Talk
Repair Dinner
Thu 26 Mar 2020Culinary debate about system errors in society with deBuren (POSTPONED/CANCELLED)
During the Repair Dinner we will discuss "glitches" and possible solutions in our current society. We digest both system errors and a three-course menu this evening. We analyze during the starter, we share experiences with the main course and we look for solutions during dessert. During the three courses of the dinner, we look at four "glitches" in society and look for alternatives together with table companions. At the start of the evening you, as a participant, choose one of the four topics that appeal to you the most and you join this table for the entire evening. At every table there is room for 14 guests, in addition to the moderator who leads the table.
Art & Culture | Michiel Vandevelde
Various national and international studies show that every Euro invested in culture yields around 3.5 Euro. Much more than economic return, culture is primarily food for the mind and therefore difficult to measure. The full social impact would only become visible in the absence. On the other hand, we there is a trend for years for a government that invests fewer and fewer resources in culture. What is the importance of art in and for a society and to what extent does society have to invest in it? And how is this best organized?
Danny Willems
Bio
Michiel Vandevelde studied dance and choreography at P.A.R.T.S., Brussels. He is active as a choreographer, curator, writer and editor. As a freelance curator he worked or works for: Extra City Kunsthal, Het Bos, Bâtard festival, Precarious Pavilions. He is involved as an editor in the Disagree. magazine, and he has written articles for Etcetera, De Witte Raaf, Rekto:Verso, H ART, Mister Motley, etc. From 2017 to 2021 Michiel Vandevelde is artist in residence at Kaaitheater (Brussels, BE). In his work he investigates the elements that constitute or obstruct the contemporary public sphere.
Sustainable Development | Warda El-Kaddouri
What is needed for a sustainable, viable and achievable future? Apart from a few persistent voices, there is a common sense that action must be taken to tackle climate change. There is less consensus about the way in which we should do that. Do we need a radical change to turn the tide, for which climate activists like Greta Thunberg are working? Or do technological developments such as The Ocean Cleanup by entrepreneur Boyan Slat provide sufficient relief?
Tammy Van Nerum
Bio
Warda El-Kaddouri grew up in Flanders and has been living and working in Amsterdam since 2016. For the past four years she has worked as a researcher at Ghent University with a dissertation on religion and identity in German literature. She has recently started working as a journalist for De Groene Amsterdammer, the oldest opinion weekly in the Netherlands. Warda is fascinated by religion, language, diversity, education and sustainable development. Recently she was also appointed as Scherpsteller by Pilar, deBuren and Filosofie Magazine. The Scherpsteller is an appointment of an emerging thinker with a mandate of two years to draw attention to social developments.
Social Media, Beauty & Narcissism | Joppe De Campeneere
Social media are indispensable in our daily lives and they offer handy models to build an identity online. We are constantly busy making and sharing our selfies. But the dark side of the permanent presence of social media is becoming more and more visible. Do social media and the photo(shop) society make beauty ideals less and less feasible without (digital) cosmetic procedures? What danger lies in the unreal ideas about beauty? The body-positivy movement with influencers such as Iskra Lawrence, Jitske Van de Veire or Ashley Graham gives a counter-attack. But aren't they two sides of the same coin? Do we not grow entire generations of narcissists by always putting ourselves at the center of our Instagram and Facebook accounts?
Joppe De Campeneere
Bio
Joppe De Campeneere studies Linguistics and Literature, works freelance as online creative, makes editorials about fashion and beauty, and defends LGBTQ + rights. On his platform Sparkel, he competes with gender stereotypes based on fashion, makeup and straightforward opinions. He creates a place where everyone can be themselves, without pre-chewed gender rules.
Mental Health | Lisette Ma Neza
"1 in 5 young people suffer from psychological problems", wrote the newspapers last year based on a survey by KU Leuven among 2000 young people. Do young people suffer more and more from mental complaints than in the past? Or are these symptoms characteristic of teenagers? The fact is that there are still a lot of taboos around psychological vulnerability, anxiety, depression or loneliness. How can we break the silence?
Jaouad
Bio
Lisette Ma Neza has the Dutch identity and she lives in Brussels. She is a citizen of the world, studies film and released her first poetry album at the age of 14. She is also a columnist for Mo * and was the first Dutch-speaking woman to win the Belgian championship Poetry Slam