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Saving Doel: further actions for the KunstDoel
project
Doel is a 700-year old Flemish polder village
located on the left bank of the river Scheldt, to the north of Antwerp.
It is currently being demolished by the regional government of Flanders,
as the Flemish Government and the Antwerp Port Authority decided to
build a new container terminal. Last month, the approximately 200
remaining villagers who are still renting a house in the village have
received an order to quit their homes by 31 August 2009. The authorities,
however, do not wait until this date to start taking down houses.
Although the village is still partly inhabited, demolition works have
started right in the village centre.
The KunstDoel aRTvivist action group, which is twinned to Love Difference,
suggests maintaining Doel as an artistic and cultural enclave inside
and in harmony with the port until the government reaches a final
decision on the construction of the second dock. For the last three
years, KunstDoel has been organizing artistic and literary events
in the village, and they have scheduled an intensive activity for
the next weeks:
Press Conference + Preview KD-Inside artworks, 30 April, 12
am, Doel
Press conference presenting the KunstDoel Inside project (10 Renowned
Belgian Artists Supporting Doel), followed by a preview of the works
of art with photo-shoot opportunities inside the houses of villagers.
Michelangelo Pistoletto Visits Doel, 30 April
On 30 April, Michelangelo Pistoletto, who happens to be in Belgium
on the occasion of an art event in the European parliament, will visit
Doel. Michelangelo is interested in the various art projects KunstDoel
is developing in Doel, because the group is trying to put his aRTivist
principles in practice in a very difficult and sensitive political
and social context. The KunstDoel project can be regarded a test case
for Pistoletto's aRTivist ideal, i.e. the power of art to be a factor
in a socially and culturally responsible transformation of society.
Pistoletto will arrive in the village around 11u30 and will attend
the press conference.
Opening KD-Inside, 2 May
The KunstDoel Inside project will be opened on Saturday, 2 May at
11 hrs in the community center of Doel. Flemish Culture Minister Bert
Anciaux, a member of the destruction-bound government, will deliver
a speech at this festive opening. He calls KunstDoel "a lively
project, a combination of contemporary art and a social phenomenon,
an exciting intersection of culture and social commitment".
Poeticising Doel, 10 May
Village poet Frank De Vos extended an invitation to Flemish poets
to write a poem for Doel. He has since received 70 poems. On 10 May,
several of these poets will come to the village to write their poems
on water-resistant canvases and attach them to the walls of empty
houses. Many poets, including some literary heavyweights, have already
accepted the invitation. One of the main streets in Doel will be completely
"poeticised". There will also be literary acts and performances
in the streets of Doel.
KunstDoel-Outside, Opening on 24 May
This project is open to all visual artists. It pits art against bulldozers
by covering all the windows of empty houses with two-dimensional artworks
suggesting occupation, thus creating a surrealistic atmosphere of
virtual inhabitation. The artists become the custodians of the houses
they create artwork for. KunstDoel hopes the works of art will stop
advancing bulldozer. Since the project's launch in early March, 80
windows have already been claimed. The works are now effectively invading
the streets of Doel.
www.kunstdoel.net
www.portofantwerp-theotherside.be
Salvare Doel: il programma del progetto
KunstDoel per Maggio 2009
Doel è un villaggio-polder
fiammingo situato sulla riva sinistra del fiume Scheldt, a nord di
Anversa. È attualmente in fase di demolizione da parte del
governo regionale delle Fiandre, in quanto il governo e l’Autorità
Portuale di Anversa hanno deciso di costruire un nuovo terminal per
container per il porto. [...] >>>
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