The era of Anthropos or so called Anthropocene has been prevalent in the last decades, suggesting an overwhelming human influence upon the earth which propagates the hierarchical system such as...Show moreThe era of Anthropos or so called Anthropocene has been prevalent in the last decades, suggesting an overwhelming human influence upon the earth which propagates the hierarchical system such as dualist thinking and results in both human and animal oppression. The need for a new epistemic perception is therefore required in order to overcome the boundaries that shaped the anthropocentrism.Through the methodology of the artwork and philosophical analysis this thesis will strive to address the issues on how the traditional anthropocentric thinking has limited the ways we have established our relationship with animals, plants and nature in general. Why art is considered as an exceedingly needed aspect in overcoming the anthropocentric thinking will be explained in four consecutive chapters, each explaining and giving the reader an apprehensible understanding on how art is able to challenge the anthropocentric conundrum that has ubiquitously remained in the way we ‘other’ animals and plants.Show less
This thesis explores the position the artwork Autonomy Cube (2014) by Trevor Paglen and Jacob Appelbaum takes in what Gilles Deleuze has termed the “Society of Control”. Deleuze specifically...Show moreThis thesis explores the position the artwork Autonomy Cube (2014) by Trevor Paglen and Jacob Appelbaum takes in what Gilles Deleuze has termed the “Society of Control”. Deleuze specifically discusses this society by outlining a development from a disciplined society, constituted by enclosed spaces, to a control society characterized by a more fragmented sense of space. Departing from this spatial theorization of the society of control by Deleuze, this thesis takes the spatial tension between the bordered territory of the nation-state and the borderless realm of the internet as a starting point for thinking about the (public) space that this society provides. Autonomy Cube’s position within this space is analysed by looking at how the artwork, through the online Tor network it gives access to, engages with the complex spatiality that forms the core of the society of control. From there on it is argued that this artwork does not limit itself to a (critical) representation of the control society, but that it positions itself at the center of its logic in order to rebuild and modulate it from within. As such, this thesis aims to shed light on the extent to which art can be consequential for real life in times of the increasing digitalization of society and, more specifically, of the modes of surveillance and control that structure it.Show less
The thesis proposes a perspective on contemporary visual arts through the viewpoint of Plato’s notion of χώρα (chôra) – a concept, which in Plato’s philosophy is defined as a third kind of being...Show moreThe thesis proposes a perspective on contemporary visual arts through the viewpoint of Plato’s notion of χώρα (chôra) – a concept, which in Plato’s philosophy is defined as a third kind of being and is designated as a space between the World of Being and the World of Becoming, necessary for the world to originate and become manifested. The text engages with the idea of χώρα in Plato’s dialogue Timaeus, the understanding of the concept in contemporary thought in the work of the philosophers Jacques Derrida and Julia Kristeva, and investigates two distinct yet interconnected artworks – HAEM Blood Bound (2016) by Cecilia Jonsson and Cracks in Time (2009) by Michal Rovner, through the viewpoint of χώρα. In the text, art is considered equal to χώρα, as, it is argued, approaching the main features of Plato’s receptacle – the crucial aspects of ontology, motility and ‘in-betweenness’ as art characteristics could enable a rediscovery of the significance of the messages it implies for contemporary society. In this manner the research offers a different approach towards art, a prospect for widening its understanding, which, in turn, would allow examining its role and disclosing what it can contribute to the societal issues of the present-day world.Show less
Research master thesis | Arts and Culture (research) (MA)
open access
This thesis examines the notion of productive multisensory experiences in museums of modern and contemporary art, as well as the pedagogy of current olfactory curatorial strategies and fruitful...Show moreThis thesis examines the notion of productive multisensory experiences in museums of modern and contemporary art, as well as the pedagogy of current olfactory curatorial strategies and fruitful conceptual tools for such future strategies in art museums. It sets out to develop a theoretical framework for understanding immersive, multisensory art museum experiences as meaningful and educative. The sense of smell functions exemplary in this for it is an exceptional multisensory sensation in itself that requires thorough reconceptualization since it has long been repressed in Western epistemology.Show less
In this thesis I discuss the way art can be fruitful to the conversation about human enhancement that is sparked by the development of the genetic engineering technique called CRISPR. Drawing on...Show moreIn this thesis I discuss the way art can be fruitful to the conversation about human enhancement that is sparked by the development of the genetic engineering technique called CRISPR. Drawing on theories by Brian Massumi, Georges Bataille, Michel Serres, Rosi Braidotti, Andrew Lapworth and Karen Barad, I argue that bioart has the ability to show that our existence is in its core relational and that this awareness is of importance to an alternate scientific and ethical attitude. I relate this to artworks made by Stelarc, Adam Zaretsky, Revital Cohen, Critical Art Ensemble, Paul Vanouse, Faith Wilding, Kathy High and Eduardo Kac, and show how the agency of their material works provide different epistemological frameworks. Whereas in daily life things and phenomena are often treated as separated but clearly defined and therefore understandable entities, in the projects of these artists the complex and muddy notion of intersubjectivity as a process of becoming is centralized. The incorporation of art in discussions about technological innovations like CRISPR is therefore significant due to its focus on inclusion in contrast to methods of exclusion. The diverse viewpoints that are present in the human enhancement debate exemplify that finding the right definition of what is at stake sometimes cannot be achieved through language and representations. Instead, it has to be known through art’s affective happening in which different desires, implications and heuristic models all find their affirmation.Show less
In the last thirty years there have been increasing collaborations between artists and scientists and the reasons for this are complex and varied. Although the interaction is mostly promoted as a...Show moreIn the last thirty years there have been increasing collaborations between artists and scientists and the reasons for this are complex and varied. Although the interaction is mostly promoted as a positive and promising activity, there is also a lot of skepticism about the equality between the two sectors. There is a general problem that collaborations may become muddled by different disciplinary understandings. Therefore there seems to be a distinction between bio-art that attempts to challenge the oppressive and exploitative practices that shape the world and bio-art that functions as a form of science- advertisement. Considering these means we should pay attention to the ways in which the arts-science linkage works within our society. This study examines this distinction by focusing on the goal of bio-art according to today’s biggest bio-art competitions: The Bio Art & Design award, the Wellcome Trust arts award, the VIDA Artificial Life International Awards and the FASEB BioArt competition. By comparing their histories, their claimed intentions and their results, this study aims to create a complete overview of the competitions and the role they are playing in the world of bio-art and its development. It shows us if these competitions stimulate bio-art as being a form of advertisement or a form of critical art, which will hopefully bring us a bit closer to answering the more general question; what do we expect from the collaboration between art and science and why is it necessary?Show less
Bio art and Do-it-yourself biology have presented themselves as ground breaking new movements of the humanities working with the life sciences. They attempt to bring the scientific debate to the...Show moreBio art and Do-it-yourself biology have presented themselves as ground breaking new movements of the humanities working with the life sciences. They attempt to bring the scientific debate to the general public, both in their own way. However, are they really that different from each other in their attempt to break the scientific status quo, and with what means do they attempt to communicate with the general public? This paper will focus on the current status of bio art and DIY biology and their interaction with the general public, and explores the role of the academics in this situation.Show less
In deze scriptie zullen op filosofisch niveau opvattingen over de relatie tussen kunst en (im)moraliteit, of de morele dimensie in kunst, onderzocht worden. Aan de hand daarvan zal bekeken worden...Show moreIn deze scriptie zullen op filosofisch niveau opvattingen over de relatie tussen kunst en (im)moraliteit, of de morele dimensie in kunst, onderzocht worden. Aan de hand daarvan zal bekeken worden hoe verschillende kunstfilosofieën reflecteren op hedendaagse installatiekunst (of fotografie hiervan) waarin mensen of dieren onderdeel zijn van het werk. Een analyse van twee case studies, Helena van de Chileense kunstenaar Marco Evaristti uit 2000 en Guillermo Vargas Jimenez’s Exposición N° 1 (2007), zal verschillende problemen aan het licht brengen in de discussie over wat de grenzen van hedendaagse kunst zijn en waarom en hoe zij bepaalde morele vragen oproepen met hun installaties. Daarbij zal het controversiële werk van de Nederlandse kunstenaar Jonas Staal worden gebruikt ter illustratie van de problematiek van kunst in een moreel debat.Show less
Research master thesis | Arts and Culture (research) (MA)
closed access
This project investigates in what ways or senses bioart can potentially bridge the gap between theories about human nature and human dignity, and actual human enhancement. This is done in three...Show moreThis project investigates in what ways or senses bioart can potentially bridge the gap between theories about human nature and human dignity, and actual human enhancement. This is done in three parts. As I move from a discussion of the current biotechnological debate that finds itself at a stalemate, to a more general view on (bio)art and its potential transformative force, I eventually turn to case studies of bioart practice to see whether art can perhaps contribute to an embodied living of biotechnology in our society. Can art contribute valuable insights to the concept of human nature and our biotechnological future, which the theoretical debate cannot, and if so, how? In the final part, part 4, I suggest that bioart’s critical potential is best considered in terms of affecting the academic debate and discourse. In this sense, it can potentially play a role in the tug-of-war that is the biotechnological debate. It functions significantly better in an academic context than it does for The General Public. I conclude that there are three crucial aspects to the potential transformative force of bioart: ambiguity, embodiment and crossing of boundaries. The fourth, demystification, is shown to be not quite successful in practice. This research shows that ambiguity is the most important aspect to the specificity of bioart. It leads me to consider what I call The Complicity Paradox to be the most influential in terms of bioart potentially shifting the biotechnological debate and enacting a transformative force within discussions on biotechnology and its far-reaching consequences. Bioart does this across the different fields of art, science and the humanities. Bioart can simultaneously be complicit in, as well as contest and be critical of biotechnology and its forces by becoming part of the fields that are biotechnology and science itself, potentially changing them from within.Show less
