The video was filmed in Liverpool in 2010. Former employees of Europleasure International Ltd – once strikers and occupiers at this former textile factory – were invited by Spanish artist Cristina Lucas to smash the windows of the abandoned building where they had lost their jobs in the 1970s. The work is “a remembrance of activism against capitalism”, reads the accompanying text. It’s on show in one of 22 rooms on the second and third floors of the former Stercollege building as part of PROTEST, an exhibition opening this Saturday organised by Viewmaster Projects.
Old classrooms
The former Stercollege building on Grote Gracht is owned by Maastricht University. Its ground and first floors are home to the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. The two upper floors are empty, awaiting renovation – an ideal setting for an exhibition, or so curator Bart van den Boom must have thought.
The videos, often projected across the full width of the old classrooms, were created by artists from around the world. Visitors will see Hong Kong’s protests against China, the Troubles in Ireland, Black Lives Matter in the United States, pro-Palestinian demonstrations and protests against lignite mining in Germany. The theme is clear: the struggle for racial and gender equality, freedom and human rights, and the fight against war, violence, corruption and climate change.
Still from video Miles Marchan (2021) directed by Sebastián Díaz Morales, who filmed several demonstrations in Argentina and made a 'portrait of a crowd'
Throwing stones
Some of the videos are staged, like the former employees throwing stones in Liverpool. A video showing fully veiled women in Kabul protesting against the Taliban turns out to be real footage shot by an Afghan filmmaker during the US occupation. “It’s bizarre”, says Van den Boom. “Since the US withdrawal, it has become utterly impossible for women to protest there at all.” There’s also a compilation of online news clips, and an AI-generated video.
In most rooms, the images are intense and the sound overwhelming. “We want to show how art can make these events visceral, something you can actually feel”, says Van den Boom. “It’s a completely different experience from watching TV at home or scrolling on your phone.” Van den Boom, who previously curated No Access – a Viewmaster Projects exhibition on immigration at the former NATO headquarters in Cannerberg, named one of the five best exhibitions of 2022 by NRC – even advises Observant to explore the third floor alone. The shouts of hooligans and other protesters echoing through the otherwise empty rooms create an eerie atmosphere. The exit is a little tricky to find, but if you follow the green lights along the corridors, you’ll eventually emerge on Grote Gracht – in need of a deep breath.