Defne Tekin, Grade 11
UWC Maastricht
At UWC Maastricht, we have a lively culture when it comes to clubs, CAS, or extracurricular activities in general. Undoubtedly, the diverse amount of student-led initiatives (SLIs) that we have at school play a significant part in shaping one’s UWC experience. One particular student-led initiative that has shaped my UWC experience so far, to an extent I would not have anticipated it to, considering that I was neither in the organizing team nor an actual member, was Amplify. Amplify is an annual art event, led by UWCM students, which aims to give attention to the purpose and value of expression through different art mediums. They believe that “art is a bridge between the abstract and the concrete.” I was an artist at the Amplify festival, of which the theme for this year was “unconventional.” This theme inspired me to perform my piece, questioning, and experimenting with topics I would not have dared to otherwise.
I performed a part-improvisational piece in the form of physical theatre, which was called “Welcome.” My performance’s aim was to explore toxic relationships and the effects that it can have on a person. I intentionally didn’t try to make the performance feel satisfying, as I often feel like art, especially ‘art’ that is commercialized is produced in a way that makes the audience feel good about themselves. That’s also why I wanted to challenge the idea that the audience should always take pleasure out of experiencing art. Perhaps, because of the nature of the topic that I was exploring, toxic relationships, and human interactions in general, I wanted the audience to simply experience and not feel forced to come to conclusions about the performance. Simply put, I wanted the piece to feel incomplete and the audience to experience a continuum of negative feelings: hopelessness, agony, and just plain misery…
The event was on a Sunday and took place at the ‘Werkhuis,’ which is only a five-minute bike ride away from the UWCM campus. The venue was full of both aspiring artists from UWC and professionals/amateurs from the local area. So it was a perfect place for one to meet artists like them and enjoy their works as well as displaying your own. I felt lucky for performing but also in the breaks between my performances - I performed the piece about 4 times- going around the venue looking at other artist’s works. There were some mind-blowing works of art, from incredibly talented artists.
I performed a part-improvisational piece in the form of physical theatre, which was called “Welcome.” My performance’s aim was to explore toxic relationships and the effects that it can have on a person. I intentionally didn’t try to make the performance feel satisfying, as I often feel like art, especially ‘art’ that is commercialized is produced in a way that makes the audience feel good about themselves. That’s also why I wanted to challenge the idea that the audience should always take pleasure out of experiencing art. Perhaps, because of the nature of the topic that I was exploring, toxic relationships, and human interactions in general, I wanted the audience to simply experience and not feel forced to come to conclusions about the performance. Simply put, I wanted the piece to feel incomplete and the audience to experience a continuum of negative feelings: hopelessness, agony, and just plain misery…
The event was on a Sunday and took place at the ‘Werkhuis,’ which is only a five-minute bike ride away from the UWCM campus. The venue was full of both aspiring artists from UWC and professionals/amateurs from the local area. So it was a perfect place for one to meet artists like them and enjoy their works as well as displaying your own. I felt lucky for performing but also in the breaks between my performances - I performed the piece about 4 times- going around the venue looking at other artist’s works. There were some mind-blowing works of art, from incredibly talented artists.
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