DasArts / Master of Theatre

Block 26
Truth again

Block 26 commenced on 19 February 2007 and ended on 27 April 2007.
The semester commenced on 1 March 2007 and ended on 31 August 2007.

Mentors

Cornel Bierens (NL) writer, artist, clinical psychologist
Benda Hofmeyr (ZA) philosopher

About the block

Participants, mentors and guest lecturers joined forces in the quest to rediscover truth. The truth about what? Which truth? The various truths of Art, of Love, of Politics, of Science (and Religion as well). Both collaboratively and individually, they attempted to recreate Truth through Art.

The search for truth is often associated with the ivory tower of academia but in actual fact it falls within the purview of everyone who tries to get to the bottom of things. But does truth exist? Isn’t truth a goal that can never be attained?

Throughout the history of philosophy, this relativistic approach to truth has always been regarded as a reaction against absolutists. Relativism might have reigned supreme during the last decades of the 20th century but our present postmodernist era is drawing to an end. The recent upsurge of fundamentalism and extremism is symptomatic of the turning tide. These fanatical outbursts aside, it is no longer a shame to talk about truth, to believe in it. This is not a mere relapse into absolutism, however. Beyond these binary oppositions there is now talk of truth as something both personal and objective.

Our attempt to make the notion of truth productive in our work as artistic/cultural producers was informed by the thinking of the French philosopher Alain Badiou. According to Badiou, we only come into being in any meaningful sense in relation to an event of truth. A truth-event radically redefines the way things are and can take place in one of four possible settings: in the fervour of artistic production, in the passion of love, in the elation of a scientific discovery, or in the upheaval of a political revolution. Whether artistic, amorous, scientific or political, an event turns the world as we know it upside down. The challenge is to incorporate the implications of this fundamental break with the existing state of affairs, to continue onwards while remaining true to the event – to persevere in the interruption. There is no ethics in general, according to Badiou, but only an ethic of truth(s), i.e. fidelity to an event(s). The operative question in the ethic of truths is: how will I continue to exceed my own being? How to become the Immortal that I am capable of being?

Participants

Andreas Bachmair (D); Tammuz Binshtock (IL/NL); Luc van Esch (NL); Camilla Fehér Ulrich (D); Andrew Fremont-Smith (USA); Zhana Ivanova (BG/GB); Cille Lansade (DK/F); José Manuel Mora Ortiz (E); Janneke Raaphorst (NL); Borut Separovic (NL/HR); Jochen Stechmann (D); Marloeke van der Vlugt (NL); Voin Voynov (BG)

Guest teachers/lecturers

Jan Andriesse (NL); Arthur d’Ansembourg (NL); Christiane Berkvens-Stevelinck (NL); Marijke Besselink (NL); Erik Borgman (NL); Hester Carvalho (NL); Charlotte Dumas (NL); Laura van Dolron (NL); Tijs Goldschmidt (NL); René Gude (NL); Bas Haring (NL); Pieter Hilhorst (NL); Vincent Icke (NL); Erwin Jans (B); Theo Jansen (NL); Clemens Kemme (NL); Marc de Kesel (B); Kees Koonings (NL); David Kremers (USA); Sybille Lammes (NL); Dieter Lesage (B); Klaas Meijer (NL); Henk Oosterling (NL); Matthias Pauwels (B); Susanne Piët (NL); Miriam van Reijen (NL); Joyce Roodnat (NL); Tomador Meihuizen (NL); Karin Trodler (D); Ulay (NL/D); Sjoerd Wagenaar (NL)

Week by Week

Week 1: 18 - 23 February 2007

As is tradition within DasArts, the first week took place on location. We therefore left on 18 February to go to a horse stable in Gasselte (Drenthe/North-East Holland) for 1 week.

Is it strange to go and read a book on Truth in a building full of horses? Not at all! Somehow, there has always been a connection between philosophy and horses. Plato compared the human soul to a charioteer trying to drive two conflicting horses, and Nietzsche’s career reached its climax in his embracing of a mistreated horse. While discussing Badiou’s book we, more than learning to ride horseback, tried to get in touch and communicate with this excellent representative of the animal world.

The first guest teachers of ‘Truth Again’ joined us there:

Karin Trodler (D), dancing teacher and horse whisperer; Erwin Jans (B) dramaturgist and philologist, author of ‘Intercultural Intoxications’ and Charlotte Dumas (NL) photographer and artist. We also spent an afternoon with the Peer Group in Veenhuizen, a theatre group for projects on location, founded by DasArts graduate Sjoerd Wagenaar (NL) and visited the ‘Straw Castle’ designed by DasArts graduate Robbert van der Horst (NL).

Week 2: 26 February - 2 March 2007
On Love

In the second week of the block, every morning we collectively read a section of the book ‘Wanderlust, a history of walking’ by Rebecca Solnit. Afterwards, the mentors and participants went for a 1 hour walk in the neighbourhood of Amsterdam.

In the afternoons, the following ‘On Love’ lectures and workshops took place:
- Lecture: ‘Socratic Conversation on Love’ by Arthur d’Ansembourg (NL), philosopher, specialist in Socratic conversations
- Lecture: ‘Adultery in Pop Music’ by Hester Carvalho (NL), pop journalist, ‘NRC-Handelsblad’
- Lecture: ‘The Love of Ulay and Abromovic - From Love to Performance’ by Ulay (D), artist, performer and photographer
- Lecture: ‘Love in Psychology’ by Susanne Piët (NL), psychologist, author of ‘The Emocode’
- Mini workshop: ‘Rituals of Reconciliation, Separation and Remembrance’ by Christiane Berkvens, professor of European Studies at Radboud University Nijmegen, Remonstrant pastor

Week 3: 5 - 9 March 2007
On Love

During the third week, the participants attended a three-day workshop by Miriam van Reijen (NL) entitled: ‘On Love – Love as a Political Force’. Klaas Meijer (NL) gave the participants interview-training. This training was a preparation for a series of interviews of elderly people conducted by the participants.

On Friday afternoon, the participants presented their findings and experiences in individual presentations during a ‘closed session’ for staff and mentors.

Week 4: 12 - 16 March 2007
On Politics

After the daily hike in the neighbourhood of Amsterdam, the following lectures and presentations took place:
- Lecture: Marc Schuilenburg, ‘Truth and Politics and Badiou’
- Lecture: Kees Koonings, ‘Truth and Revolution’
- Lecture: Frans Fontaine, ‘On Che Guevara’ (in the Tropenmuseum)
- Lecture: Marc de Kesel, ‘Relation Badiou –St.Paul’
- Lecture: Dominiek Hoens, ‘The True is Always New’ (at the Rietveld Academy)
- Presentation: Tomador Meihuizen
- 2 FILMS: ‘Saudi Solutions’
- Lecture: Matthias Pauwels ‘The Wal-Mart Phenomenon’
- FILM: ‘The High Cost of Low Price’
- Stand-up Philosophy: Laura van Dolron

Week 5: 19 - 23 March 2007
On Politics

The participants collaborated with Pieter Hilhorst (NL) in a workshop entitled: 'On Politics'.
In response to the 2 weeks programme and Pieter's workshop, an Open Lab was given on 23 March 2007 with presentations by the participants.

Week 6: 26 - 30 March
On Science

Continuation of the weekly routines:
- Reading session: Wanderlust
- Hike in the neighbourhood of Amsterdam
- Collective lunches

The following ‘On Science’ lectures and presentations took place:
- Evaluation of the presentations for ‘On Politics’
- Lecture: Erik Borgman, ‘Science and Religion’
- Lecture: Vincent Icke, ‘Truth and Astronomy’

A visit to the Centre for Fine Arts, Brussels took place on 28 March 2007. The participants attended Badiou’s lecture ‘Notre Present: Une Absence De Present?’. An interview was conducted with Alain Badiou by Benda Hofmeyr, Matthias Pauwels and DasArts dramaturge Georg Weinand – exactly halfway through our block. After so many textual encounters, it was a great honour to finally meet the source of our inspiration in person.

- Lecture: Sybille Lammes & Marloeke van der Vlugt, ‘Truth and the New Media’
- Lecture: Tijs Goldschmidt, ‘Truth and Ecology’
- Film: ‘Darwin’s Nightmare’
- Lecture: Andrew Fremont-Smith, ‘Badiou’s Metapolitics’

Week 7: 2 - 6 April
On Science

Week 7 consisted of a workshop by the Belgian philosopher Dieter Lesage (B). In response to the 2-week programme ‘On Science’ and the workshop with Dieter Lesage, two group presentations were given by the participants during Open Lab 141.

Week 8: 9 - 13 April
On Art

-- Visit to ‘Art as Life’ by Allan Kaprow, Van Abbemuseum, Eindhoven
- Lecture: Clemens Kemme, ‘Truth and Music’ (on Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)
- Lecture Henk Oosterling
- Lecture: Joyce Roodnat, ‘Truth and Film’
- Lecture: Jan Andriesse, ‘Truth and painting’ (on Johannes Vermeer)

Week 9: 16 - 20 April
On Art

36 hours of Meditation and Fasting with Ulay.
Visit to Theo Jansen, visual artist. He makes skeletons out of PVC tubes. His constructions are able to walk on the wind.

Week 10: 23 -27 April

Final Presentations: Open Lab 142 & 143 ‘Truth Again’.

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