In her work, Layla explores how personal stories can translate into universal, shared experiences. With a deep-seated fascination for textiles and rituals, the red ribbon is a recurring element in her practice. This material, which both connects and limits, runs like a thread through her artistic trajectory.

The seed for her fascination with the red ribbon was sown in an autobiographical moment: as a bride, just before leaving her parents' home, a red ribbon was girdled around her waist three times - an act full of tradition and meaning. Twenty-five years later, during her training at the Maastricht Drama Academy, this ribbon reappeared in her work. What started as a scenographic element on stage grew into a supporting symbol in performances, installations and an autobiographical work of 100 metres of ribbon: Bismillah.

In 2025, she delves further into the connecting power of this material with Navelband, an experimental artistic investigation into the relationship between individual and collective. How can we connect without losing our individuality? Can a simple object like a ribbon build a bridge between people, space and memory?

Within Navelband, she works intuitively and multidisciplinary - visual, performative and interactive. Individually and with various groups, she explores how ribbons can be used as scenographic and play material to create new forms of connection. This research takes place in different contexts: from the black box to public space and nature.

Her artistic practice starts from the belief that art is a means of transformation, both for the creator and the audience. By interweaving autobiographical elements with universal themes, she creates work that invites encounter and dialogue. Each new project builds on the previous one, always with the same intention: to expose what binds us, without denying ourselves.

concept, director & performance Layla Önlen dramaturgy Sara Vanderieck, Joep Vossebeld project photographer Stefanie Schaut artistic eye Mesut Arslan textile expert Sabine Delhaize coach Eddie Guldolf

With the support of Via Zuid, Platform 0090, C-Takt, de Vlaamse Gemeenschap