In ‘II’, the author reveals a thought process surrounding her conflicting emotions. Everything comes together in one person. Although at first she seems almost overwhelmed by the inner division she feels, she later comes to the realization that duality and contradictions are always within us. This leads to self-acceptance. After all, we have never truly been one.

The image of the sea crashing against the rocks also symbolizes this inner split or multiplicity. The coast and the sea are connected, but they will never be fully compatible or merge into one another. We witness something that resembles a battle — powerful waves striking the rocks — yet there is also a natural beauty in this scene.

This video poem is an outcome of the joint artistic research that Anika van de Wijngaard and Jos Agasi did on Madeira in 2025. Their research was conducted within the framework of the second Connected by Water program, which brought together a group of international students and teachers. The first edition took place in Leiden in 2024.

Connected by Water is an exchange program focused on artistic research, made possible by the dedication of Christiane Brohl of Universität Bremen, Anke Haarmann of Leiden University Academy of Creative and Performing Arts, Teresa Norton Dias of Universidade da Madeira and Katharina Broennecke of Universität der Künste Berlin.

'II' (2025)

Concept, poetry, voice: Anika van de Wijngaard
Concept, photography, sound design: Jos Agasi

Video 2.56 min