A documentary physical performance about trauma, the reality that lives beneath the skin, and the blind spots of our society.

In BAKENEKO, performer and creator Charlotte Goesaert herself takes the stage in a physical solo about how trauma becomes embedded in the body—invisible to the outside world, yet decisive from within. The performance exposes the latent traces of child abuse and neglect, while simultaneously questioning the mechanisms that perpetuate them.

Based on conversations with people who encounter this theme through their social roles, Goesaert interweaves their voices, images, and sounds with the expressive presence of her own body. This creates a compelling scenic experience in which documentary elements and physical imagination challenge each other.

BAKENEKO is not a quest for ready-made answers, but an invitation to collective reflection. Why is it that we so often notice signals too late? Why don’t we intervene sooner? What needs to change to better protect children? How do we deal with a reality we would rather forget? Where lies the line between compassion and discomfort? Goesaert immerses the audience in an experience that grates, touches, and continues to resonate. In a world where trauma often remains subdued, this performance invites us to sharpen our perspective—as citizens, professionals, parents, and fellow human beings.

After whatchamacallit, Charlotte Goesaert deepens her unique formal language, in which image, body, and sound converge in a physical, vulnerable, and confrontational performance that makes visible what usually remains unseen.