Battles

&

Silences

During the First and Second World Wars, church bells were widely melted down into deadly weapons. As Europe is gradually drawn into a war on its own soil, HIIIT (formerly Slagwerk Den Haag) is reversing this process with Battles & Silences. In this project, battlefield weapon debris forms the foundation for a new series of instruments and music.

In the spring of 2024, eight kilograms of Ukrainian bullet casings were melted down in Kyiv into metal bars, shipped to the Netherlands, and cast into a new bell at the Royal Eijsbouts Bell Foundry. Weighing a total of 45 kg, the bell signals the beginning of transformation—destruction is turned into beauty once more.

HIIIT asked the electronic duo Poulson Sq. (Anthony Fiumara & Mathijs Leeuwis) to place this transformation at the heart of a performance featuring two HIIIT performers (Dirge Seçil Kuran & João Brito). Using analog tape, Fiumara & Leeuwis build a dark, sinister drone, gradually interrupted by percussion. The ringing of the bell reminds us never to take peace for granted; at times, we must cherish silence.

As a complement to Battles & Silences, HIIIT commissioned Dutch-Ukrainian writer Lisa Weeda (Aleksandra, Dans Dans Revolutie) to write a new text reflecting on the bell’s origins—a story intertwined with personal history and memory.

The bell was created in collaboration with sound artist Hans van Koolwijk.