Performances in collaboration with SKOR, Who Cares? Speculations on the Cultural Organisation of Civility, 2010 GoingUp:Jerusalem, 2012
Performance in collaboration with participants of GoingUp:Jerusalem, Jerusalem, 2012 Using the motif of the point d'ironie, we worked together with the group GoingUp:Jerusalem, who produce a performative photograph in Jerusalem. Point d'ironie is based loosely on the action by the Slovak artist Julius Kollers Univerzálny Futurologicky Otáznik, or Futurological Question Mark (UFO) in 1978, forming a question mark with a group of people. The point dironie is a mirrored question mark. It was invented by the poet Alcanter de Brahm in the end of 19th century, and was used to indicate irony and sarcasm. The punctuation mark embodies questions in relation to what an appropriate contribution to GoingUp:Jerusalem may be. A contribution and role to this walking project, initiated by artist Guy Briller, within the context of the geopolitical situation in the Middle East may be extremely uncertain, tricky and risky: an adventure with unknown outcomes. The impossibility or inability of knowing what is an exact or accurate contribution is however marked by one certainty: that all the participants of GoingUp:Jerusalem join in this together.They co-produced and communicated ideas and speculations on where they, as a group, and the situation they are also implicated in, is heading to. Point d'ironie embodies the decision to address, articulate, and punctuate the uncertainties, doubts and engagement of all those involved in these discussions during the long short critical walk from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and the importance of being in the moment with the many disagreements discussed. The final outcome is to be distributed as postcards. Perhaps. Or perhaps not.
Performance in collaboration with SKOR and participants of Who Cares? Speculations on the Cultural Organisation of Civility, 2010 Using the motif of the point d'ironie, we worked with the participants of two expertmeetings at the symposium 'Who Cares? Speculations on the Cultural Organisation of Civility', organized by SKOR. While healthcare has become a prime site (and battle field) of global market-driven transformations in governmental policies, Who Cares? seeks to connect current debates about care and citizenship in contemporary art, philosophy and politics, to realities of the organisation of the healthcare system in the Netherlands and internationally, to question the role of art and its assumed ameliorative function. 'point d'ironie' is produced as a teaser-image for the symposium and as a 14 minutes long video work. 'point d'ironie' is based loosely the action by the Slovak artist Julius Kollers Univerzálny Futurologicky Otáznik or Futurological Question Mark (UFO) in 1978, forming a question mark with a group of people. point d'ironie however, is a mirrored question mark which was invented by the poet Alcanter de Brahm in the end of 19th century, and was used to indicate irony and sarcasm.This punctuation mark embodies our own critical questions and perhaps doubts on what the role of artists could be with regards to care and citizenship; it also addresses the fact that 'taking care' can only occur when citizens are prepared to not only participate as a 'gratuit' statement but also to take their participation personally, even if they feel the effect of their contribution and role may be uncertain or futile. Real engagement is difficult to measure, but this action is marked by one certainty: all the participants in these meetings are engaged in co-producing and communicating ideas and speculations on 'where we are heading to'. This collective performance stresses the importance of all involved in these discussions, and of their own contribution to that moment. We planned to shoot a fourth image with a general public in the Amsterdamse Bos (not realised). This large 'city park' finds its origin in a public project developed as an emergency plan to facilitate labour during the years of crisis in 1934. Today, it is one of the biggest 'green lungs' of the city of Amsterdam.
