Image Debate / Museum night

During the Amsterdam Museum Night an ?image debate? will take place at Stedelijk Museum Bureau Amsterdam. The event will focus on a discussion about the use of images in the public domain by highly diverse social groups such as Christians, Muslims and feminists. A central question is what contemporary iconoclasm means today, how it functions and from which backgrounds these actions are supported or even stimulated. This will take place in the form of a public debate which is to centre on various images which have been the subject of controversies over the last few years, such as the bikini advertisement in Utrecht, the Danish cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed, and the Buddha sculptures at Bamiyan in Afghanistan. How does iconoclasm relate to image censorship and normative standards? Can we actually speak of iconoclasm in the age of information? The debate also focuses on earlier examples of iconoclasm, for example the outbreak of Protestant iconoclasm in the 16th century Netherlands.

Members of the panel will be: Afshin Ellian (professor of law, philosopher, and poet), Yves DeMaeseneer (theologian connected to the Leuven university), Stine Jensen (literature studies and author connected to the Free University, Amsterdam), Jaap Kooijman (Media and Culture studies connected to the University of Amsterdam), Sven Lütticken (art critic connected to the Free University, Amsterdam) and Peter Jan Margry (historian/antropologist connected to the Meertens Instituut). The debate will be moderated by Pieter Hilhorst (journalist /columnist for De Volkskrant, among others).

This event has been organised against the background of the work of Gert Jan Kocken which comprises photographs of survivals from the ?beeldenstorm?, the outbreak of Protestant iconoclasm in the 16th century Netherlands.

Start: 20.15

Free entry

Reservation recommended, due to limited seating.

Language: Dutch