Reimagining MeerMeer
Research class by Jan Beddegenoodts
with guest Pascal Gielen
What if there were a place where you could live and create, surrounded by nature and fellow artists? What could such a place look like?
Together with Jan Beddegenoodts, a group of max. 15 students will spend three days at MeerMeer, an artist residency by a lake in Oedelem (Bruges region).
MeerMeer is a place that invites slowing down. It is where artist Jan Beddegenoots, after many wanderings through Palestine and Ukraine, eventually landed. The years 2023–2024 were intense for him, as he filmed both the documentary Gamlet in Ukraine and Looking for Empathy in Israel and Palestine.
For Beddgenoodts, the silence by the lake struck like thunder. It raised the question of how silence sounds when bombs are far away again, yet horror still lingers at arm’s length through a phone. Can an artist translate war to an audience that has never experienced it? Can young artists imagine the nearness of bombs from an idyllic location by a beautiful lake in rural West Flanders? And also, what is the value of such a location for young artists, and what can it mean?
The (apparent?) silence will also be questioned. What happens when everything around seems calm and comfortable, while the subject you wish to address is fundamentally restless? In this “absence of bombs,” is there also something uncomfortable hidden in deafening silence? And how can this be translated into the visual language of film, editing, sound? How can unrest be expressed through an artistic practice? And how might this also feed into the future development of this place and the planned summer event – an artist-run field school – that may take shape later on?
In this research class, students will collectively search for possible answers to these questions, starting from their own diverse artistic practices and personal experiences of the place. Different ways of seeing, thinking, and making will form the starting point for a shared exploration over these three days.
Practicalities
Keep in mind that it can be cold in October. It is possible to sleep outside in your own tent. In case of bad weather, three indoor dormitories are available. Please bring your own sleeping bag and towels. Accommodation is provided, but food costs will be shared among all students through a contribution.
(image: Gamlet, © Jan Beddegenoodts)
Jan Beddegenoodts
Jan Beddegenoodts is a documentary filmmaker and photographer. He founded the collective Cameltown.
beddegenoodtsjan@gmail.com
>> This research class is part of the Research Week during the annual research festival ARTICULATE.
