Huggy Bears @ SOHO STUDIOS

Sink, tiles, echo.

A phenomenology of everyday bathroom experiences.

Workshop with Els van Houtert

The bathroom. Every day, often more than once, we go in there, turn a
tap, sit, rinse, wipe, gargle, and look into the mirror. Encounters that
are often so habitual, that they remain unnoticed. Yet, the time we
spend in the bathroom may well be one of the most intimate and recurring
traditions we perform. Rituals of self-care and preparation, a small
moment of privacy before we step into our life beyond the door.

In this workshop, the bathroom becomes a threshold space: humid, tiled,
echoing. We trace how we encounter its materiality. Through sensory
explorations and exercises, participants accompany one another into
their lived bathroom experiences. How can we find care in the fluff of
the bath mat, the supporting toilet seat, the cool water that slaps our
sleepy faces?

We collectively study how our experiences, that are usually left unaware
and unshared, appear to our senses. Private routines become relatable
encounters that inspire us to transform even the smallest of our habits,
and to turn them into recurring rituals of rooting.

Please sign up at info@sohostudios.at, there is no fee.

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Education
09.2019-02.2024
Art & Science (MA), University of Applied Arts, Vienna, Austria.
Specialization: Drawing, ceramics, performance, micro-phenomenology.
2014-2018 Theology and Religious Studies (Research MA) cum laude, Culture and
Religion: Religion Conflict and Globalization , University of Groningen (RUG),
The Netherlands.
Specialization: Ritual, New Materialism, Phenomenology of Religious Experience, Every-
day Life.
2010-2014 Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology (BA), honours
degree, Free University Amsterdam (VU), The Netherlands.
2003-2009 Pre-University Secondary Education (VWO), Commanderij College ’t
Sleutelbosch, Gemert.
newest Exhibitions/Performances (selection)
07—08.03.26 Handle with Care – Performance, Bears in the Park, Vienna, Austria.
27.06.25 Point of View. Standpoint – Group Exhibition, VCAS, Vienna, Austria.
22.02.25 Not Quite Spring Yet – Performance, Bears in the Park, Vienna, Austria.

www.elsvanhoutert.nl