Programmatic focus

The notion that we are individuals is deeply rooted in Western society. The word individual literally means ‘that which forms a separate entity and is indivisible’. This is a denial of the fact that we are inherently entangled with the world. Platform DIS sets out to question this denial and propose alternative relational attitudes.
As human beings, we are comprised of a complexity of interrelationships. The stories we encounter and absorb give direction to our thoughts, feelings and actions. We have a physical body that is composed of a skeleton, muscles and tendons, nerve pathways, a circulatory system, organs, genes and so on. The chemical-biological structures of these body parts are passed down to us from our human and non-human ancestors: from our great-grandmothers and from marine organisms. Our food comes from organisms such as plants. We are able to digest food thanks to the bacteria in our intestines. And our bodies are home to fungi and viruses. Water flows through us, as do toxic substances and pharmaceutical drugs. By carrying minerals from the earth not only within us but also on our person, in smartphones and pacemakers, we allow for a technological entanglement, too. In this way, our bodies are embedded in an ecosystem that stretches further than our porous, self-contained bodies.
If we recognise that we are a breathing assemblage of disparate parts, we can’t help but experience ourselves as a process. Platform DIS seeks to reposition the ‘self’ among, and together with other living beings.


In collaboration with visual artists and scientists, Platform DIS explores the question of how to view our ecological selves in the context of the present. Through an open-ended research process, we share insights relating to alternative ways of seeing and acting.

Website

platformdis.nl

Contact

info@platformdis.nl