In the digital environment we utilize the body as a tool to represent ourselves rather than as a means for direct experiences. The corona pandemic prompted the realization that neglecting the body causes both physical and mental damage. It is time to reflect on the role of the body in the digital age.
Artists and researchers share their perspectives on this question in the exhibition and a series of dialogues. Some Body is a co-production of the VU ART SCIENCE gallery and Art Affairs of Amsterdam UMC. Both aim to foster a deeper interaction between art and science.
On Wednesday 30 November 2022 is the opening event, organized in collaboration with VU Mindful Meet-up, which will cover a full range of bodily experiences encompassing art, meditation, music, movement and food. Central to the opening is a performance by Simon Keizer related to his new work, specially created for the exhibition: The Man with Ten Faces and a Hundred Arms. A rendition of Philip Glass' Prophecies will be played on the VU carillon during the opening, as part of the performance.
Separation of Body and Soul
Simon Keizer developed a new work especially for the exhibition, based on the religious background of Vrije Universiteit (VU) Amsterdam. Keizer drew inspiration from the life of Abraham Kuyper, VU Amsterdam's founder and a principal figure of the reformist movement in The Netherlands. Kuyper suffered from depressive episodes and burn-outs and found a way to rebalance his troubled mind by an almost obsessive dedication to walking in nature. Through an installation and a performance Keizer again reconnects body and soul.
Anonymous Bodies
Marijn Bax exposes how Instagram images of naked bodies become detached from their personalities. What status do these digital bodies have and how does this effect our experience of the body? The installation #feelme triggers the senses and invites visitors to restore the connection to the body and others.
Body language vs. Datasets
The kinetic machines of Coralie Vogelaar reveal how the body and the technology we use affect each other. In Infinite Posture Dataset a faceless person performs a range of faltering, incomprehensible movements and sounds. The Cardiac Biofeedback Measurement #1 measures the heartbeat, yet at the same time impacts the perception of the body.
Injecting Microplastics
In the video work Becoming a Sentinel Species the boundaries between body and environment are blurred. In this science fiction film scientist inject themselves with seaborne microplastics. The activated immune system causes hallucinations in which bodies gradually become one with the primordial sea. The video is a co-production of artist Sissel Marie Tonn with microplastics expert Heather Leslie and immunologist Juan Garcia Vallejo.
VU ART SCIENCE gallery
The VU ART SCIENCE gallery focuses on the interaction between art and science. Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam initiated the gallery, as it encourages the exchange of multidisciplinary knowledge. The urgency and complexity of today’s issues demand radical concepts which allow us to leave conventional paths behind and explore new directions.
Cultural hotspot
Next to the VU ART SCIENCE gallery, opened in 2021, the New University Building of VU Amsterdam hosts Griffioen (theatre & courses), Rialto (cinema) and cultural café Bar Boele. As such a veritable cultural hotspot has arisen in this part of Amsterdam. At the heart of the inspiring university campus students and VU employees as well as visitors and Zuidas residents can meet and enjoy film, theatre, art and science.
The gallery is open Tuesday to Saturday, from 12 to 6 PM. The gallery host is happy to tell you more about the exhibition and the artworks. For more information: www.artsciencegallery.nl
