Since 2023, Collectief Elan(d) has been a platform for both collective and personal projects. SPIJT is Jitse’s first solo project.

The research focuses on the theme of regret and sharing stories. Regret often seems connected to the past; it takes up mental space and pulls people out of the present. But can sharing stories contribute to acceptance? Can being heard and seen help with that?

From personal experiences, Jitse Huysmans developed a desire to investigate how regret can be transformed. This led to the concept of ‘experience booths’: spaces where visitors can listen to (audio) stories about regret and respond creatively (with a word, drawing, or note). The storyteller can return later to see how their story has touched others.

More than an installation, SPIJT is an invitation to pause. It is a plea for connection through stories—an attempt to embrace vulnerability rather than avoid it. Can regret, a seemingly static entity, be set in motion through interaction?

After the first residency at KAOS (P.C. Elsene & Workspacebrussels), where research was conducted on the theme of regret, the need now arises for a first tangible prototype: the experience booth. In this studio-residency, an initial material is being explored. Can this booth become an intimate space where visitors can immerse themselves in the layers of regret? As in the earlier work of Collectief Elan(d), form is not a neutral medium here, but an active participant that helps narrate the content. What does the material tell us?