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We often imagine music through the people who listen to it.
We give music a face, a body, and a certain kind of presence.
But plot twist,
You wouldn’t necessarily guess that the music in Lisa Verheertbruggen’s headphones could be hardcore techno.
Not because hardcore techno has a particular look.
But because we tend to build little stories around the type of music some people may listen to.
With Lisa, she just happens to carry that kind of speed and intensity with her, but very quietly.
For many years, Lisa’s practice has been rooted in hardcore techno.
She looks at what this music does to the body, and what the body does with it.
In October 2024, I came across Lisa Verheertbruggen’s work for the first time withWhile We Are Here at Les Halles de Schaerbeek.
Which defines itself as a tribute to hardcore rave culture through gabber.
Five performers move through it but the rave remains the main character.
The music set the pace.
The intensity set the rules.
The performers are not asking for space. They have already taken it.
Maybe that’s also why Lisa’s work feels so physical.
Because it puts you in front of bodies.
In 2026, Lisa Vereertbrugghen comes with an other plot twist entitled « Again, forever ».
The hardcore is gone. Couple dancing takes its place.
Lisa trades speed for slowness. Intensity for sensuality. The crowd for the couple.
The bodies no longer move together because the music tells them to. They move because there is someone else there.
They approach, cruise, touch, embrace each other. And, somewhere between two bodies, different kinds of relationships begin to appear.
By the time you realize the end of the performance is coming, you already wish it wasn’t.
Not because you need to know what happens next, but because you just want to stay there a little longer.