UAntwerp enriches festival ‘STROOM’ with scientific research
Enchanting riverside concerts and remarkable performances: from 18 to 28 June, the festival ‘STROOM’ will take place on and around the River Scheldt between Ghent and Antwerp. Nature and climate form the common thread running through an engaging cultural programme, enriched for the first time by the expertise of researchers from the University of Antwerp.
The Scheldt Valley National Park, stretching from Ghent to Antwerp, provides the unique setting for STROOM. Like the river itself, the festival meanders past picturesque villages, magnificent castles, industrial heritage sites and beautiful nature reserves.
Large and small concerts alternate with performances and walks. The musical programme ranges from classical music to jazz, while writer and festival thinker Jeroen Olyslaegers also takes to the stage. During the three-part series ‘onderSTROOM’, he invites the audience to reflect on the ever-changing Scheldt landscape.
Climate-neutral boat
STROOM places a strong emphasis on sustainability. ‘We consider the consequences for nature in every aspect of the festival’, says STROOM director Sophie Detremmerie. ‘Together with all artists and partners, we aim to keep the negative impact to a minimum.’
For that reason, the organisers are deploying De Vrijbuiter, a climate-neutral boat. ‘During the festival, it will dock at different locations for a free Riverside Concert’, says Detremmerie. ‘The timing is determined by the tides. We could not be more connected to the river.’
Microplastics and Chinese mitten crabs
Nature and climate form the common thread throughout the festival programme and its various locations. These are also key research themes at the University of Antwerp. ‘STROOM takes place along the banks of the Scheldt’, says Nathalie Dens, Vice-Rector for Societal Engagement at UAntwerp. ‘It is no coincidence that many of our researchers conduct fieldwork here. This makes the Scheldt Valley an ideal environment for bringing culture and science together.’
Several concerts and activities will therefore be complemented by a scientific dimension. In a creative way, researchers will explain, among other things, how microplastics end up in the Scheldt, what tree rings reveal about climate change, and how the Chinese mitten crab is spreading through Flemish rivers. At many locations, visitors can also actively participate: their microbiome can be analysed, and they can help sieve plastic from the water.
'STROOM takes place along the banks of the Scheldt, where many of our researchers also conduct fieldwork. This makes the Scheldt valley an ideal place to connect culture and science.'
‘The stunning Scheldt Valley provides the perfect setting for a festival that brings people together. Art and science go hand in hand here, each from its own expertise but with the same ambition: to reflect together on how we can better protect nature and the climate’, Dens concludes.
The full festival programme can be found here.
More information about UAntwerp’s research activities can be found here (in Dutch).