The Battle of Lice
October 2018 till October 2019
[park view Het Luizengevecht offered by the city of Ghent]
BRUGSE POORT GENT - 'The Battle of Lice' was the title of a research period in Ghent and an assignment by De Koer. De Koer decribes itself as a hotspot in full development located in the middle of the Brugse Poort. Read their full statement here. This exploration during my residency provided the input for 'The Placing' that was organized on 5 and 6 October 2019. With this sound work we brought an ode to the multilingualism of this neighborhood.
'THE BATTLE OF LICE' - was the title of my research (translated from: 'Het Luizengevecht'). This was also the name of a 19th-century housing area for laborer's in this neighborhood. People in the past, lived there in great poverty and poor hygiene. The people of Ghent also called these poor living conditions mockingly 'The Battle of Lice' because so many lice would have lived there that they had to fight for a proper place. Today this name delivers the title for a park that is part of the urban renewal plan 'Oxygen for the Brugse Poort'. For me this research title refers metaphorically to a human, marginal and unnoticed battle.
With my artistic practice, I wanted to explore here whether art can be a meaningful instrument for residents. Whereas art is often deployed as a gentrification tool in service of intended urban renewal, I wanted to develop a plan here based on the interests of the current residents. Art can visualize the 'other,' thereby making an alternative perspective visible.
[view on rooftop and bus stop at Malpertuus offered by Vlaamse Maatschappij voor Sociaal Wonen/Stad Gent]
'THE PLACING' - During this residency, I sought out urgent issues in the daily living environment. In doing so, I looked for an issue that could count on support when translated into a temporary intervention. The development of 'The Placing' originated from this.
During my stay, I worked on building support to gather the potential (the lice) so that we could organize the intervention (the fight). I found 'zone-alien' (zone vreemd) to be a beautiful word in this context, because with 'The Placing' I wanted to realize something that was strange to this zone. By adding bird sounds from the residential houses to the public space, the daily (meaningful) situation was temporarily interrupted to make room for the 'other' experiential. In doing so, it paid homage to the multilingualism of this neighborhood.
The visual representation of art should play an essential role in shaping and thinking about our living space. Yet art often fights a rear-guard battle. The right tools for this are lacking. That is why, in organizing 'De Zetting', I followed the concept behind #theorganisation. With the goal of making knowledge and resources available together to envision alternatives in service of society as a whole.
Publicity about this project: 'Jegens & Tevens'
The Battle of Lice (Het Luizengevecht) was made possible by: 'de Koer'
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Best regards, Edwin Stolk.
Photos: internet and Edwin Stolk.