Viking Thing: the cradle of our democracy

Els Van Schoor — Mon, 28 Sep 2015 20:45:50 +0000

Past weekend, the Vikings landed in Elewijt, Belgium, for their yearly Thing. Things – from the Old Norse word þing, meaning assembly – were an early system of justice and administration. When the Vikings and early Norse settlers arrived in a new place they brought with them their customs and legal systems. Things were where political decisions were made, laws upheld and disputes settled. They acted as meeting places and were often the focus for trade and religious activity.

Having said this, I turn back to Elewijt, where there was a true reenactment of such a Thing. Vikings from Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, UK, … gathered there to demonstrate the different aspects of Northmen life. Me and my sister-in-law decided this was a perfect excursion with the kids. If only they were not this grumpy, they might have loved it. Oh well, the mummys had a great time.

The first highlight of the Viking convention for me consisted of the sight of a 4 horned sheep. I think, this must have been a Black Hebridean Sheep, but I’m not quite sure. What I do know, is that this breed was popular during the Viking era and that it is a damn strange creature. The lady at the entrance told us, that these bad ass sheep could wear up to 6 horns on their little clueless heads… say what??

The second fun moment for me, not being an actual Viking connoisseur I must admit, was the photoshoot with “shieldmaiden” Lili. She loved swaying her wooden sword in a dangerous way and wore her tunic with pride. Maybe I should’ve called her “Brynhildr” instead…

Picture by Liesa Vanhamme .

Strange Twin Peaks Party, a tribute to the first gay bar in Antwerp

Els Van Schoor — Tue, 25 Nov 2014 22:19:38 +0000

This saturday, friends of mine, Joris Thoné and Stijn Hoebeke, are organizing a party called Raar Twin Peaks Feest, which can be translated as Strange Twin Peaks Party. This is already the 6th edition of these über strange but ever so hip theme parties. Previous theme’s have been Strange Hair Party, Strange Britney Party, Strange R&B Party, Strange Cork Party, you name it. The name of the event is actually derived from the name of the Antwerp based venue, called -suprisingly- Strange. Café Strange was once the first official gay bar in Antwerp, and is still a delightfully kitschy and disco-ball-decorated relic. If you ever wonder where the “over 50″ gay men spend their evenings, you’ll find them here in the delightful company of Armand -82 years of age-, the owner.

This movie was made as a teaser for the upcoming party. Originally, I was asked to do hair and make-up of the actors, who are all friends of Joris and Stijn. Eventually I ended up “acting” myself, since the girl who was normally playing the role of Donna couldn’t make it that night. I wore a wig that looks horrible, but hey, it was strange allright. I also did the hairstyling and make-up for Timo Sassen, playing the role of Audrey dancing to Mulatu Astatke. He has a moustache from himself, which gave the shot just that extra bit of strangeness.

The blooper version shows my expressive mimic… damn, didn’t know I could do dis.

Pieter and me at the Raar Haar Feest (Strange Hair Party) in april 2014. I wore three hair pompoms that Blonde made for the show of Stephanie Bösl, fashion designer, for her graduation collection at the Fashion Department of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Antwerp. The dress is vintage, from a market stall at Rockabilly Day, an annual rockabilly event in Assenede, Belgium.

Pearls Before Swine » strange

Viking Thing: the cradle of our democracy

Strange Twin Peaks Party, a tribute to the first gay bar in Antwerp