With three propositions Vooruit and de Bond Beter Leefmilieu bring together a (scientific) expert and an artist for one day for the ultimate showdown to solve the problem at hand. At the end of the day they will present the results of their joint search, the answers they have found and failed attempts.
Assignment 1: Save mankind!
We can already genetically modify plants and animals, but shouldn’t we concentrate on changing man’s properties? It can’t be that hard. If you can make a plant frost- or heat-resistant by cutting and pasting its DNA, the same should be possible for man.
- QUESTION: What would happen if man were subjected to an annual gm check-up? Which items would be on the checklist? How far would you go?
- WHO: expert Jonas Hulsens (responsible for Greenpeace’s sustainable agriculture campaign), Theun Karelse from FoAM and artist Bartaku
- WHEN: Thu 05.03 – 22 p.m. Balzaal (after the Red het klimaat debate)
Assignment 2: Save the confused!
Nowadays, you can use your mobile to call, take pictures, keep a diary, surf the net, and listen to music. It’s a worthy attempt to make our lives easier, but we think there’s room for improvement. Because a mobile phone cannot yet bake French fries, iron your clothes or get from A to B.
- QUESTION: design the ultimate machine (“Das Maschien”) that has as many functions as possible, doesn’t require too many materials and uses very little energy.
- WHO: expert Kristof Debrabandere (waste management advisor with the Bond Beter Leefmilieu) and musician Kurt Stockman (Kapotski)
- WHEN: Sat 07.03 – 8 p.m. Domzaal (during the Tickle Your Catastrophe performance evening) – free admission
Assignment 3: Save the salvation
There are three common views on how we can make our ecological footprint smaller. A short summary: individuals have to take their individual responsibility: e.g. he/she will have to choose not to take the car all the time and to take a shower instead of a bath. We will call this the “Low Impact Man” strategy. Another group thinks the solution lies in technology: our engineers and industries will save us: enter condensing boilers, solar panels and electric cars. This is what we call the “Triumph of Technology” solution. The third group believes in structuralism, meaning that the government should take structural measures, such as high taxes on energy usage, strict norms for new buildings, etc. This is the “Salvation through Politics” approach.
QUESTION: Solve this problem once and for all. There is no room for weakness, so mixing different theories is not allowed. No, what we want is Definitive and Irrevocable Clarity. That is what this is about.- WHO: expert
in association with Bond Beter leefmilieu
