The artistic practice of Bart Van Dijck addresses the unknown in the psyche and the collective consciousness. He sees celebrations and rituals as moments when a community expresses its identity; when the individual and the group merge. His interest in shamanism and rites of passage has a strong impact on his current way of working, in which collaborations and interaction with the public have become important.
The goal of this PhD research is to sculpt the participatory artwork Înterzone, which aims to function as a transition ritual. During Înterzone residencies and actions, taking place in the periphery of the city, the school and the art world, a liminal space is made where shared experiences are created through protocols and creative processes. In a next phase, Van Dijck will develop methods to visualize these experiences and, in consultation with the participants, link them back to an artistic context. What do we expose and how?
Furthermore, Van Dijck is going to organize a number of seasonal, cyclical actions in cooperation with other makers, where art is explored as a catalyst for transformation. Through this research, he is using his artistic practice as an experimental platform to implement rituals in the here and now, in education and in society, while exploring his position as an artist.
Promotors: Nico Dockx (Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp) and Walter Weyns (UAntwerp)
(Photo by Nathan Ishar)
