Uitvindersavond Havenkwartier Deventer
I had been advised by a tutor of mine at the DAI, John Heijmans, that there was an event tonight in Deventer which I might like. Now, Deventer is about as provincial as can be in the Netherlands, and so it was quite a gamble to travel the whole way there and pay the train fare on the basis of the recommendation. All the same, the presence of Joost Conijn, an artist who I admire a lot lot lot, convinced me to make the trip.
The Uitvindersavond (“Inventors’ evening”) begun with talks by three artists: Daan Roosegaarde, Jean Klare, and Joost Conijn. All were really interesting, but what became even more interesting was the discussion which took place between them afterwards; Roosegaard is really a typical “artist as entrepreneur”, not at all afraid to jump into bed with business, whereas Conijn is in some ways a exemplary romantic figure, building his own car out of wood and driving it to Eastern Europe. To say that they did not see eye to eye was an understatement, although what brought them together and what served as the theme of the evening was the use of technology in art, and the fusion and interface between these two worlds. As Roosegaarde said, what engineers and artists have in common is a burning desire to create new things and look at old things differently. I myself came long, long ago from a technical background, and I still make part of my living from writing software, the creative aspect of which is very much the attraction for me. In this way, this discussion was very interesting and offered a lot to think about.
As part of the same theme, there is currently also an exhibition of the work of Gerrit van Bakel in the Havenkwartier, the complex of buildings where tonight’s event took place. He built strange art machines, whimsical constructions of steel and timber which are powered by the difference in temperature of day and night, or from the heat of the sun, or the wind. Is it art? Is it science? Part of the fascination is of course this ambiguity.
There was to be an interesting concert afterwards, but alas the last train back west was leaving and I had to go. A very enjoyable evening all the same.
