The Academy of Architecture and the research group for Art Practice and Development at the Amsterdam University of the Arts are proud to present Krisztina de Châtel as Artist in Residence (AIR) 2006-2007. She will relate her specific knowledge and research themes to the educational programme. The AIR hosts a Capita Selecta lecture series and designs the international winter workshop.

The Hungarian-born choreographer Krisztina de Châtel has made more than 50 modern dance choreographies and two dance films. She is a prominent choreographer who distinguishes herself with a unique oeuvre of consistent high quality. Under her leadership, Dansgroep Krisztina de Châtel has developed into one of Holland's leading modern dance companies.

Her work moves between opposite extremes - controlled form and dramatic expression, abstraction and meaning. Between exterior and interior, image and person. She has a fascination for objects which offer resistance and have to be conquered. In her dance performances two worlds often collide, as fragile bodies are confronted with natural elements such as wind, earth and water.

"As Artist in Residence I want to explore perspectives on body, space and architecture. The lecture series is a composition of free associations on the theme; reaching from art history to philosophy; from Budapest to Amsterdam; from the appolonic to the dyonisic; from beauty to decay and from politics to aesthetics."

November 9
Johan Deumens; Art Historian
On the work of Krisztina de Châtel
Using film fragments from choreographies this lecture presents the main themes in the work of De Châtel and focus on the landscape quality of it. The fascination of De Châtel for opposites, like narrow and infinitive space; the individual and the crowd or the weak an the strong, will come clear.

November 16
Herman Hertzberger, Architect
The absence of the body
Herzberger and De Châtel crossed roads professionally from the famous Gesamtkunstwerke of the late sixties until now and share a fascination for the body - although the body in architecture sometimes is far too absent.

November 23
Fons Elders, Philosopher
Fluid thinking
What before the culturally determined dualism between mind and body gets its hold on our way of thinking? Nomadic consciousness, fluid thinking and the the creative imagination clarify what it means if we start to think without fixations and without ideas.

November 30
Kinga Szilágyi, Landscape Architect
Double meanings of urban open space
Budapest squares can be read as aesthetic compositions, like in every city. But especially in the Hungarian culture urban open space has great significance in important social, political and military rituals.

December 7
Petra Blaisse, Artist
Playing on space
Our work is about manipulating inside and outside space by curtain rails and cloth; spaces are formed and restricted. The  way people move defines their experience of space. It's all about movement in space and time!

December 14
Edwin Beckers, Art Historian
Arts' escape in space
Pieces of art more and more release themselves from their literal or methaphorical frame. The boundaries between art disciplines disappear. The surrounding space becomes part of a piece of art - and vice versa.