Why is one person free to cross EU borders, while for others they remain closed, or can be opened only with great difficulty and after extensive checks? Why does a journey from Afghanistan to Europe takes a day for some and eight years for others?

Over the past seven years, Brussels artist and theater-maker Thomas Bellinck has been working on “Simple as ABC,” a series of performances and installations about European mobility regulations. In Simple as ABC #7: The Voice of Fingers, Bellinck collaborates with the Finland-based Afghan journalist Said Reza Adib to examine one of the instruments of control employed by the border police: the fingerprint.

This multimedia performance, with dozens of red tulips in the leading role, zooms in on the legacy of Francis Galton and his eugenics, on the interplay of lines on fingertips, and on the degrading journey that Reza made to Finland. Because Reza is not allowed to travel within Europe, he is forced to work with Bellinck remotely, and two performers interpret their dialogue on stage.

IDFA on Stage: Simple as ABC #7: The Voice of Fingers is a co-presentation of IDFA and Vlaams Cultuurhuis De Brakke Grond.