Platform 0090 / coproduction

A silent narrative.
A look back on life.
A box. One hundred metres of ribbon. A story that unfolds.

In Bismillah, Layla weaves her story into a collective experience. An intimate, physical and poetic experience in the here and now. Intuitively, she chose words that she embroidered together with other women on a hundred-metre-long ribbon, like a tangible biography.
In this performance, Layla invites you to unroll the ribbon, and with it the lifeline, together. The result is a sensory experience of text, movement, sound and participants. A ritual of encounter that invites connection.

Layla Önlen (1978) graduated from the Maastricht Theatre Academy in 2023. In her work, she translates personal stories into universal, shared experiences. Her deep-rooted fascination with textiles and rituals is reflected in the red ribbon, a recurring element in her practice.

text, direction & performance Layla Önlen dramaturgy Sara Vanderieck, Joep Vossebeld artistic eye Mesut Arslan, Joost Segers coach Eddie Guldolf photo Stefanie Schaut thanks to Mieke Versyp, TEK STIELvzw and the hands that embroidered with the support of Via Zuid, Platform 0090 and C-TAKT