Exhibition:

Casting Doubt

by Masha Ru en Jasmin Moeller

15 May 2015
31 Dec 2024

Are you fundamentally lonely? Do you break taboos? Join us and start Casting Doubts (Twijfel Zaaien) in Amsterdam's newest hotspot: Dijkspark. Thirty questions about life and art lead you along the green walkway. You answer these questions by sowing flower seeds. This way your answers will grow out to become part of a lush infographic, and you will get to know what type of artist you would have been.

Casting Doubts is an initiative by Jasmin Moeller and Masha Ru in collaboration with Mediamatic.

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05-08-2015 Twijfel Zaaien - seedmap - Raising Doubts   asks thirty questions during a walking tour through Dijkspark. Large flower pots have been set up in a grid and show the questions on their sides. As a visitor, you are supplied a punch card containing flower seeds. You answer by pushing the appropriate answer seed from the card into the flower pot, sowing your answer in the ground. Xiang Yu Yeung

Twijfel Zaaien

The questions in Casting Doubts are based on earlier research by artist Jasmin Moeller (The Reality of Theory) and are inspired by the essay The myth of Artisthood by art historian Camiel van Winkel. In this work, van Winkel distinguishes three types of artists: Romantic, Modernistic, and Beaux-Art. Answering the questions does not only serve to start a conversation, but also show what kind of artist you would have been. Do you identify more with Van Gogh, Marina Abramović, or Miss Van?

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Playing the Twijfel Zaaien game with others - Reopening of Twijfel Zaaien/Casting Doubt 2021 In April 2021 was the reopening of the exhibition Twijfel Zaaien/Casting Doubt. 

The Installation

Casting Doubts asks you thirty questions during a walking tour through Dijkspark. Large planters have been set up in a grid and show the questions on their sides (one side in English, and on the other, in Dutch). As a visitor, you are supplied with a punch card containing flower seeds. You answer by pushing the appropriate answer seed from the card into the planters, sowing your answer into the ground.

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Sowing the seeds at Twijfel Zaaien - Woman pushes a flower seed in the soil at the opening of Twijfel Zaaien Xiang Yu Yeung

Evaluation

Would you like to learn what type of artist you would have been? After answering your 30 questions you can scan your seed card into the Casting Doubts evaluator. The top of the tower will show you your artist's colour: Green stands for modern, red for romantic, and blue for beaux-art. At the same time, a small evaluation is printed inside the entrance.

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Scanning the Twijfel Zaaien seedcard - You can scan your Raising Doubts answering card. This way you'll learn what type of artist you would have been. Xiang Yu Yeung

 

Which artist are you?

As part of your evaluation, you will receive percentages for how closely your answers correspond to each type of artist. Each type is represented by a real artist. Andy Warhol represents the Modernist type, Claude Cahun is an example for the Romantic artist and Artemisia Gentileschi represents the Classical artist type. 

Dijkspark

Local residents, together with Klimmuur Centraal, Hanneke's Boom, Barco Restaurant, the Shaffy Tuin and Mediamatic are working to keep Dijkspark bee-friendly, biodiverse, and (mostly) free from cars. The Casting Doubts project is one of many initiatives to contribute to this goal. In our selection of flower seeds, a beekeeper was consulted.

Jasmin Moeller

With a background in Psychology, Theatre Science, and the Arts, Jasmin is keen on combining elements of research, behavioural studies and the arts. The creation of artwork with various layers of rationality, absurdity, imaginative power, and research elements are the main focus of her practice.

Masha Ru

Masha Ru (1984, Russia) is an artist with a background in natural science, living and working in Amsterdam. Her projects combine Mathematics and scientific research with a personal, cultural and spiritual approach.

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Sponsors: Amsterdam, Stimuleringsfonds, Mondriaan Fonds - Three of the sponsors of Mediamatic.

Sponsors

Casting Doubts is made possible, in part, by: Gemeente Amsterdam, Het Mondriaan Fonds, Creatieve Industrie, Stichting Stokroos, AKV St. Joost, Tuin Joop,Cruydthoek,De Godin,Bolderik,Silene,123 Zaden,Velt,Zaadhof, De Nieuwe Tuin and Seed Care.

Information
Casting Doubts (Twijfel Zaaien)
You can access the installation for free
Purchase the seed card for €5,- at Mediamatic Eten

Mediamatic Biotoop, Dijksgracht 6, Amsterdam