alternative” lighting with a mixture of comedy, psychedelia and punk music. Stukafest Rotterdam is the Festival where student rooms around the west of the city become performance venues and host some of the most diverse and wackiest mix of acts.
Near Coolhaven, 24-year-old artist Roel Heremans created Room C, an interactive space that functioned as a trip through the “theatre of your mind”. All 8 participants were given a set of headphones with the task to imagine a number of rooms and situations, removing them from reality and placing them somewhere deep within their own psyche. Heremans, who studied art science and worked in radio, claims that this idea began to take shape when he was involved in a car accident putting him into a coma for 2 weeks. Ever since, this concept has evolved and grown.
Zwarte Piet jokes
Canadian comedian Neil Robinson played for a second time this year at Stukafest to a full room of 20 people. He did a good job holding the room with a larger than life stage presence and, what seems to be, his standard set of Dutch stereotypes and Zwarte Piet jokes. The student host, Laura Schouw (21 year old, IBCoM), claimed that she really enjoyed hosting and was even able to have dinner with the performer.
‘I like my punk dirty’
However, the performance that stole the night was that of Orgaanklap, the Netherlands based punk band. According to the organiser of the event, Cultural Economics masters student Sofie Post (24), the band had only one condition: they wanted to “rock”. And oh boy, did they rock. The band emerged in black eye make-up, dress in not much other than their underwear, nipple tap and fake blood. They played loud and fast with some of the best showmanship I’ve ever seen. First year Stukafest-er Nawish Parwandjiwan (25, History Masters), was not disappointed: “I like my punk dirty and this was definitely dirty enough”.
The event ended on a highest note possible when the police showed up to stop the party. I don’t think there is anything more punk than that. DB
