Symposium: Life Will be Frozen Peachesand Cream Baby, Dream Your Dream (2012),

A full, 2-day, all singing, all dancing Symposium about Musical Theatre, organized by Toon Fibbe and Kirsty Roberts at the Piet Zwart Institute, 2012

For this symposium we asked the question why has contemporary art been so resistant to the form of the musical, when it has embraced virtually all other kinds of sonic endeavor? Is it because musicals are too much fun? Are they associated with reinforcing a feelgood factor about the status quo? Or is it just because you can sing along to them? We proposed a focus on the musical because it brings together, if not a radical politics now, then a form which potentially carries ideas and emotions forward into a realm quite different from rational analysis or philosophical cerebral meanderings. Musicals might be part of arts renewed interest in communal or community endeavours, and at the same time relyon a good tune. We were able to bring Eileen Myles, the poet (and presidential candidate) over from New York to do a reading and a workshop, Ann Pellegrini wrote us a paper about her lusting over Judy Garland, Lili Reynaud-Dewar gave a talk about Sun Ra’s involvement with Walt Disney, Dora Garcia organized a game of questions, 7 artists from the Goldsmiths MA came over from London to present work alongside Piet Zwart students.