To celebrate I am (Not) a Monster, exhibiting at Z33 House for Contemporary Art, Design & Architecture, Nelly and Elien discuss the film theory and philosopher Hannah Arendt!
Hannah Arendt meets Pussy Riot. – Elien Haentjens in conversation with Nelly Ben Hayoun-Stépanian
With I am (Not) a Monster, Nelly Ben Hayoun-Stépanian looks for the origin of knowledge, and the state of ideology in our contemporary society. To this end, the French-Algerian designer researches the legacy of the writings of Hannah Arendt and contemporary forms of activism.
“It is especially important to continue to accept the plurality of knowledge and knowledge distribution.”
In her project I am (Not) a Monster, London-based designer and filmmaker Nelly Ben Hayoun-Stépanian investigates what knowledge is, and who controls that knowledge. “In times when Marine Le Pen and Donald Trump are so popular, those questions have received a new urgency. It is necessary to understand why such people do well, and why people tend to return to authoritarian regimes every time. That is why I take the writings of the German philosopher Hannah Arendt as the starting point. Although, differently to her, I consider knowledge and thinking as the same, and I pay attention to cultural contexts all over the world. ”
Make sure you check the full article out here!
Z33 is a ground-breaking arts institution in Hasselt that works at the intersection of art, design and architecture. It is a safe haven on the periphery with a magnificent new building and a refreshingly diverse programme. It is a rugged playground for artistic research, with its sights set on the world, its feet in the mud, and a heart that beats for talent development, (un)learning, the enjoyment of research and scintillating collaborations.
Z33 is a secret tip off the beaten arts track. A seismograph for whatever is moving and shaking in society. An open centre where you can take time off from the world that you know. A laboratory where explanation, imagination and modelling come together and shed new light on questions both great and small. Nothing is taken for granted. What seemed distant comes closer.