Through: Joe Bremmers

19 minutes ago

General

VLISSINGEN – It’s been talked about for years, but now it’s almost time. Vlissingen artist Dani Ploeger may call himself a professor from next month. He will hold the chair for performance and technology at the new Center for Digital Arts at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater München.

Ploeger studied at various universities in the UK and applied for a job in Munich eighteen months ago. “This program is completely new and what was asked of it fits my profile perfectly,” said Ploeger. “After a very long process, we have now come to the conclusion that we can start.” The application procedure is quite troublesome. For example, Ploeger gives lectures, conducts seminars, and holds many conversations. “I’m very happy with it, especially because it’s a new area. I have been given a budget to provide further program form and content.

Innovative society
Dani Ploeger has found that art is viewed very differently in Germany than in the Netherlands. “The people there are very progressive and people consciously think that art is a fixed value to invest in, it’s different here. The idea prevails there that you have to engage artists to achieve an innovative society. You just need creative people who think outside the box. That is why investments are made in cultural infrastructure. It’s about having a broad view of the future. Of course it’s nice that I can tell them about it in Zeeland. Here they think I’m crazy, of course there too, but they give me something to work on.”

Not left or right
For Ploeger, working in the German arts climate was a big relief. “The idea that supporting art is something left or right is nonsense,” believes Ploeger. “The idea that exists here that art is a left-wing hobby is a completely wrong perception of what art means and stands for. Here in Zeeland too, the idea is that artists should not reach out, but should be able to support themselves. What is distinctive about this is that policy makers in the sector are actually doing it themselves. Money devoted to art is actually used for office work. In Munich, I was never asked what skills I would teach students that would help them earn money later in life.”

On the scaffold
Ploeger will not be welcoming the first cohort of students into lecture halls until October 2024. “Until then, I will continue to develop the training,” explains Ploeger. “This is a new field of study, so until then I will be traveling a lot and visiting other universities.” The fact that Ploeger will take the chair in Munich does not mean he will disappear from Zeeland completely. “This is a part time job that hopefully I can mix well with my own art projects. Besides, the German academic year only consists of eight months, so I’m going, but I’m not going either. And I will definitely continue to do projects in Zeeland.”