Lappendeken uit Korsele (Gesture) In the weeks leading up to Kunst & Zwalm 2021, a biennial art route in the Zwalm region, the artists met with all the residents of the village of Korsele, where they had established their base with pkp (para-institute for art and precarity). Together with Elien Ronse, Stijn Van Dorpe knocked on every door in the village, using the question of whether they might spare a piece of fabric as a way to begin a conversation. Textile artist Elena Vloeberghen then transformed the collected pieces into a vibrant patchwork. During Kunst & Zwalm, the colorful fabric was unfolded, becoming the setting for orchestrated encounters between artists, residents, and visitors. After the 2021 biennial the quilt continued to serve this function in subsequent educational and art-institutional contexts, providing a space for bringing people together and sharing stories or knowledge. This setting contributes to the creation of a welcoming atmosphere, where importance is placed on locating the self within a feminist, intersectional mode of dialogue. The fabric functions as a carrier for dialogue during the School of Equals seminars at LUCA School of Arts. Here is a brief history of its use: · Kunst & Zwalm (pkp), August 28 – September 12, 2021, Korsele · School of Equals seminar (together with Sepake Angiama, Byron Kalomamas), March 29 – April 1, 2022, LUCA, Brussels · School of Equals seminar (together with Mahmoud Tarek, Lou Cocody-Valentino, Elien Ronse, Alex Thake), March 28 – 31, 2023, LUCA, Brussels · Masculinity Seminar, November 13 – December 18, 2023, LUCA, Ghent · Lecture/conversation for the elective Sociology of the Creative Industries (together with Elien Ronse, Sarah Heyndrickx), December 8, 2023, Sint-Lucas, Antwerp · Workshop at international symposium on public space, January 10 – 11, 2024, Dunkirk (France) · Workshop/conversation on cleaning during LUCA Meet (together with Sarah Késenne), January 25, 2024, LUCA, Brussels · School of Equals seminar (together with Elien Ronse, Saddie Choua, and Aay Liparato), March 26 – 29, 2024, LUCA, Brussels · Masculinity Seminar, November 18 – December 16, 2024, LUCA, Ghent · School of Equals seminar (together with Guy Wouete), April 1 – 4, 2025, LUCA, Ghent
Gesture: A fabric for dialogue