Easy Read
Studium Generale is a programme at Gerrit Rietveld Academie. This year's theme, Radical Accessibility, examines art and cultural spaces through the lens of disability.
About the Preliminary Programme at the Theory Stairs:
The events are themed around the body as a host—a host that holds fluids, feelings, pleasure, and pain, while also shaping the world and the politics around it. In this way, the body becomes an interface to explore many subjects.
The Preliminary Programme is curated by Studium Generale and CtC, short for Crip the Curriculum. CtC is a project that began at the Rietveld Academie in 2022. It challenges unfair ideas about disability in learning and culture.
The programme runs from 15th January to 12th March 2025, every Wednesday. Sessions start at 1:30 PM on the Theory Stairs and are also accessible online via Zoom.
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About the Sessions:
15th January
Disability Justice as a New Aesthetic: When Access Becomes Art?
Accessibility in art is often about making things easier to understand. This talk explores how accessibility can also add depth rather than simply simplify. It also examines how the histories and activism of disabled people shape our understanding of culture.
This session includes a talk by Mira Thompson, moderated by Menko Dijksterhuis, followed by an audio performance by Angelo Custódio.
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22nd January
Stealth Communism: On Mask Bans, COVID, and Palestine Solidarity Demonstrations
This talk explores the connections between mask bans, COVID, and Palestine solidarity protests. It focuses on how the policing of solidarity demonstrations affects vulnerable groups and discusses Disability Justice as a tool to support inclusion, privacy, and global justice.
This event is a conversation with Zoé Samudzi and Beatrice Adler-Bolton, moderated by Alcide Breaux.
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29th January
Fuck Healing(?): How We’re Going to Rest, Chill, and Discuss Collective Practices of Ongoing Care
This session is a long-table discussion focusing on two ideas:
- Turning wounds and trauma into sources of strength and creativity.
- Using exhaustion to inspire new ways of living and working together.
The discussion is led by the Fuck Healing (?) collective, moderated by Menko Dijksterhuis.
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5th February
Abolitionist Practices: Disability and Access
This talk examines how Disability Justice challenges prison systems and explores the increased vulnerability of disabled people to incarceration. It emphasizes access as a vital tool for understanding these issues and supporting activism.
The lecture is delivered by Iarlaith Ní Fheorais, moderated by Menko Dijksterhuis.
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12th February
Leave Sick Leave
In this lecture, the Resting Museum reflects on the word "sick"—how it can mean both something negative and something cool. The session shares ideas about culture, labor, and protest, drawing from experiences in archiving and pedagogy.
This session features the Resting Museum with Pernilla Manjula Phillip.
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26th February
shy*play
(Details to be announced.)
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5th March
Many Forms of Mobility
This talk highlights the work of Gaza Sunbirds, a Palestine-based para-cycling team focused on rehabilitation and mutual aid. It explores how accessible movement supports freedom and challenges the disabling effects of occupation.
This lecture is presented by Karim Ali of Gaza Sunbirds in conversation with Alcide Breaux.
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12th March
Access to the Social: How Do We Read and Respond to Disabled Bodies?
This talk examines how disabled bodies are often perceived with feelings like wonder, fear, or disgust. It discusses various artworks to explore how aesthetic judgment can shape our relationships with bodies that challenge conventional expectations.
This lecture is by Dr. Andries Hiskes, moderated by Menko Dijksterhuis.