Director Wouter Van Looy and video artist Wim Catrysse join forces with writer and poet Peter Verhelst and Jurgen De Bruyn of Zefiro Torna in The Mass Man. Together, they delve into the complex forces that propel both rulers and masses to power and downfall, unearthing the underlying motivations behind the pursuit of conquest. Drawing on Elias Canetti’s seminal work Crowds and Power, and adapting key passages from the text, they explore how fear, power, and survival intersect in the ever-evolving dynamics of crowds and rulership. Verhelst’s original writing is woven into the production, interspersed with Canetti’s insights, creating a powerful dialogue between the two voices.

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Canetti opens his book with the assertion: “There is nothing that man fears more than the touch of the unknown. [...] All the distances which men create round themselves are dictated by this fear.” This fear of the unknown—central to Canetti’s work—drives both the formation of crowds and the structures of power that seek to control them.

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In The Mass Man, Van Looy and Catrysse reflect on how crowds, fueled by socio-political discontent, rise and dissolve in waves of unrest, leaving behind unresolved tensions. By adapting and interweaving Canetti’s exploration of crowd dynamics with Verhelst’s poetic response, the production examines how power uses fear to create division and maintain control.

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At the heart of the performance is Wim Catrysse’s two-channel video installation, filmed during a residency in the West Bank. In this immersive footage, the audience is transported to a region defined by ideological conflict, where the fear of the unknown is not an abstract concept, but an ever-present, palpable reality. The images—caught in moments of tension and conflict—witness the ongoing human cost of ideological warfare. Fear of the "other," manipulated by power structures, has created a society divided by an entrenched "us versus them" mentality. The video serves as a stark reminder of the ways fear, once institutionalized, becomes a tool for maintaining control and perpetuating division.

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The music, rearranged by Jurgen De Bruyn and performed by Zefiro Torna, draws on medieval crusader songs, adding another layer to the exploration of power and division. From monophonic recruitment chants to polyphonic motets, the music evokes the same dynamics of ideological warfare and societal fragmentation seen in Canetti’s analysis, while also reflecting the ongoing struggles of today. Themes of power, migration, persecution, and social disintegration resonate through the music, offering a historical context for the production’s modern-day concerns.

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By intertwining Canetti’s writing, Verhelst’s original text, video, and music, The Mass Man creates a compelling exploration of how fear, power, and identity continue to shape our world. Through this adaptation, the production invites the audience to reflect on the enduring impact of these forces, from the medieval Crusades to the present moment.