Ephemeral Practices: Rethinking Public Art Beyond the Object
Vermeir & Heiremans and Atlas of Ovens participate in a public forum centered around ephemeral practices in public space, organised by Platform Kunst in Opdracht, NICC and NW Aalst, at NW Aalst
20/03/2025, 10-17h
Stories, performances, walks, happenings, protests, cooking workshops, … since 2019, the new Decree ‘Kunst in Opdracht’ (Art by Commission) allows for ephemeral art commissions within its framework. Artists and commissioners alike can experiment with intangible, temporal forms of art commissions. Now, six years later, we come together to reflect on the possibilities, opportunities and challenges of ephemeral arts.
On Thursday, 20 March, the forum will bring together a diverse group of artists, activists, scholars, thinkers, cultural workers, policymakers and commissioners to delve into these topics and foster meaningful dialogue.
- What value or insights can be provided through site-specific ephemeral works?
- How can ephemeral practices contribute to the redefinition and reclamation of public spaces?
- How do we archive or document ephemeral practices meaningfully while respecting their impermanent nature?
- What role do policymakers, commissioners, and cultural institutions play in supporting ephemeral practices?
- Can ephemeral art act as a form of activism or resistance in contested public spaces?
Taking as points of departure various artistic practices, such as Vermeir & Heiremans, we hope to unfold these questions through interactive walks, artists presentations, discussion tables and more.
Vermeir & Heiremans propose 7 Walks (Redt U Zelven), a short walk along a number of (disappeared) buildings in the vicinity of Netwerk Aalst. They illustrate part of the history of the Aalst cooperative movement in the 19th and early 20th centuries. With this walk artist duo Vermeir & Heiremans initiate a discussion on the potential of the cooperative model for contemporary ephemeral practices. Case in point being Eavatea, a digital interface which Jubilee, together with a curator-run organisation and a cooperative of mapmakers, is currently working on. The interface is specifically designed for sharing practices that are in situ, nomadic, ephemeral, collective or transdisciplinary.
In a presentation of Eavatea together with Atlas of Ovens (Ciel Grommen, Maximiliaan Royakkers and Clementine Vaultier), Vermeir & Heiremans further elaborate on the question if the cooperative form would be a sustainable governance model for Eavatea.
Atlas of Ovens (Ciel Grommen, Maximiliaan Royakkers and Clementine Vaultier) give a presentation of their practice and propose a panel on collaboration. The Atlas of Ovens artists research how oven infrastructures can transform not only matter, but our relationships to communities and territories. How and what do we fire, with whom do we share the resulting warmth ?
To top it all off, NW Aalst hosts a nocturnal opening with their current exhibitions on display, and a discussion and film program of Indonesian film collective Forum Lenteng reflecting on the topic in their own way.
With: Vermeir & Heiremans, Atlas of Ovens, Jubilee Platform for artistic research, Forum Lenteng, and more.
Facilitated by: Stad Aalst, Platform Kunst in Opdracht, NW Aalst & NICC
Graphic Design: Katrijn Oelbrandt
Language: ENG/NL
Location & practical
NW Aalst
Houtkaai 15, 9300 Aalst
20/03/2025, 10-17h
Free, registration required