OffCourse@Minerva – reenactment of performance art in public space

The City as Performative Object
During a series of Fridays between september and december 2017 in Groningen, Ivar and Esther conducted a workshop, OffCourse@Minerva, during which we focussed on performance art in public space. The course starts with re-enactment of groundbreaking performances, and will develop into a more student directed approach where performances are developed either in groups or individually.

Participatory research
Students are invited to research one aspect of art history in a playful and participatory way: performance art in public space . The research will be executed not from behind the desktop but by foot: literally by re-enacting historical performances in Groningen. Students pick a performance piece, and re-enact it in their own city environment. Before going into the street students will formulate a question, that they “ask the performance” and that will be answered after the re-enactment. The work method is inspired by  experimental archaeology: a scientific approach where pre historic situations are studied by re-enacting live styles, tool building, working methods. Applying  this method to the recent historie of performance art in public space will open up for a dynamic form of embodied knowledge concerning an ephemeral art form.

Workshop reenactment of performances in public space, Francys Alÿs, Sometimes making something leads to nothing.
Workshop reenactment of performances in public space, Francys Alÿs, Sometimes making something leads to nothing.
Workshop reenactment of performances in public space, Francys Alÿs, Sometimes making something leads to nothing.
Re enactment of Sometimes Making Something Leads to Nothing by Francis Alÿs, 1997.
Executed by: Caitlyn Kroezen, Kipras Varanavicius, Irina Iliesei, Ingrid In der Maur and Ivar van Bekkum
Ingrid In der Maur: “For me the most important thing of re-enacting is doing, just doing, experiencing, just experiencing and this time not only pushing the ice cube, but also to work together, to look at people’s reactions!”
Re-enactment of “Suite Vénitienne”  by Sophie Calle.  Executed by Irina Iliesei and Kipras Varanavicius
Reenactment A line made by Walking by Richard Long.

Re-enactment of “A line Made by Walking” by Richard Long.

Re-enactment in Groningen October 13 th 2017 Excecuted by Ingrid In der Maur

Ingrid In der Maur:
I thought this would be very peaceful and calming to do.

I started at 10:48 and ended the Line at 11:18. I felt this was a very short experience, it will not be the last.

I was cycling through the Noorderplantsoen in the morning, heading to a very quiet meadow in the North of Groningen. I stopped at the playground in the Noorderplantsoen, because it was still very quiet and I love the energy of children playing.