Leiden University Scholarly Publications

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Vekony, D. (2017)

Ground zero. The transitional space of contemporary art

Doctoral Thesis
Humanity’s life on Earth is taking a concerning direction: issues such as climate change or the consequences of mass migration shape our future. The research departs from this concern, and proposes that humanity’s approach to the world can change only if the things-of-the-world start to matter to us, personally. This understanding can emerge in us, if we go beyond the hegemony of the ego that is driven by the current, gain and profit centered mindset. Therefore, I argue that the space in which individuals can revisit and alter how they are in the world, are spaces of ‘ground zero’, empty spaces beyond the structured taken-for-granted reality. Through theoretical arguments based on personal experience, it is demonstrated that certain contemporary art practices invite the beholder into this state of ‘ground zero’, beyond ego-boundaries in a very particular way: cognitively, emotionally and even physically. This state might have relevance for global decision-making as it offers to...Show more Humanity’s life on Earth is taking a concerning direction: issues such as climate change or the consequences of mass migration shape our future. The research departs from this concern, and proposes that humanity’s approach to the world can change only if the things-of-the-world start to matter to us, personally. This understanding can emerge in us, if we go beyond the hegemony of the ego that is driven by the current, gain and profit centered mindset. Therefore, I argue that the space in which individuals can revisit and alter how they are in the world, are spaces of ‘ground zero’, empty spaces beyond the structured taken-for-granted reality. Through theoretical arguments based on personal experience, it is demonstrated that certain contemporary art practices invite the beholder into this state of ‘ground zero’, beyond ego-boundaries in a very particular way: cognitively, emotionally and even physically. This state might have relevance for global decision-making as it offers to imagine the world in other ways than the present teleological, instrumentalist attitude.Show less
Ground zero
Ego
Beyond
Teleological
Hegemon
Imagine
Absence
Rupture
Transitional
All authors
Vekony, D.
Supervisor
Zijlmans, C.J.M.; Zwijnenberg, R.
Committee
Buikema, R.; Wesseling, J.; Wessels, A.; Novak, A.
Qualification
Doctor (dr.)
Awarding Institution
Centre for the Arts in Society (LUCAS), Humanities, Leiden University
Date
2017-04-11