An encounter and exchange with Max Philipp Asschenbrenner and Ong Keng Sen. Afternoon - time tbc.
A curator’s seminar is an opportunity for an in-depth encounter with a curator, whose practices intersect with the themes of the Block. Over the course of a long afternoon, the curator shares his or her practice, tools and vision. This may be followed by practical sessions, dialogues or short assignments.
“Theatre and performing arts are not the same. Theatre was an imperial tool justifying the expansion of nation state and its virtues of racial identity, individualism and competition. Theatre was, and for big parts still is, exclusive to nobility and bourgeoisie. Performing arts, however, is a central element of democratic fabrics, hosting and embracing the forgotten and repressed: the spirits of those long gone and those not yet born. Deriving from outer city limit graveyards, performing arts enable the dead, the dirty and the buffoons to meet: a sphere of the unwanted, yet desired, the necessary evil. (…) Artists today are luckily tackling these distorted ideas with critical awareness, fictionalising timelines, redrawing the maps and rewriting narratives.” Fragment of his statement as artistic director of TPAM 2018 in Japan
Max Philip Aschenbrenner is currently working as a dramaturge for Ruhrtriennale. He is trained as a dramaturg and has worked as curator and dramaturg for Theater der Welt festival, Wiener Festwochen and the Asian Art Centre in Gwangju. His curiosity was always oriented towards the international field, and he has engaged deeply with artistic scenes in Asia, India and Argentina. He pursues his international work as an artistic confrontation with globalization, the market-driven process that he does not accept.
Ong Keng Sen was the Festival Director of Singapore International Festival of Arts (2013-2017) and the founder of Arts Network Asia. He is a performance director who has actively contributed to the evolution and subsequent transglobalization of the Asian aesthetic in contemporary arts.
“I think I'm searching for singularities or exceptions in my journey through art. The fact that I'm interested in singularities means that I'm no longer interested in cultural exchange per se. I'm interested, among different artists and their activities, in singular artistic communications and visions.”
RESERVATIONS
Attendance is free, attendance is free, but seating is limited. Reserve your place with an email to: dastheatre@ahk.nl.
THE MYTHING LINK
DAS Theatre has invited South African playwright and director Brett Bailey to curate the Block 'The Mything Link – Breaking Stories form the Dawn of Time’ for the academic year 2017-2018. Starting from an engagement with myth in his own work, Bailey wish to contextualize, deepen and expand his fascination has led to the following questions: What ancient, unconscious, cultural meanings and knowledge do myths hold for us today? How can myths resonate with the fraught era in which we are living? What harmful prejudices do they perpetuate, and how can we rid them of those prejudices?
PUBLIC EVENTS
Several public events are planned – some open for a general audience, some for a smaller, invited audience. These are moments the block ‘opens up’ to the outside world, and DAS Theatre shares the artistic resources of the block: Curators Labs, contextual evenings with guest speakers alongside block teachers and presentation evenings where the work developed by students is shown. Keep an eye out on our Facebook page for all the latest information.
