F.A.Q.
01. What sex is De Geuzen?
02. What does ‘De Geuzen’ mean?
03. What is multi-visual research and how does it work?
04. Are the aesthetics of your work of importance?
05. How long have you been working together?
06. Why do you work as a group? Do you always agree?
07. You have organized events such as dinners, workshops, meeting etc – do you see yourselves as offering a service rather than being the creator of artworks?
08. Since your work is more process oriented, how do you document your work or is that aspect important?
09. Are your uniforms an attempt to map or address a new kind of female subjectivity?
10. Why did you begin with ‘Utility and Service’ as your fist uniform and how did you move on from there?
11. The word ‘uniform’ has a militaristic connotation. How do you relate to that?
12. What role does open source play in your work?
13. I’ve seen your Temporary Archive and really liked it. Can we exhibit it at our organisation too?
14. Do you consider yourselves net artists?
15. We’ve got a project but only have enough money to transport one Geus over. Is this a problem?
16. We would like to invite De Geuzen for a panel discussion, or lecture what do we need to prepare in advance?
17. We don’t have money, will de Geuzen do a project with us anyway?
18. Where does De Geuzen get its money to produce work?
19. With three people, can you do things much easier and faster?
20. Where is De Geuzen located?
21. I’ve seen your paper dolls and was wondering if you really wear large white cotton underwear?
22. Are you Dutch?
23. Can I come work for De Geuzen?
Q: What sex is De Geuzen? [^]
A: Female, so if you write us please do not preface it with “Dear Sirs”. Believe it or not this has happened a few times. Our name is De Geuzen or you can address us individually as Riek Sijbring, Femke Snelting and Renee Turner.
Q: What does ‘De Geuzen’ mean? [^]
Our name, pronounced roughly, “duh goozen” is a word very much rooted in a Dutch context. Originally taken from the name of our street where our studio was located in Amsterdam, it’s the plural of ‘Geus’ a derivative of the French, ‘gueux’, meaning beggar or rogue. Although it was originally a derogatory term for a group who rebelled against the Spanish occupation in the Netherlands during the 16th century, it later became a patriotic title of pride. For us, it was kind of tongue in cheek to take on the title of the rogue with all of its historical baggage, especially given not all of us are Dutch. It’s is a name we’ve slowly grown into and still play with in works like the Geuzennaam project.
If you meet us for the first time don’t feel embarrassed about not being able to pronounce our name. We are quite used to many variations. In fact, we are thinking of starting an oral archive of all its pronunciations.
Q: What is multi-visual research and how does it work? [^]
To be honest, multi-visual research is an invented combination of words, but it best describes what we do. Although we are at times “thing” makers, in general, we’re more interested in open-ended inquiry. Exhibitions and workshops have come to operate as temporary framing devices and places for speculation with different publics. Characterizing what we do as research, contextualizes our practice out of the traditional object model of artmaking. It implies that our practice is durational. The multi-visual aspect refers to the fact that we don’t privilege any given medium. Depending on the nature of the project, we use different visual strategies to engage our audience in issues we’re interested in. We’ve cooked dinners, made badges, created temporary archives, done tours and even conducted web-based séances to generate discussion.
And one thing for sure, with such tactics, our research is never direct. Looking back at what we’ve been doing over the past 9 to 10 years, of course certain thematic strands have emerged such as female identity, archiving, memory, and tactics for claiming space and place. But it’s not research in an academic sense; we’re always circumscribing a set of concerns, satelliting around them in order to gain different perspectives.
Q: Are the aesthetics of your work of importance? [^]
That really depends on what you mean by aesthetics. For us, aesthetics go beyond the way something looks to include more performative aspects of engagement with our research and audience. We are very specific about choices of materials and form, but what is most important is how various elements come together to create a situation of exchange; for us, this is the aesthetic encounter. So, aesthetics are not just the icing on the cake or eye candy, but they are about many different things ranging from very basic decisions such as whether to host a dinner, give a workshop or create a web-based project, to more detailed choices like materials, typography and form. All of these things shape the interaction we will have with our audience.
That’s not to say our work isn’t recognizable. Although we’d resist saying we have a singular style, there are certain visual elements which return. We like to play a lot with conventions. Sometimes we take on pretty schoolish tactics, for example with our archives, workshops or web projects. We’ve used such things as chalkboards, bookmarks, and notebooks; we are absolute fans of that geeky stuff. Also, handicraft and DIY activities surface again and again in what we do. These conventions elicit a specific kind of response and people recognize them because they are a part of daily life experiences.
Q: How long have you been working together? [^]
A: Officially we have been working together since 1996, or at least that is when we began calling ourselves De Geuzen: a foundation for multi-visual research. However before then, we were actually working together but didn’t really give it a name. It was only when we realized it was a habit that we started to think we should give our practice a name.
Q: Why do you work as a group? Do you always agree? [^]
The three of us arrived to De Geuzen from different disciplines (theater, fine art, cultural theory and graphic design). We were all, in our own way, dissatisfied with the constraints of our respective professions. All of us had the desire for a more interdisciplinary practice, we wanted to push our own thoughts and were looking for exchange. Of course this sounds like we made a conscious decision to collaborate but it was more unconscious; our practice developed slowly over time.
Aside from the conceptual connection, we are also friends. We’ve known each other since art school. There is a degree of camaraderie shaping what we do which cannot be underestimated or really quantified. It makes our collaboration so much more than a professional relationship where it’s simply about getting the project done or the bottom line. This kind of entanglement naturally has its pros and cons. Since we are three different people that respect each other, decisions are always negotiated which is a slow process. And frankly, sometimes we have hard disagreements that have to be worked through or remain at a stalemate. Its funny, but people have so many utopic ideas about collaboration; like you’re all on the same page or something, but that’s just not the case. Our group dynamics are probably much more like a band. Next to creative interests, there are ego’s, desires, insecurities and interests to be reckoned with; these are not only negative aspects to be overcome, but they are probably at the very core of every interesting collaboration.
Q: You have organized events such as dinners, workshops, meeting etc – do you see yourselves as offering a service rather than being the creator of artworks? [^]
We wouldn’t really characterize what we do as a service because it suggests a one sided relation, a kind of supply and demand value which is not there. Instead of fulfilling a need, we create a space where others can speculate with us. Its an aesthetic encounter defined throhg a relation. For us, the encounter is about the kind of interaction we have with people and how constructed situations shape that interaction.
Of course we play theatrically with providing a service or being facilitators. Again coming back to using known conventions; for example, people recognize the hostess, or the waitress, or the librarian. For us, facilitation and hospitality can be a means of exchange, they set the stage and strike a tone. Cookies, cakes, furniture, readers, or stickers are not just window dressing, they are a part of the content and a strong visual language.
And although we see facilitation as a powerful tactic we also know it is a careful line to be walked. There are moments when it can lose it’s performative value and collapse into providing a service. But that’s not what we’re about. Also, we are keenly conscious of the fact that women have historically been relegated to this kind of role. But if you turn that stereotype into a costume, you say: “I know this is a guise, and one which I can manipulate.” In many respects our “Geuzen Uniforms” emerged out of us looking critically at facilitation, and learning to play with it or camp it up. We even have one called: “Utility and Service” which is a cross between an airline stewardess and a prudish librarian.
Q: Since your work is more process oriented, how do you document your work or is that aspect important? [^]
The dilemma with research is that it never really ends, so the question immediately arises, “what should be documented?” In our work, there is no object par excellence encapsulating everything. Most of the time we either try to show what processes have taken place.
Often, we use our online space to reflect on what we’ve been researching. It’s a specific context where we can collate and narrate through our analog research. That is much more than documentation traditionally implies. It doesn’t tend to be a derivative of a real experience but more a continuation or development of it.
Q: Are your uniforms an attempt to map or address a new kind of female subjectivity? [^]
A: Not really, the De Geuzen Uniforms play with pre-existing female identities, stereotypes and cliches we see within ourselves as an all-female group. You could consider them an exercise in camp or drag. As whole, we started to see the outfits like a set of evolving Geuzen vows, meaning they circumscribe our work ethic or certain characteristics i.e.: Uniform 1: Utility and Service, Uniform 2: Frivolity and Folly, Uniform 3: DIY, and Uniform 4: Simplicity and Ease.
Q: Why did you begin with ‘Utility and Service’ as your fist uniform and how did you move on from there? [^]
A: We chose ‘Utility and Service’ because it plays with the facilitory role we often assume within our work. It also highlights a feature we have tried to maintain throughout our projects which is a sense of ‘hospitality’. For example, in the past when making the temporary archives we took on the role of a pseudo librarian. But in this case the librarian donates her own books, prescribes the spatial setting, dictates the entire content and choreographs debate. In other projects such as the dinner we hosted in our space profiling the writings of Michel de Certeau we were waitress serving the meal. On our aprons was printed De Certeau’s description of the diversionary tactic ‘la perruque’. In this case the artist (x3) is not what she seems to be and there is an ambiguous relation between audience, servant and author/artist.
Frivolity and Folly was more extravagant and the most self-explanatory. Collaborating with Margreeth Olsthoorn and Sandra Vanooij, we made three different garments of girdle material. Here we expanded on our name through a list of collected ‘geuzennamen’. A geuzennaam is a Dutch term for a negative or derogatory name appropriated and reclaimed as a positive label of empowerment. (link to be added to the geuzennaam list) The DIY Uniform brings together a couple of key aspects of our practice. One being the ethic of distribution / open source which is why it has been printed on simple newsprint. Where the first two sets of uniforms were unique objects, this set in the series is a multiple fitting into the larger context of De Geuzen DIY projects. Primarily it is about the act of labour itself. In order to have it you must bring it into existence by working with your hands. Your are informed by the object stitch by stitch. It also plays with our own body proportions. If someone puts them on it is literally the imposition of one woman’s body upon another. Just as any woman, none of our proportions are actual store-bought sizes. Of all the uniforms, the DIY version is the most absurd; aesthetically they are a combination between school girl dresses, amazon armour and an origami animal
Q: The word ‘uniform’ has a militaristic connotation. How do you relate to that? [^]
A: Of course we acknowledge the militaristic connotation but there are other associations as well. From cleaners, to civic employees, waitresses, police, cooks and school children, uniforms are worn in a multitude of situations. As clothing they set a kind of stage. Whether true or false, they provide a legible context. It is an exaggerated form of dress code. But at the same time, codification is not just the privilege of uniforms, as Eco writes, “I speak through my clothes.” In other words, all dress to some extent is a uniform to be decoded or in our case encoded.
Q: What role does open source play in your work? [^]
We are more than interested and sympathetic to the necessary discussions around free software and open content, but when we use the term ‘open source’ in relation to our own work, we don’t use it in the sense of ‘license’. We refer to the messy relationship we have to authorship and artistic genius; to the character of our practice which is actually often purposefully designed to be copied, used and abused for that matter. We have published numerous patterns, manuals and how-to’s, working from the understanding that meaning arises through use. We like to think about our projects as a set of recipes we are continuously developing and trying out in public – each time adjusting the ingredients and changing the flavor depending on the situation.
Q: I’ve seen your Temporary Archive and really liked it. Can we exhibit it at our organisation too? [^]
A: Actually, the Temporary Archive is not really a “thing” which can be transported here and there like an object. It is made with our personal books, meaning we literally yank books from the shelves in our home. Aside from the practical matter of having empty bookshelves, the collection was never meant to be a kind of canon or “a must read”. For us, the act of collecting books, and for that matter urls and videos, was about exploring a particular theme by using our own communal collection as a base or a starting point. In other words, its a personal collection, when temporarily pooled together, grows virally in relation to a selected subject or set of themes.
We’re not interested in putting our collection on tour because basically, anyone can create a Temporary Archive of Shared Interests and we encourage people to do so. That is why we’ve written a DIY guide to gathering your own collection and mapping your own common interests. Go to our DIY page for more info.
Q: Do you consider yourselves net artists? [^]
A: Well, we prefer to say that we are artists that use the net, and we are great fans of what it can offer as a social space. On the overall, De Geuzen’s work is not media driven. For example, we have also built tables for projects or cooked dinners to get our point across, but we are not table artists or dinner artists. Or maybe it would be better to say that we are a bit of all of the above. In other words, we use and abuse whatever we need depending on the context.
Q: We’ve got a project but only have enough money to transport one Geus over. Is this a problem? [^]
A: Yes, we are a collaborative group which means we work together. While accounting for the multiple personalities we all have as individuals, its important to put our heads together to make a Geuzen project.
Q: We would like to invite De Geuzen for a panel discussion, or lecture what do we need to prepare in advance? [^]
A: A clear program of what you want us to speak about and let us know how long you want the disccussion or lecture to last.
Q: We don’t have money, will de Geuzen do a project with us anyway? [^]
A: It never hurts to ask, as we have done projects for no money in the past when we really believed in them. At the same time, we do not want to support an economy where artists are expected to work for free. In general, we believe artists should be paid for what they do. That said, we will donate time and energy to projects we truly support. But this is not the status quo, we see it as a gift not a given.
Q: Where does De Geuzen get its money to produce work? [^]
A: Our funding comes from a variety of sources. Mainly, we earn income by working other jobs. Some projects have been paid for by various commissioning agencies, and in the past, we have been funded by Fonds voor Beeldende Kunsten, Vormgeving en Bouwkunst , the Amsterdams Fonds voor de Kunst, De Mondriaan Stichting, the VSB and the Prins Bernhard Fonds. Aside from hard currency friends and family have devoted both time and effort towards the realization of our projects.
Q: With three people, can you do things much easier and faster? [^]
A: No, collaboration is not built for speed. And it does not mean we individually contribute 33.3% to our projects. Actually, it takes a hefty load from the three of us to keep this project we call De Geuzen going.
Q: Where is De Geuzen located? [^]
A: We had a building in Amsterdam until 2002 but found that we weren’t really using it. Somehow, over time, our practice shifted and became more ambulant in nature. We now work on projects on site or we work out of the comfort of our own real or virtual homes. Riek Sijbring is stationed in Amsterdam, Femke Snelting in Brussels and Renee Turner in Rotterdam. We tend to move frequently between these cities.
Q: I’ve seen your paper dolls and was wondering if you really wear large white cotton underwear? [^]
A: Yes, sometimes we do; we’ve got a lot going on under our uniforms and reserve the right to wear whatever underwear we like depending on the occasion.
Q: Are you Dutch? [^]
A: Yes and no. Riek Sijbring and Femke Snelting were born and raised in the Netherlands. Renee Turner was born in Texas and moved to the Netherlands in the early nineties.
Q: Can I come work for De Geuzen? [^]
A: We always appreciate when people write asking to work for us; unfortunately, we don’t have funding to pay others. We are a rather light consortium of friends with common interests.