In De Gezichten, Delle Donne Consort delves into the fragile inner world of a woman slowly unraveling. Inspired by Tove Ditlevsen’s novel The Faces (1968), the performance traces a descent into psychological disintegration, where perception fractures, identities shift, and the familiar takes on an unsettling, uncanny quality.

The project is developed through an intensive process of co-creation with composer Frederik Neyrinck, sound artist Maarten Buyl, and the electropop duo Teletext (Leonore Spee and Sascha Bornkamp), alongside soprano Naomi Beeldensand recorder player Juho Myllylä. Bringing together recorders, voice, text, and live electronics, the ensemble collectively shapes a shared sonic language in which each artistic voice remains distinctly present.

The first phase of research culminates in a residency during which the main makers: Frederik Neyrinck, Maarten Buyl, and Teletext, each lead workshops for the full artistic team. These sessions initiate the co-creative process by opening up their individual practices and establishing a common artistic ground. Frederik Neyrinck introduces his compositional concepts and explores the first building blocks of the score. Maarten Buyl investigates how sound design can be interwoven with musical dramaturgy. Teletext focuses on the sonic qualities of language, the rhythmic structures of text, and the interplay between words and music.

At the heart of the project lies a continuous process of transformation. Voice, recorder, text, and electronics merge, mirror, and distort one another, blurring the boundaries between human and instrument. Drawing on the recorder’s historical connection to the voice, this dialogue unfolds through subtle shifts in timbre, breath, and texture. Each performer inhabits a fluid musical identity, moving between acoustic intimacy and electronic estrangement.

Through this collaborative process, an immersive and unstable sound world emerges, at once delicate and disquieting. Everyday sounds are reimagined, and the physical act of playing becomes audible and embodied, as if the performance itself were breathing.

The Faces unfolds as a continuous, undercurrent-driven journey in which inner and outer realities become increasingly indistinguishable, an experience that lingers just beneath the surface.

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With support of the Flemish Government (DCJM) & Sabam for culture