Any Change Calls for Resistance
Any Change Calls for Resistance was created upon invitation of the Royal Institute for Theatre Cinema and Sound (RITCS) in Brussels to curate their 2019 winter school, a yearly 3 weeks-long transdisciplinary module.
Any Change Calls for Resistance proposed to undertake an investigation of how we, as individuals and collectives respond to the changes which take place in and around us: the changes we fear, those we dream of, the changes we stimulate, those we try to resist, or those we intend to initiate ourselves…
Central to the program was the question of what artistic practices can do in the face of the unprecedented scale and speed of the present cultural, political, technological and geological transformations. Is there a role for art to play in a situation where so many seem to feel so powerless? Should art at all hold itself busy with such questions? The Winter School engaged with these issues in a very hands-on fashion, following the paths and strategies proposed by three experienced arts practicioners who each proposed a different workshop:
The Streaming Hypothesis, lead by Constant vzw. addressed the question of how technology affects our lives and our manner of working and producing art. The workshop proposed a critical dive into the technology of streaming. Approaching it on a cultural, political, techological and esthetic level it was about taking the notion of streaming apart, as Google, Facebook, Netflix and the other big platforms provide IT to us, in order to understand what it really is and to then bend, misuse and change its modalities to fit one’s own artistic and ideological purpose.
Le Space, lead by Rachida Aziz and Christophe Callewaertwas centered around the position and the role of Le Space, a self-organised political and cultural venue opened by writer, activist, and fashion designer Rachida Aziz in the center of Brussels. This workshop undertook a deconstruction of the institutions our arts practices usually rely on through the lens of priviledge and cultural identity. It proposed a pathway to reconsider the role of artists in society from a position situated outside of the established norms, values and conventions of the dominant art world and of patriarchy that still rules our societies.
The Really Green Fantasy, lead by Christophe Meierhans proposed to develop a realistic fiction of what our individual lives in Belgium would look like if the country would actually decide to become thoroughly ecological sustainable, with the means, knowledge and resources that are available at present. Following a research phase informed by guest specialists from the field of sustainability and ecological economics, a collective narrative was developed and rendered into a participative performance at the end of the workshop.
As an introduction to the Winter School all participants took part in THE THING – an automatic workshop in every day disruption, a hybrid format developed by Ant Hampton and Christophe Meierhans, taking its participants on a four episode long exploration of the overlap between things which matter to the world, and a thing each of us could set into motion at any moment.
During the evenings of the winter school, a public discursive program took place to provide different input and perspectives on the three workshops’ topics, with invited guest speakers, artist presentations and screenings: The School of Love, with Adva Zakai and guests, Discussing Hacker Pedagogy, with C.I.R.C.E. and Discussing decolonisation in the arts, with Joachim Ben Yakoub and guests.
In parallel, R.adical I.deas T.o C.hange S.chool, a collaborative decision making process was organised throughout the 3 weeks of the winter school in order to propose a concrete change to be implemented in the school and which the direction committed to engage with in beforehand.
Conception & curation: Christophe Meierhans
Facilitation: Christophe Meierhans & That Might Be Right
Production: Tim Martens, RITCS, in collaboration with Kaaitheater and That Might Be Right