The Situation is Excellent: art and protest beyond the Arab Spring

Abstract

Symposium on the occasion of the defence of the artistic PhD of Peter Snowdon. The program consists of • The world premiere of “The Situation is Excellent”, a piece of documentary theatre based on the writings of Julien Coupat, adaptation and performance by Peter Snowdon, Scali Delpeyrat and Hilde Pexsters, • a screening of Peter Snowdon’s award-winning documentary about the Arab Spring, The Uprising (the artistic part of his PhD project – for more information, see document attached) and • a debate with invited speakers. In keeping with the interdisciplinary research line of FRAME, we intend to bring people together from different disciplines, and from academia, art and politics. From their respective points of view, they will reflect on the aftermath of the Arab Spring, the role played by social media and artistic practices in these uprisings, and their resonance with subsequent events around the world, from Occupy to Nuit debout. The public will be encouraged to actively participate in the debate.

Participants: Scali Delpeyrat & Hilde Pexters Saraa Saleh (KU Leuven – Instituut voor Levende Talen) Maher Hamoud (UGent - Middle East And North Africa Research Group) Mathijs van de Sande (KU Leuven- Centrum voor Ethiek, Sociale en Politieke Filosofie) Chair: Roger Huismans