Anika Schwarzlose & Katja Verheul | Open Studio Residency | 21 November 2025 | 19:00 | 1646 Den Haag

On the 21st of November, our residents Anika Schwarzlose and Katja Verheul will be presenting elements from her current research project: Clearing — War as Maintenance. 

The Netherlands has 30,000 hectares of military training grounds, two-thirds of which are designated as protected nature reserves. This paradoxical fact forms the core of the experimental documentary Clearing — War as Maintenance by Anika Schwarzlose and Katja Verheul, in which they explore how two seemingly contradictory worlds intersect and influence each other. Through sensitive and observational imagery, the artists aim to give a voice to precarious landscapes and expose both the visible and invisible tensions between military activity and living environments.

With this new work the artists investigate the tension between protection and contamination in the context of practicing simulated war in the Netherlands.

During their residency, they interviewed two of their protagonists; a veteran who used to train on military exercise grounds and a soil scientist who they invited to research the pollution on the terrains. 

In preparation for the conversations they developed new strategies to interview our main characters and with the help of their performance coach, Marloeke van der Vlugt, they developed a tactile approach which highlights the tenderness and special connectivity that is carried in the body and expressed through touch.

During the Open Studio on the 21st of November, Schwarzlose and Verheul will give a glimpse into their research and receive visitors for a presentation and conversations about their process.

The residency of Anika Schwarzlose and Katja Verheul is part of the residency collaboration between ReCNTR and 1646.

Date & Time

21st November 2025

Location: 1646 Den Haag (Boekhorststraat 125, 2512 CN The Hague)

19:00 – 22:00