The Parliament of Things

Saxophonist Femke IJlstra and violinist Merel Vercammen have together developed a programme inspired by The Parliament of Things, a concept by the French philosopher and sociologist Bruno Latour. Already in 1991 Latour stated that the anthropocentric worldview falls short of understanding the issues of our time. Latour wants to give a voice to nature: plants, animals, and things. Now, thirty years later, we are harshly confronted with the correctness of his vision: the coronavirus, the climate crisis, artificial intelligence – these are all major issues that denounce the omnipotence of the human species.

IJlstra and Vercammen have asked upcoming composers to reflect on Latour’s theory. Sarah Neutkens, Karmit Fadael, Aftab Darvishi , Nuno Lobo en Kjell Perder take the listener on a quest for Latour’s ideas on nature, science, culture, politics, and hybrid forms.