Festival Opening Talks: Stacy Alaimo (remote) & Josèfa Ntjam

Wouldn't you agree that the name Earth is a rather odd name for our planet, considering that 2/3 is made up of oceans? While on land the real ecological intact wildness has shrunk to between 2% and 3%, the deep oceans still hold many wild surprises and secrets. In her brand new book The Abyss Stares Back – Encounters with Deep-Sea Life acclaimed thinker and author Dr. Stacy Alaimo presents us the question: In an era of accelerating extinctions, what does it mean to discover thousands of new species in the deep sea? It is a great honour for us to invite Dr. Stacy Alaimo (remote) and visionary artist Josèfa Ntjam to the opening keynote event on Friday 30 May at the Brakke Grond. Both speakers will - quite fitting - take a deep dive into ocean waters, to encounter abyssal creatures, reflect on colonial histories and extraction, arriving at fundamental questions about our relationship with the deep wild. Stacy Alaimo is a Professor in English and a core faculty member in environmental studies at the University of Oregon. She is the author of several influential books, including Bodily Natures: Science, Environment, and the Material Self and Exposed: Environmental Politics and Pleasures in Posthuman Times. Josèfa Ntjam is an artist who combines sculpture, photomontage, moving image and sound. She uses assemblage as a method to deconstruct dominant narratives and investigates historical events, scientific processes and philosophical concepts. She confronts us using references to African mythology, ancestral rituals, religious symbolism and science fiction.