Visionary Dutch artist Germaine Kruip’s brings her unique take on art to the Royal Northern College of Music for four nights only, with her latest, thought-provoking piece A Possibility.
The performance/artwork, one of the most peculiar and extraordinary of this MIF25, blends sound and vision, on a quest to explore new connections between visual arts and architecture and to create inspiring immersive experiences.
Germaine Kruip: A Possibility
Photo Credit: Duncan Elliott
Performed by musicians Youjin Lee, Akane Tominaga, Victor Lodeon and Gil Hyoungkwon, in collaboration with composers Emily Howard and Hahn Rowe, A Possibility also features brass sculpture made by Kruip herself with the help of Thein Brass’ expertise. Rowe is a three-time Bessie Award-winning composer and producer, known for collaborations with music icons like Yoko Ono, R.E.M. and Anohni.
Howard has already graced the Manchester International Festival with his talent, by making the score for MIF19’s The Anvil: An Elegy for Peterloo.
No introduction is needed for Germaine Kruip: her entire career has been dedicated to developing a unique practice that merges time, space and perception. Her works are famous for being in between the visual arts, stage, and architecture, creating their own liminal space.
A totally unique experience
It is almost impossible to summarise A Possibility, as this is an unique experience that involves all senses and challenges the mind by handing over the power of interpretation to the audience. And it is, indeed, a strong power. The only word that could describe this performance is ‘disruptive’: by playing with loud and unfamiliar noises, vibrations, bright lights and undefined shapes lurking in the shadows, Kruip makes us question our perception of our own bodies and the physical space around them.
Photo Credit: Duncan Elliott
For one hour and a half, composer Emily Howard and musical director Hahn Rowe make the theatre space their blank canvas, and transform it into a world of wonder, which invites audiences to transcend the immediate and explore new, infinite possibilities.
There is no exact moment when the performance starts. The lights go progressively darker and then brighter again, very slowly first and then quicker, almost teasing the audience, following an hypnotic rhythm that eases the eyes (and the mind) into full darkness.
“A magical and Etheral experience”
Over the first act, bright lights project geometrical figures on an otherwise black, empty stage, simply staying still for several minutes, until they create almost a sense of discomfort, a hopeless wait for some indefinite event. This atmosphere is also achieved with a cryptic melody, with progressively stronger unsettling metallic sounds in the background. With no one on the stage to perform, dance, or even provide an explanation for the entire act, the sense of dread, almost urgency, grows stronger, until the darkness suddenly goes away and the second act begins.
While in the first act we experience light interacting and playing with shadows, the second part of the performance focuses on sounds. Percussionists Youjin Lee, Akane Tominaga, Victor Lodeon and Gil HyoungKwon enter the stage as the main performers. With them, brass sculptures, developed by Kruip in collaboration with the renowned German manufacturer Thein Brass. These sculptures are not just instruments, but the core element of the stage. Human bodies, sounds, vibrations and brass all blend beautifully with a play of lights and shadows, creating a music ritual that quickly escalates into a proper frenzy.
When the stage is illuminated again, stripped of all its heavy curtains, shadows, and brass sculptures, the spell finally ends: the realisation of being back to reality is so sudden that one cannot help but gasp and almost feel empty, lost.
With A Possibility, Kruip continues her quest to explore both individual and collective perception, creating a liminal space to meditate, experiment with our senses and mind, and push the boundaries of art as we know it. The result of this experiment is a majestic artwork, where light itself becomes one of the main characters, and amalgamates with talented performers and composers to create a magical and ethereal experience.
Tickets for Germaine Kruip: A possibility
Germaine Kruip: A possibility is on at RNCM as part of Manchester International Festival (MIF) from 17th – 205th July 2025. You can get tickets by clicking here
Whats on at MIF 2025?
Manchester International Festival 2025 runs from 3rd–20th July, with an incredible line-up of events happening across the city, and plenty of them are completely free to attend. From cutting-edge art to live music, theatre and family-friendly experiences, there’s something for everyone.
Find out more by clicking here