Utopia, just around the corner? >

 

 

 

 

'Today, in a world full of conflicts and shocks, art bears witness to the most precious part of what makes us human. Art is the ultimate ground for reflection, individual expression, freedom, and for fundamental questions. Art is the favourite realm for dreams and utopias, a catalyst for human connections that roots us both to nature and the cosmos, that elevates us to a spiritual dimension. Art is the last bastion, a garden to cultivate above and beyond trends and personal interests. It stands as an unequivocal alternative to individualism and indifference. It builds us up and edifies us. At a time of global disorder, art embraces life, even if doubt ensues inevitably. The role, the voice and the responsibility of the artist are more crucial than ever before within the framework of contemporary debates. It is in and through these individual initiatives that the world of tomorrow  takes shape, which though surely uncertain, is often best intuited by artists than others'.

 

[Christine Macel, director Biennale Arte, Venice 2017].

 

 

Above: the 'Utopia Book' [Version ttps://www.youtube.com/embed/1dJBrLTW88g" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoI] a travelling nomadic book: a first presentation by Annemie Mestdagh and a first walk in the city of Braga in Portugal, december 2016. Art work

 

 

Places & Locations

 

Several versions of the Utopia Book are travelling and have been shown (or worked with) in: 01. Utopia, just around the corner [the Milena principle, Braga Portugal 2016], 02. Urban Emptiness Network [NeMe Art Center, Limassol Cyprus 2017], 03. Utopia, just around the corner [Lefkosia Dance House, Nicosia Cyprus 2017], 04. Utopia, just around the corner [Parsons School for Design, New York USA 2017], 05. Urban Emptiness Network [Académie Royale de Beaux Arts, Brussels Belgium 2017], 06. Independent Art Fair [Platform Projects, Athens Greece 2018], 07. Library of Walks/Libraries as Gardens [TAF: The Art Foundation, Athens Greece 2018], 08. S.T.E.P. (Saunter, Trek, Escort, Parade) [Queens Museum, Flushing Meadows Park, New York USA 2018], 09. Brasilia Brazil 2018, 10. Analogio Festival Athens 2018, 11. LISTEN Festival, a summer of sound art, Frome (UK) 2019, 12. Library of Walks / Utopia [Academy of Fine Arts] Ypres Belgium 21.03.2019, 13. [END: Empirical Nonsense Daily] Jimi Dams Envoy Enterprises 2020. NYC USA. Time : 08:03

 

 

 

Utopia, just around the corner? New York 2020

[END: Empirical Nonsense Daily] Jimi Dams Envoy Enterprises 2020. NYC USA.

Presentation of the project. @empiricalnonsense.today

 

 

“I got tired of hearing some people complain, over and over again, about the ugliness of some neighborhoods in their own city or village, but without wanting to do anything about it themselves. Because you can change the energy of a place with very small gestures and cheap things. That is why I started a new initiative with befriended artists and inhabitants: reading a space specific letter in a neglected place and leaving an in situ artwork behind. Kind of a love gesture for a place that is not looked after. The Utopia book emerged from that. A book that travels and that its owner can show in places that, due to their social, societal, aesthetic dysfunction, show a sign of commitment and compassion.”

Stefaan van Biesen

 

Utopia and walking : a book and a place, about the word Utopia as a gesture, how books open, walking as being together and transformation of a space, being the place, about flow, exchange, drift as a method of letting people and the environment come to you. About playing the city, about change of perspective, about inner knowledge, words and nature, words as giving attention and carrying around the word Utopia, as a gift. The book travels to many places by the intention of the travelers. Braga, Nicosia, Limassol, New York, Brussels, Athens, Brasilia, London, Ypres...

 

 

 

Utopia, just around the corner?

A walk with the students of the School of Fine arts 2019. Org: Helena Pinket.

 

 

Menin Gate and the City of Ypres, Belgium – 21.03.2019

A silent walk with the students of the Academy of Fine Arts Ypres.
The Menin Gate is the most renowned Commonwealth war memorial in Flanders—and perhaps in the world. Tens of thousands of soldiers passed through this site on their way to the front lines, many of them never to return. Inaugurated in 1927, the memorial bears the names of 54,896 soldiers who went missing in the Ypres Salient between the outbreak of World War I and 15 August 1917.

 

 

 

 

LISTEN Festival – A Summer of Sound Art, Frome (UK)
Sound Walk Sunday – 01.09.2019

 

LISTEN: Utopia – a drift for dancers and silent walkers.
A silent walking and movement performance directed by Geert Vermeire, inspired by the book Utopia by Stefaan van Biesen. Dancers: Soo Wright, Karen Burnett, and Jackie Adkins.

 

In silence, the dancers move through the city—without purpose or destination—seeking only to get lost. They carry a book, inspired by Thomas More’s Utopia, but in this version, it contains just a single word and takes on a form that questions the very nature of what a book can be.

 

 

https://www.museumofwalking.org.uk/events/utopia-a-drift-for-dancers-and-silent-walkers/

 

 

It is a book that resembles a walk—a movement. It is non-linear, opening from multiple angles, with pages folded within pages. It can be explored in many directions. This is not a book to be read in the conventional sense, but a book to be shared—spontaneously—between silent dancers and walkers.

 

Carried through the city, the book is opened in places that seem to call out to the performers. In doing so, it symbolically opens the space itself, inviting a deeper reading of the location, the walker, and the moment they inhabit.

 

The public is warmly invited to join the dancers on this shared journey.

A silent walking and movement performance directed by Geert Vermeire, inspired by the Utopia book by Stefaan van Biesen. Since 2001, the two artists have formed a creative walking duo, developing a collaborative practice known as The Milena Principle.

 

Photos by Mel Day.

 

2 Bridge Street, Frome – A Drift for Dancers and Silent Walkers

With Geert Vermeire
Part of LISTEN: A Season of Sound Art, Frome (UK)

 

Dancers move silently through the city, with no goal other than to get lost. They carry a book—loosely inspired by Thomas More’s Utopia—that contains, in this version, only a single word. It unfolds in multiple directions, with pages within pages, and resists being read in a traditional way. Instead, it is meant to be shared—passed between silent dancers and walkers—and opened in places that seem to call for it. In this symbolic act, the book becomes a way of reading the place, the moment, and the presence of the walker.

 

As a walking duo, Geert Vermeire and Stefaan van Biesen invite guest artists and the public to take part in an ongoing series of performative walks in contemporary cities around the world. Since 2016, Utopia has been adapted and performed in locations including Braga (Portugal), Nicosia (Cyprus, 2017), Brussels (Belgium, 2017), Brasília (Brazil, 2018), New York City (USA, 2017/2018), Athens (Greece, 2018), Queens (USA, 2018), and Ypres (Belgium, 2019).

 

Each iteration is shaped by the specific location and the participants—dancers and walkers alike—creating a unique, site-responsive experience every time.

 

The walk is accompanied by a soundscape titled “Hythlodaeus 2015”, composed from two poems: Unfolding the City by Geert Vermeire and Siren by Stefaan van Biesen. The voice and sound composition are by Stefaan van Biesen, with field recordings by both artists. Named after Raphael Hythlodaeus—the fictional explorer of Utopia—the sound piece emerged from recordings made during walks in Venice and Antwerp, where Thomas More wrote his original work. This composition is part of the Utopia sound project for Cities and Memory.

 

 

 

 

Utopia Book [Version IX] Brasilia Brazil 2018

 

 

Utopia Book [version IX] Brasilia Brazil 2018.

 

 

Utopia Book [version IX] Brasilia Brazil 2018.

 

 

Geert Vermeire - 40 Horas Seminário Internacional de Arte Contemporânea at the Museu Nacional Brasília 2018.

 

 

 

Utopia Book [version X] Analogio Festival Athens Greece 2018.

 

 

Analogio Festival – Athens, Greece (2019)

Festival Director: Sissy Papathanassiou
Curated by: Geert Vermeire

 

Utopia – A Drift for Three Performers and Silent Walkers

Performers / Utopia Book Walkers:
Anna Maria Makri, Teti Nikolopoulou, Olia Mourouzidou & Geert Vermeire
Video & Photography: James M. Lang

 

A silent walking and movement performance curated by Geert Vermeire and based on the Utopia book by Stefaan van Biesen. Together, Vermeire and van Biesen have formed an artistic walking duo since 2001, developing a collaborative practice known as The Milena Principle. As part of this ongoing practice, they invite guest artists and the public to join them in a series of walking performances across contemporary urban landscapes worldwide.

 

In this Athens edition—presented during the Analogio Festival and the exhibition I Wish We Were Like Water / Utopia – Library of Walks at TAF (The Art Foundation)—three performers move in silence along the now-invisible banks of the Ilissos River. Beginning at the Church of Agia Foteini Ilissos, they carry no aim but to get lost.

 

Each performer carries a unique book, inspired by Thomas More’s Utopia. However, in this version, the book contains only a single word and takes on a non-linear form—pages within pages, multiple entry points, and no fixed direction. It is not a book meant to be read in the conventional sense, but rather to be shared, carried, and opened in response to the surrounding environment. The book itself becomes an act of movement—an invitation to read the place, the moment, and the presence of the walker.

The public is warmly invited to join the silent walk.

This performance was also presented in the context of Multimation 2018 Ilissos.

 

Art work & concept: Stefaan van Biesen.

 

 

 

 

Utopia Book [version III] a silent drift for three walkers or more.New York 01.11.2017.

 

 

A Walk in Manhattan – A Tender Gesture Toward the City

 

Just days ago, this walk through Manhattan unfolded as a slow, silent gesture—tender and reflective—offered to the city. In light of the terrorist attack that occurred only hours ago in the very same area, this action takes on a new, sobering dimension. We share these images now as a quiet balm for a wounded city, where today pedestrians and cyclists were savagely attacked.

 

This silent group walk, moving gently through New York City from Gracie Mansion, was undertaken without any intention other than to get lost. The participants carried a book—loosely inspired by Thomas More’s Utopia. But in this version, the book contains only a single word, and its form is non-linear. It opens from multiple angles, with pages folded into pages. It is not meant to be read in a traditional sense, but rather to be shared—passed from one walker to another. Opened only in places that seem to reach out to the participants, the book becomes a symbolic tool for reading the city, the people, and the present moment.

 

Participants:
Freddie Dessau, Jose Ernesto Rivera Perez, and John Gorgone—residents of New York and students of the course Walking as a Practice at Parsons School of Design, led by Lydia Matthews.

 

This walk took place in parallel with the Utopia Walk Brussels, organized with students from the Walking as a Research Lab at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts (Antwerp), under the guidance of Stefaan van Biesen, Annemie Mestdagh, Lydia Bollen, and Alice Finichiu, as part of the Urban Emptiness Network.

 

 

 

U T O P I A [just around the corner] [2017]

 

A silent walking performance by The Milena Principle (Belgium), featuring Geert Vermeire (performance artist), conceived from the Utopia book by Stefaan van Biesen (visual artist). Together, they have formed an artistic walking duo since 2001, developing a collaborative practice focused on movement and place.

 

As a duo of walkers, they invite guest artists and the public to join them in a continuous series of walking performances across contemporary cities worldwide.

 

Photographs by: Freddie Dessau, Jose Ernesto Rivera Perez, Geert Vermeire, John Gorgone.

 

 

 

 

Utopia Book [version IV] Platform Projects [Independent Art Fair]Athens 2018.

 

 

Presentation of the Utopia Book
Platform Projects | The Independent Art Fair
School of Fine Arts, Athens 2018 — Booth 29, The Milena Principle
Curated by Artemis Potamianou (MoMA NY & Tate London)

 

Utopia (just around the corner) is a silent group walk that flows through cities such as Nicosia, Brussels, and New York City. The walk carries no purpose other than to get lost, guided by a book inspired by Thomas More’s Utopia—but containing only one word: “Utopia.”

 

This book resembles a walk: it is non-linear, opening from multiple angles, with pages folded within pages. It invites exploration in many directions and is not a book to be read in the traditional sense, but a book to be shared spontaneously among the participating walkers. Carried in silence, it is opened at places that seem to call to the walkers—an invitation to read the place, the walkers themselves, and the moment in which they stand.

 

 

 

[Slow walking / silent walking]

Utopia Book [version II] a mindset for students of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Brussels 2017.

 

 

Walking Performance and Walking Lab Brussels
The Milena Principle — Brussels, Belgium

 

An exciting launch of the Walking Lab Brussels at the Academy of Fine Arts, Brussels, initiated by Geert Vermeire in collaboration with Lydia Bollen (ARBA – Architecture School, University of Mons), Alice Finichiu (ARBA – Urban Design, ULB University of Brussels), and Enzo Pezzella (Artistic Director, ISAC – Higher Institute of Arts and Choreography), together with the Urban Emptiness Network.

 

Invited artists and researchers include Stefaan van Biesen, Adonis Volanakis, Lydia Matthews, Marielys Lely Burgos, Stella Mygdali, and Christos Kakalis.

 

From October to the end of December, the program features seminars, walks, talks, and workshops running simultaneously with other Walking Labs in New York and Athens (Parsons – Fine Arts, and Odeon – Conservatoire Athens). This includes a creative lab and joint exhibition in collaboration with CSCA Lab / European University Nicosia and Dance House Nicosia, Cyprus, with Sophie Gee and Arianna Economou.

 

http://portail.arba-esa.be/…/urban-emptiness-la-marche-com…/

 

 

 

Invited artists/researchers Stefaan van Biesen, Adonis Volanakis, Lydia Matthews, Marielys Lely Burgos, Stella Mygdali, Christos Kakalis.

 

From October till end of December 2017: seminars, walks, talks, workshops, simultaneous with other Walking Labs in New York and Athens (Parsons - Fine Arts and Odeon - Conservatoire Athens), a creation lab and joint exhibition with CSCA Lab / European University Nicosia and Dance House Nicosia, Cyprus, with Sophie Gee and Arianna Economou.

 

http://portail.arba-esa.be/…/urban-emptiness-la-marche-com…/

 

 

 

Utopia, just around the corner 2017

 

A walking performance [the Milena principle] Nicosia Cyprus. Walks in Limassol and Nicosia

with Stefaan van Biesen, Annemie Mestdagh, Vermeire Geert and Marielys Lely Burgos.

 

 

Utopia and Walking
A book and a place—exploring Utopia as a gesture. This project reflects on how books open and unfold, how walking creates togetherness, and how spaces transform through presence. It is about flow, exchange, and drift as a method of allowing people and the environment to come to you naturally.

 

It invites playful engagement with the city, shifts in perspective, and moments of inner knowledge—connecting words, nature, and place into a living experience.

 

 

Utopia: A Book of Longing

Presented during the Urban Emptiness Network exhibition at NeMe, Limassol, Cyprus. This project follows walks and interventions conducted in Limassol and Nicosia in February 2017.

 

Curated by Geert Vermeire.
Book by Annemie Mestdagh & Stefaan van Biesen.

The project began as a pilot in Braga, Portugal, in December 2016.

Photographs of the walks and interventions by Stefaan van Biesen and Annemie Mestdagh.
Featuring Marielys Lely Mendelez (Puerto Rico) walking with us through the divided and occupied city of Nicosia.

 

 

Video talk between Stefaan van Biesen and Vermeire Geert about the work Utopia [Just Around The Corner?]. A drift for three walkers (or more), walks in Limassol-Nicosia and the related walking score, as part of the Urban Emptiness exhibition at NeMe, Limassol.

 

Walks in Limassol and Nicosia with Stefaan van Biesen, Annemie Mestdagh, Vermeire Geert and Marielys Lely Burgos.

 

 

 

Video in the house of Pandora in Limassol during Urban Emptiness Network at NeMe Art Center.

 

 

 

 

Utopia * just around the corner? NeMe Limassol Cyprus February 2017.

A score for walkers. Exhibition Urban Emptiness Network.

 

 

Installation at the NeMe Art Centre

An alternate version of the Utopia book featuring recordings from a walk in Braga, December 2016.

A seminar at the University of Limassol on media, silence, and walking/movement in urban spaces, explored in relation to the Urban Emptiness project.

 

Geert Vermeire moderated a conversation and presentation, discussing experiences from Urban Emptiness 2016 and exploring possible future directions.

 

 

[Utopia, just around the corner?] Limassol and Nicosia Cyprus 2017 [download pdf file].

 

 

 

The Utopia Book. Helene Black (NeMe) in Limassol, Cyprus, reading a book of longing during the Urban Emptiness Network exhibition at NeMe. Following on walks and interventions in Limassol and Nicosia February 2017. Curated by Geert Vermeire. Book and walks by Annemie Mesrdagh, Stefaan van Biesen and Geert Vermeire. Video and camera by Stefaan van Biesen/the Milena principle.

 

 

 

 

[Utopia, just around the corner?] Stefaan van Biesen in Braga Portugal 2016.

 

 

 

[Hythlodaeus 2015] Utopia Sound Map : Cities and Memory | Oxford UK 2015.

Composed, mixed and produced by Stefaan van Biesen/the Milena principle 2015.

 

CD 'Hythlodaeus' available on Band Camp: https://stefaanvanbiesen.bandcamp.com/album/hythlodaeus

 

 

Soundscape: "Hythlodaeus 2015"
Featuring texts Unfolding the City by Geert Vermeire and Siren by Stefaan van Biesen. Voice and field recordings by Stefaan van Biesen.

 

The soundscape was created from field recordings made during the Sea Born project with Geert Vermeire in Venice and later in Antwerp in 2015. This material was developed into the soundscape for the Utopia project by Cities and Memory, inspired by the 1518 map of Utopia by Ambrosius Holbein.

 

The composition by Stefaan van Biesen can be heard on section C6 of the map on the Cities and Memory website:
http://citiesandmemory.com/utopiagrid/

 

 

 

On 22 May 2015, over 50 sound artists and musicians from around the world came together to reimagine one of the greatest works of English literature—Utopia by Thomas More—through the medium of sound.

The Cities and Memory: Utopia project transforms More’s words and the collective creativity of global artists into an entirely new sonic vision of Utopia. Using a woodcut map from the 1518 second edition of Utopia, each artist was assigned a small section of More’s imagined country to reinterpret. The result is a diverse collection of soundscapes that imagine how these places—and the societies within them—might sound.

A free album of highlights from the project, entitled Utopia, will be released via

http://citiesandmemory.bandcamp.com/album/utopia

 

 

Stone plaque on the floor in front of the cathedral in Antwerp pointing at the meeting of Thomas More and the traveller Hythlodaeus in 1515 who told him about Utopia.

 

 

Utopia Book walk in Braga Portugal 2016.