First Aura-salon with Erik Lindner and Machinefabriek
Machinefabriek live at [F]luister from Renier Eclectro on Vimeo.
During this first edition of a series of two Aura-salons and a finissage, as part of the Aura-project, Castrum Peregrini will confront artists, poets, writers and creative thinkers with the concept of aura as set out by Walter Benjamin. He defined aura as the distance between a purveyor of the work of art and the work itself. With the advent of mechanical reproduction, he argues, the distance has been closed, aura diminished, and the work of art democratized.
Fast-forward 70 years later, we are confronted with the rich and ‘auratic’ heritage of Castrum Peregrini.
But what will remain of it when this treasure trove is further opened to the public and is reinterpreted and reproduced by artists and journalists through photos, moving images and other means of communication? What will happen to its aura? This first Aura-salon questions Walter Benjamin’s alarming prediction that:
“that which withers in the age of mechanical reproduction is the aura of the work of art.” (Walter Benjamin)
With contributions by (a.o.)
- Allerd van den Bremen & Renée van Marissing (theater-makers)
- Amie Dicke (artist)
- Erik Lindner (poet)
- Joachim Umlauf (Director Goethe-Institut Amsterdam)
- Ton Venhoeven (Architect Venhoeven CS)
- Michiel van Iersel (curator Aura-project and partner at Non-fiction)
- Lars Ebert (Castrum Peregrini)
- Machinefabriek (electro-acoustic musician)
Date: Thursday 28 May
Time: 20:00 – 23:00 hrs
Address: Herengracht 401, Amsterdam
Language: Dutch/German
Contact: 020 623 52 87 or mail@castrumperegrini.nl
The next Aura-salon will be on Thursday, 11 June, 20:00 – 23:00 hrs with contributions by (a.o.) Jan Baeke, Pierre Bastien, Theu Boermans, Amie Dicke, Dragan Klaic, Tracy Metz, Macha Roesink en Henk van der Waal.
The Aura project is being made possible through the generous support of the Amsterdams Fonds voor de Kunst, VSB Fonds, Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds, Lira Fonds, Goethe Institut Amsterdam and Genootschap Nederland Duitsland
Aura opening well attended, photos online
Crowd outside the main entrance before the opening (l) with Castrum Peregrini’s Lars Ebert (l) and Michiel van Iersel (r)
Last Thursday we celebrated the opening of the Aura project: an exhibition and a series of events in the historic premises of Castrum Peregrini Foundation, where in WWII young German Jews survived in hiding. The opening was very well attended and people responded enthusiastically.
The 96-year old Castrum founder Gisèle allowed us to show three of her works together with other remarkable pieces from the collection and seven newly made and site specific installations by contemporary artists, including Amie Dicke, Chris Kabel, John Kleckner, Susanne Kriemann, Jan Robert Leegte, Alexandra Leykauf, Renee van Marissing and Allerd van den Bremen.
The following photos by our dear friend Simon Bosch give an impression of the evening, in case you weren’t there (or want to relive it). The next few weeks we will organize a series of so-called Aura salons with guided tours, performances, statements and music by Machinefabriek (May 28) and Pierre Bastien (June 11).
See more photos and read more about the Aura-project on www.castrumperegrini.org
Non-fiction’s Michiel van Iersel (l) and Castrum Peregrini’s Lars Ebert (r) welcoming everybody in front of an installation consisting of recycled furniture by industrial designer Chris Kabel.
Artist and Castrum-founder Gisèle d’Ailly van Waterschoot van der Gracht (left, center) and handsigned book by Walter Benjamin with graphic designer Eric Wie (left) and artist Sarah van Sonsbeeck (center) standing in the background.
Among the visitors was Roger Willems (right) of Roma Publications who designed the super-stylish Aura booklets.
The American artist and Aura participant John Kleckner (seen from the back, with beard).
German artist and Aura participant Alexandra Leykauf (l) standing in front of photo installation by Susanne Kriemann.
Installation by Amie Dicke in the abandoned living room of Claus Victor Bock, one of the people who was kept in hiding at Castrum Peregrini during WWII and who passed away last year.
Dutch artist and Aura-participant Jan Robert Leegte (l) and his computerprojection in the archive of Castrum Peregrini (r), which is situated in the basement of the new project space.