Theme nights: here and now

On December 1, 2 and 3, Media Art Festival in collaboration with the UG/Campus Fryslân and Hanze University Groningen will present three interwoven online Theme Nights full of discovery, discussion and artistic inspiration.

Central to each evening is a theme that is further explored and unravelled by special guest researchers and artists. We zoom in on the appreciation of culture and economic value in the cultural sector, not-knowing in times of uncertainty, and we take a closer look at our relationship with nature.

Due to the current Corona measures, it has been decided to only stream the evenings online without an audience on location. The evenings are streamed live and everyone can join and watch.

1 December - Culturenomics

During this first Theme Night we will explore how culture is experienced and appreciated in our society and whether our understanding of culture is still up to date. What the Corona crisis has brought to light is that culture is much more than just theater, dance and visual arts. The whole cultural sector was affected, and so were festivals and the performances of Dries Roelvink. Culture and today’s cultural production is much more comprehensive than what we learn about it at school.

2 December - Not-knowing

In light of the crisis which is currently in the making, we are all confronted with uncertainty. Unexpectedly, we are face to face with a reality that previously seemed so easy to escape via plans, calculations and predictions. As we rediscover our situations and at times drown in the deep seas of uncertainty, tonight we invite a group of artists with a profound interest in inhabiting the space of not-knowing.

A search in which ‘not-knowing is encountered as an opening in the fabric of what is known, which requires a reciprocal openness, receptivity to its potential’; a choice that also means one needs to ‘tolerate the slight discomfort or anxiety’ caused by it.

3 December - People of all species, also humans

Over the last few decades there is increasing scientific evidence that our – particularly Western – assumptions about nature are quite faulty. Particularly in media art, it can be seen that artists too wish to question prevailing views through experimentation and creation.

Often operating on the edge of art and science, they attempt to gain new understandings about our natural environment, urging us to reflect on who we are as a species and rethink our ways of being. They use imagination to transform our dominant approach toward our other, fellow living beings. Maybe most importantly, art often dares to envision futures that may be our escape from the fragile systems that we have created over the centuries.

This evening, several artists and researchers are invited to share their work and diverse approaches to discuss the complex relationships between all people – including humans. We use the word people to imagine – if just for one night – that we have more in common with all the beings on our planet than we like to think.

More information can be found on Media Art Friesland's website or Facebookpage.