AUTUMN: Laura Van Holstein x Jaap Saers

Phylogenies, folk, and fairytales - an exploration of of human storytelling.

Join us for a FABLE & FOOD tracing the lineage of some of our most beloved stories retold by Dr Laura van Holstein and accompanied with music from Dr Jaap Saers.

Once upon a time... ஒரே ஒரு ஊரிலே... Il était une fois... Hapo zamani za kale... Er was eens...

(The start of fairytales in English, Tamil, French, Swahili, and Dutch)

'We are a science duo studying human evolution,and in our FABLE ARTS project, we explore the intersection of storytelling, sound, and science. Storytelling, like language, art, and having chins(yes, really!) is a human universal. Stories passed down generations are at once deeply personal and a connection to lineages that stretch far back intime: tales root us to our past. In our project we trace fairytales back to this root, following a phylogenetic tree that reconstructs the history of fairytale evolution to the earliest known story. Laura reimagines three tales: The Monk and the Bird, first told at least 2000 years ago, The Boy Steals the Ogre’s Treasure, first told at least 3000 years ago, and The Smith and the Devil, first told up to 6000 years ago in the Bronze Age. Like folk tales, folkmusic has deep historical roots. Folk tunes track the migrations of people across the world, mixing with local traditions to create new forms of art. As an embodiment of this tradition, Jaap accompanies Laura’s reimagined tales with newand traditional folk tunes, using unconventional instruments: the five-string banjo and the resonator guitar.' - Words by Dr Laura van Holstein & Dr Jaap Saers

Act 1: The Monk and the Bird

Entrée: Seeds and shoots salad

Music: Jig set

Act 2: The Boy Steals the Ogre’s Treasure

Main: Mediterranean bean stew with potato griddle cakes

Music: Reel set

Act 3: The Smith and the Devil Dessert: Crème brûlée

Music: Slip Jigs set