Theme weekend 14 and 15 March 2026 | 3:00 – 4:30 pm Post 65 - Exercises in Free Thinking II, Action and Democratization in Zeeland
ArtBase Terneuzen draws attention on Saturday 14 March to the groundbreaking international Zeelandic art manifestation Forum, which took place from 1977 to 1987, and on Sunday 15 March addresses the still-relevant theme of nuclear energy and the significance of nuclear power stations as buildings, through the art project Helse Machine by artist Dani Ploeger.
Saturday 14 March, 3:00 – 4:30 pm Forum: Free Thinking on the Periphery
Curator and Forum archivist Eva Langerak will be in conversation on Saturday afternoon 14 March with former Forum participants, artist and architect Luc Deleu, artist Irene Fortuyn (t.b.c.) and artist Berend Strik. This influential festival was organised between 1977 and 1987 by conceptual artist Marinus Boezem and Maria-Rosa Boezem. Forum was not a traditional festival, but an experimental platform where, through workshops, new site-specific work and lectures, the borderland between visual art and disciplines such as architecture, design, film and theatre was explored.
A new generation of artists wanted to break open institutional thinking. Not with grand gestures, but with ideas. The concept became central, the experience more important than ownership. Art could unfold in the moment, in everyday life, in the imagination of both maker and visitor. Those who came to watch became participants.
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left: Forum audience in the Vleeshal Collection archive Maria-Rosa and Marinus Boezem. Photo: Wim Riemens.
right: Marina Abramović, Lawrence Weiner, Michelle Zaugg, Jill Purce, Rémy Zaugg, Maria-Rosa Boezem, Daniel Buren, Thomas McEvilley, Ulay and Maura Sheehan during Forum En Scene, Kuiperspoort Middelburg, 1984. photo: Wim Riemens. Collection archive Maria-Rosa and Marinus Boezem.
Sunday afternoon 15 March 2026, 3:00–4:30 pm Helse Machine
Three days before the municipal elections on 18 March, Marie Jeanne de Rooij will be in conversation with artist Dani Ploeger about the contemporary significance of atomic energy, prompted by his virtual reality installation Helse Machine, on view and available to experience in the town hall during the theme weekend.
Helse Machine explores and challenges the radical uncertainty of atomic energy, with Schrödinger's cat roaming through nuclear power stations across Europe. Helse Machine is an immersive film installation, loosely based on the correspondence between Albert Einstein and Erwin Schrödinger about the famous thought experiment in quantum mechanics.
Helse Machine was realised with the support of the Zeeland Artists' Scheme.
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Left and right: Helse Machine, 2025, film stills, Dani Ploeger.
At Ploeger's request, nuclear power station specialist Kees de Jonge will also take part in the conversation to discuss, among other things, the iconic character of nuclear power stations as new structures in the landscape. Rarely are they recognised as significant architecture, let alone designated as Post65 heritage.
Ploeger and De Jonge will also go into depth on the theme of nuclear energy and nuclear power stations in Zeeland. Especially with the municipal elections on 18 March just around the corner, the plans for new nuclear power stations in Zeeland, the energy transition challenges, geopolitical pressures, (overly) high expectations and (as yet unknown) risks, free thinking about atomic energy is more relevant than ever. Through a conversation about Helse Machine, the audience is challenged to reflect on what an atomic future might look like.
Registration for the Forum programme and the Helse Machine programme is required. Please register no later than Sunday 8 March via info@artbaseterneuzen.nl, stating: registration 14 March and/or 15 March and number of persons. Free admission.
Please note: due to the overwhelming number of registrations at the previous edition, we operate on a first come, first served basis. There is space for 60 people — once full, no further admissions.
