a series of seminars in collaboration with the Curatorial Training Programme of De Appel
organized by Anke Bangma and Annie Fletcher
November-January, 2005

The Piet Zwart Institute and the Curatorial Training Programme of De Appel collaboratively organized a series of seminars, bringing together the artists and curators from both programmes.

The seminars involved an open discussion of a range of connected questions regarding artistic authorship, collective culture, amateurism and expertise. Special attention was given to the way artists and curators define their own role and the way in which they stage others.

Frederique Bergholz, Tanja Elsgeest and Annie Fletcher, curators of the performance programme “If I can’t dance I don’t want to be part of your revolution”, hosted a seminar around the idea of the “open rehearsal”. Their performance programme takes place three times per year, and artists are invited to develop and test work through these events over a period of time. With this approach, the curators aim to challenge certain conventions in visual art and curating, but also run into questions about experimenting in public, professionalism, risk and failure. What value does the “open rehearsal” concept have for the artists and curators? And what does it mean to the audience? This session coincided with the “If I can’t dance…” events held at De Veenfabriek in November 2005.

Artist Maria Pask (UK/the Netherlands).

Artist Hinrich Sachs (Switzerland).