A review of Karel Verhoeven’s “Scenes (cour jardin)”: An Open Invitation to Play

Authors

  • Jakob Van den Broucke Independant artist/researcher

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18432/ari29525

Keywords:

socially engaged art, public space, objects, playful design

Abstract

This is a review of “Scenes (cour jardin),” an ongoing project series by Belgian visual artist and designer Karel Verhoeven. The series consists of different architectural sculptures that are placed in (semi)public spaces. This review evaluates the project in terms of its relevancy for socially engaged artistic practice, and the more fundamental questions it raises: What can be learned from situations created by art in public space? How does an observation guide artistic practice? Is it hypothetically possible to assume that the essence of the work of art is not in its appearance, but in how the work is used? What are interesting opportunities for collaborations between artists and social scholars?

 

 

Author Biography

Jakob Van den Broucke, Independant artist/researcher

Jakob Van den Broucke (°1993, Ghent) was trained as a sociologist and now focuses on photography and writing. Concepts, methods, language games and contexts provide him with the starting points for new projects. As such Jakob explores and develops processes and methods for understanding daily complexity in order to create meaningful objects. As a result, books (for instance De mentaliteit is van plastiek), autonomous and serial works, installations and speeches are thrown towards the public sphere.

Published

2020-02-28

How to Cite

Van den Broucke, J. (2020). A review of Karel Verhoeven’s “Scenes (cour jardin)”: An Open Invitation to Play. Art/Research/International:/A/Transdisciplinary/Journal, 5(1), 215–222. https://doi.org/10.18432/ari29525