'Artists have a special sensitivity to what is possible and what awaits in the future.' Rainer Hofmann prepares for SPRING's future in solitude.

'In five weeks, I have only met one person for more than 3 minutes. I live alone, I see people at the groceries, I take walks and bike rides, but apart from that I don't see anyone live.' Rainer Hofmann, artistic director of Spring, is experiencing a very different spring than intended, thanks to Corona. This month, the big Utrecht festival of innovative art was supposed to play at numerous venues in Utrecht, but everything has been cancelled until further notice. We spoke a fortnight ago.

'It was the hardest moment in my theatre life to contact all the artists, cancel everything and tell the staff: we are stopping now. The good thing is that we can prepare an autumn edition, Spring in Autumn, although we don't know yet whether that will go ahead either. At least we can still work towards something.'

Of course, the question is also whether deferred performances will not lose their topicality. Rainer Hofmann has faith in the creativity of the artists the festival works with: 'You don't know what the world will be like in six months' time. At the same time, the questions that would be addressed during this festival, about what borders are, what connects us, are only becoming more urgent. Such a virus also allows things to be magnified, to see things even more clearly. I believe artists often have a talent for naming things early.'

ARK

Like that project in the pipeline: ARK. It is a collaboration with seven organisations from six European countries, under the theme 'Moving Borders' and carried out by a British company called Quarantine. Coincidence does not exist, it seems. The project was conceived when Quarantine was still something from a bygone era: 'The proposal for this project dates back to September last year when there was no corona crisis at all. But it is becoming more topical by the day.'

Is that peculiar to SPRING?

'I think it is peculiar to art. Artists have a special sensitivity to what is possible and what awaits in the future. That is their value, because they can find sensory images, evoke emotions. At Spring, we do have a good nose for these kinds of artists.'

Do you already have a plan b for when the social distancing becomes much longer?

'Crisis and social distancing strike us at the core. Theatre and dance are about the encounter between artist and audience, in one space, and at the same time. That is impossible now. It's also pathetic to sit in a hall where everyone has to keep a distance of one-and-a-half metres. That means that in a 600-seat hall, you can only have 90 people inside. So how are we going to solve that. Everything digital is only a temporary replacement, because it will remain remote. We now want to see what we can show with that one-and-a-half-metre distance. Then we think of long-term projects. An event that lasts a whole day, for example, where people can walk in and out.'

Thinking longer

That could be one thing, but that won't solve everything, of course, Hofmann acknowledges: 'I think a lot of organisations are looking. We have to take our time with that. The worst thing that can happen is that we find quick fixes very easily. It is also a time to pause and think longer than usual. We should not just come up with pragmatic solutions. Of course we should have those too, but above all we should think carefully. And I don't want to think at all yet about what will happen if it is not solved. I think what is going on now is bad enough.'

Because the life of an artistic director of a festival in lockdown is tough. I skype, I zoom, I call. Calling, in particular, is back in full swing. It's nice to have someone close to your ear. But it's very important that we can touch and really meet, not through a screen.'

How else do you get through your day?

'Apart from working on new editions, I read a lot. I have also just finished a 15-hour radio radio play of Thomas Pynchon's novel Gravity's Rainbow. I also consult a lot with other Utrecht creators and institutions. Utrecht is a very cooperative city, people help each other in these difficult times. That's great, but my questions are mainly about what should happen next. What should be done differently? I hear from artists that they can no longer continue their performances as they do now. They have other questions now.'

National

But for SPRING, the rest of the world is at least as important: 'What happens if there is an outbreak in Africa or Brazil? Will Europe then close completely to travellers from those regions? Many artists with whom we collaborate live there. I am afraid not only for their health, but also that they will not be able to come to Europe for a long time. Look how Italy has been handled. That's bad enough. We have a very international focus at Spring, but I see everything becoming more and more national.'