Where do we human beings find the strength to cope with such a crisis? Where are the sources of our physical, psychological and spiritual health and what can art contribute to this? Art and architecture have a profound effect on human beings: they can support health, enrich inner life and open up new spiritual perspectives. They do not only affect individual lives; they also influence social and spiritual life as a whole. After having had to cancel all the conferences we had planned for 2020, we want to open up an exchange with all those of you who can come to Dornach on the following questions: what is our current position with regard to our own individual creative work? Does our art enable us to grasp the driving forces behind what is happening in the world? What is the role of art in the face of the growing digitalisation in the world? How can creative work vitalise and stimulate our creative forces, the forces of life? What possibilities can we find in the various categories of art that can support both individual human health and social life in general?
We aim to exchange with all of you on what aspects of the questions set out above is living within each individual working in the various areas of visual arts and design: in architecture, sculpture, painting and glass engraving as well as in design, clothing and costume design, jewellery and graphic design.
For the purpose of mutual exchange and getting to know each other, we would like to ask all participants of the conference to bring a work of art to the conference that has been created recently.
We are looking forward to the conference and the opportunities it will bring to meet and engage in active exchange with you all!
On behalf of the Visual Arts Section team
Yaike Dunselman, Christiane Haid, Barbara Schnetzler, Pieter van der Ree und Rik ten Cate