What makes an object sacred?
This summer, eighteen emerging writers from the Netherlands and Flanders will take part in deBuren’s writing residency in Paris. Packed alongside their notebooks are eighteen “sacred” objects, each on loan from a resident of Leeuwarden. What makes an object sacred? When does an everyday item become a talisman, a keepsake, a source of comfort, or a vessel of meaning?
Using one object each as their point of departure—and without knowing who it belongs to—the writers will create new work inspired by the theme Inspire Me. Personal, poetic, mystical, or philosophical, each text offers its own response to the question of what moves us and what we choose to cherish. During Explore the North, the writers will bring these newly created works to life and, for the first time, meet the people who entrusted them with their treasured objects. The objects themselves will also be on display throughout the festival, creating a unique encounter between object, artist, and audience. After the festival, the stories will be published in a special edition of the literary magazine Hard//hoofd.
A collaboration between deBuren, Hard//hoofd, and Explore the North.
About the makers
The 2026 writing residents whose work you will hear: Abel Dijkstra, Daniël Meppelink, Daniël/Daniëlle Olivier, Hanna De Grave Loyson, Hannah Zaouad, Ian Marquez García, Ivanna Nejelski, Jiajia Hu, Julia de Dreu, Khalid Boudrari, Laïka Planchenault, Leonie Moreels, Merel Nijhuis, Merlijn Beullens, Moos Boeke, Omar Ghaly, Stefanie Gordin, and Tirsa With. Read more about these makers here.
About deBuren
deBuren is a Flemish-Dutch organisation dedicated to sustainable collaboration and talent development. A long-standing partner of Explore the North, it fosters a Flemish-Dutch cultural and social ecosystem in which emerging makers can thrive and audiences can form informed opinions. Based in the heart of Brussels, deBuren organises events at its own venue and on stages across the Low Countries—including in Leeuwarden during our festival.
About Hard//hoofd
Hard//hoofd is a free space for new artists and writers: a platform where emerging talent can experiment and develop both online and offline. Hard//hoofd believes that young makers develop a sharp and distinctive voice when they are not pushed towards sensationalism. This freedom forms the foundation for original imagination and new storytelling.