A system is not the sum of its parts. Art Central Rotterdam XL
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Performative programme in urban space. Rotterdam, NL, various locations. 13—15.09.2024
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Elsemarijn Bruys, Ilke Gers, Toine Horvers, Cengiz Mengüç, Marika Vandekraats
In its 2024 program, Art Central Rotterdam XL approached the city of Rotterdam as a system. While the February exhibition explored the networks converging in the Beurstraverse, the September program engaged with subsystems and their interactions across the city. The title is borrowed from the American systems theorist Russell L. Ackoff, who said that a system is not the sum of its parts, but rather the product of their interactions.
The performance program asks which relational networks make up the city and what happens when these are temporarily exposed or influenced.
Urban infrastructures—such as architecture, streets, and signage—serve both as frameworks for and expressions of relations. What emerges are dynamic networks of humans, non-human entities, and their activities. ‘A system is not the sum of its parts’ presents five performances that intervene in contexts across Rotterdam, weaving a unifying thread through various art venues and inviting exploration of the city.
The artists in the program explore the urban environment through the lenses of information, interaction, language, ecology, and direction. Their performances reveal the flows of movement within the city (Ilke Gers), challenge spatial perceptions (Elsemarijn Bruys), respond to the language of gentrification (Cengiz Mengüç), explore hidden urban biodiversity (Marika Vandekraats), and highlight the interplay between locations and cultures (Toine Horvers). In doing so, they invite audiences to interact with and consider their surroundings in unexpected ways.
Art Central Rotterdam XL is an initiative by Muriel Mager, Kiki Petratou, and Erika Vati, promoting synergies and cooperation within the cultural ecosystem of Rotterdam.