HOLODECK CONVENTION

The temporary collective that Geert Goiris set up last year, together with Jean Bernard Koeman and (Jens de Schutter, Piet Mertens and Wim Waelput) also met in Genk last week. Their collaboration has evolved into a longer-term project in which the artists regularly get together, for a week at a time. At these 'conventions' they present new findings to one another and FLACC organises an intensive programme tailored to reflect their joint research. Holodecka reference to the Enterprise-D in Star Trek, was the initial starting-point of their quest, in which the artists explore the empirical power of space and image. Last week the artists visited the Europlanetarium and separately invited guest artist Koen Deprez and art philosopher Francis Smets to think along with them for a day. On those occasions they visited five different types of water towers, in association with the Flemish Water Distribution Company.

Geert Goiris (1971, Bornem) is a regular user of the digital studio and an artist whom FLACC has been fostering for quite some time. That is why FLACC will be organising a closed workshop in Genk, in consultation with Goiris. Vincent Lamouroux (1974, Saint Germain-en-Laye, France), Jean Bernard Koeman (1964, Antwerp) and HAP (1999, Aalst): the group of artists Jens De Schutter (1979, Aalst), Piet Mertens (1978, Lokeren) and Wim Waelput (1979, Gent) will reflect on their work together with the photographer, and investigate different possibilities of form and presentation. The starting point is a statement by the Scottish 'walking artist' Hamish Fulton: 'An object cannot compete with an experience'. As a 'temporary collective', their aim is to explore, starting from shared interests and references, to what extent they can restore the image, today, to its former autonomous status. Or, to rephrase it as a question: how does the image actually create an experience, apart from the original message or messenger? These six artists from France, Belgium and the Netherlands share an avid interest in science fiction, utopian architectural projects, minimal and land art, scenography and travel. For building the ultimate holodeck of their dreams (a holodeck is a virtual environment simulator in Star Trek), they can count on the know-how and expertise of professional specialists in pure cinema magic (movie matte-painting), special effects, dioramas and set design.