In the workshop “Frogs and Clowns: An Object Orientation of Protest Today”, Anneke Jansen (Theatre Programming, SPOT Groningen) and Iris van der Tuin (Utrecht University) introduced ‘object orientation’ as a collaborative method that initiates interdisciplinary conversations. By using an object as a starting point, researchers collectively reflect on what kinds of perspectives arise from their…

  What is a clown nose? Is it a nose or, rather, something that conceals your nose? Does this concealment make you a clown? My second coffee of the day has just kicked in, and I am ready to “unpack” the small spongy sphere in front of me. Soon enough, I am reminded of Dumit’s…

What do you think of when I mention a frog? A slimy green creature? A silly-looking jumping creature? A cute little dude on a leaf? Unless frogs are particularly scary to you, the idea of someone in an inflatable frog costume would probably be a mood-lifting sight, a welcome bit of silliness added to your…

by Ani Encheva “The multiple dimensions that make up objects also make up ourselves, as well as our categories. Telling the stories of an object therefore begins unpacking our own clichés, our certainties, our affects.” – Joseph Dumit (2014, 349) In encountering the inflatable frogs and clowning artefacts that populate contemporary protest, we are invited…

On November 25th, Dr. Tamara Borovica (RMIT University) will lead the workshop “Affective Cartographies: Sensing and Mapping Climate Emotions”, hosted by the Futures + Literacies + Methods Lab. Dr. Tamara Borovica has designed Affective Cartographies as a practice-led workshop that explores how we can think, feel, and know through the body. Using body mapping as…

What remains of a person after death? And what happens when technology becomes a means to fill that void? Technology as a tool for grief The theatre performance Roman & ELIZA by Ulrike Quade Company is about technology as a tool for grief, and relationships between humans and griefbots. The performance is inspired by the

In this session, Liesbeth Groot Nibbelink (UU) and Sigrid Merx (UU) will discuss their book project Simulation, Speculation and Futurity in Contemporary Dramaturgy: From ‘As If’ to ‘What If’ in European Performance Practice (forthcoming). The project originated from the observation of a growing interest in fictionality, simulation, and speculation in contemporary European theatre and performance….

While comedians are often described as “truth-tellers,” the relationship between comedy and truth-telling is typically taken for granted. But what do we mean when we say that comedians “speak truth”? How can comedic speech be truthful? What “truth regimes,” to borrow a term from Michel Foucault, govern their work? In a post-truth world in which…

In an era of profound social, economic, and environmental challenges, cultural leadership through cultural democracy offers a critical pathway toward building resilient, inclusive societies. The transformative role of socially engaged arts fosters democratic agency, bridging ideological divides, and amplifying marginalized voices. The democratization of culture requires rethinking the frameworks that define cultural value, encouraging active…

Operating at the intersection of creative practice, cultural management, and politics, Anne Breure has many years of experience in navigating institutional entanglements. A critical thinker, passionate speaker, and decisive cultural leader, she has questioned and challenged conventional structures within the arts sector and initiated new cultural policies. As an enthusiastic speaker, she is a much…