The art of change: Vrienden van Cobbenhagen Lecture 2022
The central theme of the Friends of Cobbenhagen Lecture on June 2, 2022, was ‘The art of change: The psychology behind a new society’. Professor of Neuropsychology Margriet Sitskoorn and composer, conductor, and cultural entrepreneur Merlijn Twaalfhoven shed their light on the changing society from the perspectives of their own disciplines.
After an eventful two years, alumni, students, and staff were finally able to reconnect again on June 2, during the Friends of Cobbenhagen Lecture 2022. After all the experiences during the pandemic, change has become the only constant in everybody’s life, if that was not already the case. But are we humans any good at it, at changing? How do we deal with the challenges of our times? When do we have no trouble at all keeping up with new developments and why do some challenges pose almost insurmountable barriers? How do we break free from old patterns and how do we break the mold? Can artists help us find new solutions?
On June 2, the participants explored these big questions from a psychological perspective. The power of change today was also examined and discussed from the angle of a series of other disciplines.
Interactive sessions
Prior to the lecture in the Auditorium, various interactive sessions took place all over the campus. Professor Ilja van Beest explored the world of collaboration and how it changes people. Dr. Marleen Balvert showed how Zero Hunger Lab helps solve the hunger in the world with our hunger for data. And Professor Saskia Lavrijssen discussed the dilemmas of realizing a fair energy transition, which essentially requires change.
The lecture
After a short break, everyone converged to the Auditorium, where Professor Margriet Sitskoorn and composer Merlijn Twaalfhoven shared their vision of change. There are many differences between art and science but are there also similarities where big social issues are concerned?
Watch the lecture
Speakers
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Prof. dr. Margriet Sitskoorn
Professor of Clinical Neuropsychology at Tilburg UniversityProfessor Margriet Sitskoorn conducts research on the relationship between behavior and the brain. She is especially interested in the question of how we can develop our brains by changing our behavior and our environment. In addition to her academic work, she also writes columns in various popular science magazines, holds lectures, and appears in several television shows, including the Dutch edition of Test the Nation. Two of her books have recently been published: The new common: How the Covid-19 pandemic is transforming society (2021) and The dawn of a new common (2021).
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Merlijn Twaalfhoven
Composer and organizer of musical eventsMerlijn Twaalfhoven is a composer and founding member of The Turn Club, a partnership of art professionals and bridge builders who address social issues. He designed many unconventional music and theater projects and worked in conflict zones and refugee camps. He worked together with the Kronos Quartet, Holland Festival, and the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, among others, and initiated festivals and collaboration projects in Syria, Jordan, Palestine, Brazil, and the US, among other countries. In doing so, he seeks to identify new connections among population groups and cultures. He received a UNESCO award and was nominated for the Amsterdam Art Award. In his book Het is aan ons. Waarom we een kunstenaarsmindset nodig hebben om de wereld te redden [It’s up to us. Why we need an artist’s mindset to save the world], he shows how everyone of us can play a role in tackling large and small global problems if we manage to activate the artist inside each of us.
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Date of publication: 3 October 2022