Vreugdevuur Scheveningen by Romke Hoogwaerts

As part of the exhibition Extractive Imagination(s) - Chapter 2: The Perfect Loaf, The Balcony and Page Not Found are pleased to bring together an evening exploring fire as both infrastructure and communal ritual - something we gather around, both to survive and to belong.

We warmly invite you for an evening of film, conversation, and drinks - one last moment to come together before the summer break.

We will begin at The Balcony with a guided tour of the exhibition, featuring works by  collective Atlas of Ovens, Arjun Das, and Bernd & Hilla Becher. This second chapter of the Extractive Imagination(s) cycle reflects on how the pursuit of warmth - physiological and social - has shaped our tools, architecture, and ways of gathering.

After the tour, we will move together to Page Not Found where the evening will continue with a film screening and a photobook presentation, followed by an open discussion.

There, we present Vreugdevuur Scheveningen, a 30-minute film by artist Romke Hoogwaerts, focusing on the New Year’s bonfire tradition in The Hague. With nuance and care, and with attention to the emotional, historical and cultural layers, the film traces the fierce rivalry between the coastal neighbourhoods of Duindorp and Scheveningen. This local tension is placed within the larger context of Dutch bonfire tradition, rooted in an ancient ritual, reignited after the end of Nazi occupation of the Netherlands in 1945, and continuing to evolve until today.

The screening is accompanied by a presentation of Romke’s photobook, of which limited copies will be available at Page Not Found. The book expands on the film’s themes through photography, offering an intimate look at the tension between heritage and transformation. It also opens up a broader reflection on collective rituals - bonfires as symbols of communal identity, political expression, and environmental concerns - closely aligned with the exhibition’s attention to what we ignite, how we gather, and what warmth comes to mean.

The evening will conclude with a Q&A joined by members of the local community, followed by drinks and informal discussion.

Romke Hoogwaerts is a photographer and filmmaker previously known for his work as an independent photobook publisher under the brand Mossless. He was born in Atlanta, raised by Dutch parents in South East Asia and graduated from the School of Visual Arts with a BFA in Visual & Critical Studies in 2013. He has lived in New York City since 2009.

This event is part of the public program accompanyingExtractive Imagination(s) – Chapter 2: The Perfect Loaf,on view at The Balcony from June 20 to September 27, 2025.For more info :https://thebalconythehague.com/Extractive-Imagination-s-Chapter-2

In collaboration with: https://page-not-found.nl/