“Frogs and Clowns: An Object Orientation of Protest Today” — Anneke Jansen (Theatre Programming, SPOT Groningen) and Iris van der Tuin (Utrecht University)

‘Object Orientation’ is an integrative method that uses objects to bring together perspectives. After all, objects are indifferent to the ways in which perspectives have been institutionalized. They have come into being through dynamic combinations or intersections of perspectives, and they compel us to combine or interweave perspectives when we engage with them. The method originates from anthropologist Joseph Dumit’s work on Donna Haraway and was introduced to interdisciplinary conversations at Utrecht University by Gillina Bezemer (Honours Colleges) and Koen Leurs (Gender and Media Studies).

During this session, we will disentangle the inflatable frogs and other clowning objects used in protests in the United States today. Guided by the process offered by the method of object orientation, we will study the frogs, each bringing in our own perspective, and ask which perspectives are brought together and offered by these fascinating objects. Most importantly, perhaps, we will also ask how we ourselves are connected not only to the performance of protest but also to the power structures addressed by those protesting with the frogs and other inflatable objects.

More information about the speakers will be available closer to the date of the session.

You can register for this seminar here. This session is part of the Transmission in Motion seminar (2025-2026): “Navigating Entanglements” To stay updated with more seminar sessions, please subscribe to our newsletter.