Vavafoon

 
Sometimes all it takes is a few minutes. 
‘The Vavafoon’ is an installation that briefly takes you out of the rhythm of the day; it’s personal and unexpected.
We won’t give anything else away, as that’s part of the experience. 
But we’d be happy to tell you who Vava is, and why his name is linked to all this.

Alfons Smets, born on 6 October 1918, was known as Vava to his family.
He was an inventor who worked with found materials.
A piece of wire, an old device, a forgotten object: everything still had something in it.
Everything still had the potential to become something. 

Vava passed away on 11 January 2015, aged 96.
His workshop, his tools, his way of looking at the world – it seemed as though that would all come to an end with him.
But somewhere during those 96 years, he created – or left behind – something that now leads a new life in ‘The Vavafoon’.
This installation is the place where his spirit still lingers.
We’ll keep what exactly happens when you enter the installation a surprise for you.
Not to leave you in the dark, but because the power of ‘De Vavafoon’ lies in the moment itself, and that moment vanishes the moment you read about it. 

What we can tell you is this: it lasts just a few minutes.
But you’ll leave the installation a different person from when you stepped inside, even if you might not be able to say exactly why straight away.
And you’ll take something away with you that can’t quite be put into words. 

A heartfelt tribute to someone who proved throughout his life that you can make a lot out of very little, if you just look closely enough.

 
Co-producers: Circus Workshop Dommelhof and CC Muze Heusden-Zolder