Referencing the ‘Staten-Generaal’, an assembly of representatives of the Dutch provinces that became the parliament of the new Dutch Republic in the late 16th century, ‘Generale Staten (General States)’ proposes to rethink the power of gatherings, meetings and communality from the bottom, particularly under the threat of an invisible danger that could contaminate and affect anyone, any social organ. Instead of being fully scripted, the game is designed with a rudimentary storyline, a minimal set of rules and a stripped-down setting, which serve as tools for the players to exchange and negotiate their different ‘states’ – psychological, ideological, intellectual, physical – as they are gradually transformed during the play. Operating within a loose structure that allows a new temporary reality to be imagined and practiced, the players become active performers who double as citizens, acting and making decisions for the forms of ther co-existence, breaking the borders between reality and fiction, between playfulness and seriousness and between pain and joy.
About Mieke Van de Voort:
Mieke Van de Voort is an artist based in Amsterdam. Working with various media and carrying on different forms of inquiries, Van de Voort has explored mechanisms of power and the possibilities for individuals and collectives to make change in the existing social system. Van de Voort recently participated in the 2008 Shanghai Biennale.
The exhibition runs from 11 December 2008 – 25 January 2009, Opening: Wednesday 10 December 2008, 18.00 hrs, at Casco.