What if creating and carrying out artistic expressions are not just ways to achieve goals, but also ways to break free from fixed habits and identities? Such liberation offers the opportunity to become something or someone entirely new.

Join Current Obsession in a compelling dialogue with renowned artist and designer Bart Hess, and choreographer and dancer Sedrig Verwoert, as they delve into artistic practices that reshape the human body. Titled Self-Technology of Becoming, this magazine activation – a physical event that serves as the foundation for our publication – will be held at MU Hybrid Art House in Eindhoven. Commissioned by Current Obsession, philosopher and choreographer Annemijn Rijk will engage both artists in an insightful interview, conducted before a live audience, exploring their individual practices and ongoing collaborative projects.

This activation seeks to uncover the profound meanings behind the creation and embodiment of artistic expressions. We will examine the human urge to transcend the limitations of our natural state, pushing beyond the inherent boundaries of the body. Our inquiry will focus on the intersection of adornment and self-technology – the methods and techniques through which individuals shape their identities – and their role in human transformation.

What if the acts of making and wearing are not merely tools to adhere to linear ideals, but rather a means to break free from entrenched habits and self-imposed identities? Such liberation unlocks a vast array of possibilities for becoming something, or someone, entirely new.

The conversation will also feature presentations of images, materials, and costumes, offering the audience a visual and tangible understanding of the specific methodologies discussed. In the final part of the evening, there will be an opportunity for the audience to engage directly, with time set aside for questions.

Activations are immersive, site-specific events that engage the senses – ranging from Q&As, workshops, and performances to readings, archive visits, and chat rooms. These in-depth experiences serve as the foundation for our magazine publications.

Bart Hess - Guest Speaker
Eindhoven-based artist Bart Hess delves into the complex relationship between human and non-human skins, working with a range of materials from low-tech substances to advanced, responsive technologies. Hess's exploration of hybridity began 15 years ago with his Design Academy Eindhoven graduation project, A Hunt for High Tech. His early career was marked by a focus on experimental, ephemeral materials, which he later translated into spatial, often interactive installations that offer visitors immersive experiences. More recently, Hess has applied his material experiments to costume design, frequently collaborating with choreographers to create innovative, performance-based works.

Sedrig Verwoert - Guest Speaker
Sedrig Verwoert is a choreographer who has frequently collaborated with Bart Hess. Their joint creations include Wave, Woven Bodies, and most recently Venus, an experimental dance performance where Verwoert’s choreography and Hess's costume designs are seamlessly integrated. After completing his dance studies at the Amsterdam University of the Arts, Verwoert performed with various national and international companies. In 2019, he worked as a choreographer for the Dutch National Opera and Ballet, where he created notable works such as The Hard Rocks Will Seem Soft to Us and Do All Dogs Go to Heaven?, both in collaboration with Hess.

Annemijn Rijk - Moderator
Annemijn Rijk is a choreographer and philosopher. With her platform Body of Art she makes sensory, experimental productions that question our status quo and bring the audience back to the core of our humanity. She investigates and questions how we relate ourselves to the world around us by the means of our body and perception. Annemijn graduated from the Bachelor of Choreography at Fontys Dance Academy and the Master Philosophy of Humanity and Culture at Tilburg University. As a philosopher, she specializes in phenomenology: the philosophy that states that we experience the world through embodied perception. This sensory-physical aspect is reflected in her work(method).

Date: 14 September
Time: 19.00-22.00
Location: MU Hybrid Art House
Torenallee 40-06 (Strijp-S), 5617 BD, Eindhoven

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