324 mountains between us

English

There are no fewer than 324 mountains between Belgium and Georgia—or between Anushka and Femke. Despite the seemingly insurmountable divide, connections sometimes emerge. Distance does not preclude intimacy. It’s a paradox to explore.

The two women have formed a pact. They probe, measure, and count. Within the available space, they chart a mysterious trajectory—a symbolic journey in 324 stages. Femke once again seeks a close connection between expressive, understated movements and live music, combined with a bold yet humble performativity. Anushka’s sound evolves across styles, beyond ambient and IDM. The chords in her compositions draw inspiration from Georgian polyphony, which she reinterprets through her perspective and expertise.

'Sometimes arranged marriages work out well. 342 Mountains Between Us, by dancer-choreographer Femke Gyselinck and musician-composer Anushka Chkheidze, seems to be one of them. Together the two performers’ bodies create a visual poetry that overlays the sound. A delicately poised but powerful piece.'
- Oonagh Duckworth, Pzazz

In 324 mountains between us, they show how Femke’s danced vocabulary and Anushka’s electronic compositions can sometimes bridge the distance between them—and at other times, amplify it.

Europalia acted as a matchmaker between artists Anushka Chkheidze, a musician-composer from Georgia, and Femke Gyselinck, a dancer-choreographer from Belgium, initiating this collaboration.

The scenography and costumes build on collaborations from Femke’s earlier productions: Aslı Çiçek creates a luminous scenography for the performance, offering a variation on the black box that inspires creative constraints. Nel Maertens and Veronika Vimpelova are responsible for costume design.