“Fifty-two percent of the population of The Hague feel some degree of loneliness.” This headline shocked a lot of people this spring. But it also raised a lot of questions. What is lonely, and what is alone? There’s no simple answer to this question. Young or old, living in isolation or surrounded by loved ones; anyone can have feelings of being lonely or alone at some time. Loneliness can blow over and make you stronger, but long-term loneliness is a cause for concern and can even be life-threatening. The exhibition Solo&Happy?! shows a range of different people from in and outside The Hague, all of whom are alone and/or lonely – either because they have chosen to live alone, because of their circumstances, or simply because that’s how life turned out.

A pet brings happiness, stories and energy into people’s lives. In her project A cuddly home, Sanne Gielens (1991) made portraits of people living on their own in The Hague with their pets. What role do these dogs, cats, and other animals play in the lives of our fellow-residents?

Lotte van Gaalen (1990) makes audio stories. In this exhibition, Lotte is presenting an audio-installation recounting the stories of only children from different generations. 14-year-old Anna, 29-year-old Abel and 67-year-old Margo talk about the desire to shake things up and having to care for parents on your own.

Moved by the story of a man from Rotterdam who died alone, Minsook Kang (1985) decided to explore what it is like to die alone in the Netherlands. In her multimedia installation, the South Korean-born artist takes visitors on a journey through some of her discoveries and observations.

‘Himono onna’ is the term used for Japanese women who are not actively looking for love or commitment; a group that is steadily increasing in numbers. The fact that these women do not want a relationship does not necessarily mean that they are against marriage. On the contrary, many of these Japanese singles are keen to experience their dream wedding. And this is precisely what they do – on their own. The New York-based photographer Naomi Harris (1973) made portraits of some of these Japanese solo-brides.

From home gardens to Christmas dinners; Fonds 1818 supports countless projects run by organisations and committed residents, designed to combat loneliness in the region. In the exhibition, we are highlighting one of the more recent projects in words and pictures: the School for Oneness. At this school, which opened in June 2019, experiential experts teach you to deal with feelings of loneliness using their own specially developed method.

Watch, talk and listen during the live programme. Featuring performances, film screenings and interviews during Hoogtij and Vol Lof. Loneliness is also the theme of the Fonds 1818 Magazine, which you can order free of charge on this website from early October onwards.

Join the Hoogtij art route through The Hague and remember to visit Het Nutshuis. The programme revolves around our Solo&Happy?! exhibition. Artist Minsook Kang will give live performances to accompany her exhibit about dying alone. In the Film Vault, there will be two screenings of Poule des Doods, the highly acclaimed documentary by Astrid Bussink.

About Poule des Doods
If no relatives are expected to attend someone’s funeral, a well-known poet composes a custom-made poem to be read out at the funeral. But where do you start with someone that nobody knows, and who are we doing this for? An average of fifteen people die every year with no-one attending their funerals in Amsterdam alone. The names of some of them are known, but not all of them. But they have one thing in common; no friends or family come to their funeral. The poet F. Starik, who died in March 2018, established a group of acclaimed poets who worked together in the ‘Poule des Doods’. This documentary by Astrid Bussink (2012, 49 min.), which was embraced by the press and public alike, shows how the poets pave the deceased’s lonely way to the grave by means of a poem composed specially for the occasion.

Kamera Kultura: an inspirational discussions, exciting performances, a delicious fresh brunch at Juni Café and a committed presenter: Jellie Brouwer (from NTR Kunststof).

In a song about emotions and loneliness, Brigitte Kaandorp sings (translated into English) “When autumn comes upon you. When summer fades away.” On the second Sunday of autumn 2019, there will be a talk about loneliness with Anja Machielse, professor of ‘Empowerment of vulnerable older adults’ at the University of Humanistic Studies in Utrecht. What do people need in order to grow old ‘well’ and how can we stimulate the social inclusion of vulnerable senior citizens in society? These are the questions that Anja Machielse is addressing in her research. The interview for Kamera Kultura dovetails nicely with our Solo&Happy?! exhibition.

The first week of October at Het Nutshuis revolves around food waste, as this is when the All About Food Festival takes place. In the run-up to this four-day festival, Jellie will talk to one of the entrepreneurs from Verspilling is Verrukkelijk, a platform that showcases a more positive approach to food waste. The entrepreneurs who work with Verspilling is Verrukkelijk develop tasty,  appealing products from food that would otherwise have been thrown in the garbage bin, fermented or processed to make animal fodder. Take soup made from wonky vegetables, for example, beer made from stale bread or soap made from orange peel.

Melodious, mysterious and sexy. These words are often used to describe KAT SKILLS, a Hague-based duo consisting of singer-songwriter Delouise and producer and multi-instrumentalist Ingmar Spaaij. Their debut single ‘Gold’ was warmly received last year, including by Apple Music, which added it to various playlists, and 3voor12. “The gravelly voice of the singer blends beautifully with the sinister 1980s beats,” wrote music journalist Eric Hoetjes. “The perfect number for a Sunday morning.” What more could you wish for with Kamera Kultura?

Seeing and being seen, shame, discomfort, limits, and sexuality. These are the themes Jante Wortel (1996) prefers to write about. The young writer was a winner of the Kunstbende in 2015, winner of the Drentse talentprijs in 2016, and got her degree in Creative Writing from ArtEZ in 2017. Jante is being presented by her publishers Das Mag as a ‘super talent’, and is currently working on her debut novel. In Kamera Kultura she’ll recite her own short story.

The All About Food Festival kicks off with a fun-packed afternoon for kids on Wednesday 2 October. All young visitors to All About Food for Kids will be given a card to collect stamps, which allows them to take part in a range of activities in the Nutshuis garden. From blind tasting sessions in the greenhouse and making smoothies with pedal power, to baking beastly pancakes and building a mini-water purification plant. A full card entitles them to a small gift that will help the entire family to reduce its food waste. And while all this is going on, Recycle Man will perform two kids’ shows that you simply mustn’t miss.

Blind tasting: 13.45 and 15.45
Can you tell what you’re eating? And whether it’s nice or nasty? Come and discover how good your taste buds are at a blind tasting session! Surrounded by the grape vines and tomato plants in the Nutshuis garden greenhouse, Impact Kitchen and Juni Café will organise two rounds of tasty morsels and fun-to-know facts.   

Recycle Man shows: 14.20 and 16.25
Somewhere in the distance you can hear the bicycle bell tinkling and Anita the hen clucking: Recycle Man is on his way! He’ll park his magical construction in the garden of Het Nutshuis for a whole afternoon, so that children can enjoy his colourful, funny show about a world where everything is recycled.

Build your own mini-water purification plant: 15.10
How many people can say they’ve built their own water purification plant? Recycle Man will provide all the materials, including cotton wool, stones and bottles. But does your model work? Test it by turning brown ditch water into clean water, and then discover how to extract certain colourings from water.

Bake a beastly pancake: continuous
The Nutshuis garden is transformed into a zoo! Guides will help children to bake their own pancakes in all kinds of weird and wonderful shapes. And all on induction. No gas, so it couldn’t be safer or more environmentally friendly. Create your own cool pancake using fruit, vegetables, cheese and nuts.

Make a smoothie with pedal power: continuous
Sporty and delicious: use pedal power to make your own smoothie with fruit and vegetables from Instock! Instock uses fresh products that would otherwise have been thrown away (because they’re bruised, split or wonky) to put food wastage literally and figuratively on the map.

Buy your tickets for All About Food for Kids via the ticket button on this page or at the front desk of Het Nutshuis. More information about the programme will be published in September. Dutch will be spoken throughout the programme.

All About Food Festival
People in the Netherlands throw away an average of fifty kilos of food per person every year. This makes the Dutch the biggest food-wasters in the world. Although everyone would agree that this needs to change, the problem does not only lie with consumers. Huge amounts of food are wasted at every stage of the process, from cultivation and growth through to organic waste disposal.

In the first week of October, the All About Food Festival in Het Nutshuis will revolve around food waste. We will hear from various sustainable and socially-minded entrepreneurs and pioneers from The Hague, all of whom are doing their best to turn the tide. The film screen features people who are spending six months living on food waste. In the garden, children will go on a voyage of discovery, collecting stamps on their cards along the way. And we will serve ‘rescue recipes’ for you to try at blind tasting sessions. Fancy talking, watching, thinking and eating with us?

The All About Food Festival is a cooperation between Het Nutshuis, Juni Café, Impact Kitchen, Duurzaam Den Haag, TransitieCinema and Conscious Kitchen.