Parkinson Bar, shaken not stirred

The inhabitants of the Netherlands are getting older, the aging of society, although due to our prosperity, does not bring a longer and well-cared-for life for everyone. This demographic trend also has drawbacks such as an increasing demand for care and the growth of neurodiverse diseases. The most well-known are dementia, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, which are the focus of this project. Another factor is that patients are getting younger and younger. So far, no therapy or medication has been found to stop the physical and mental deterioration associated with Parkinson’s. In addition, this growing group of long-term patients is affected by the increasing shortage of help and care in Dutch society.

 

Parkinson Bar, shaken not stirred focuses on visual artists who, like Holger Nickisch, have a neurodiverse condition and try to integrate it into their artistic professional practice. How do they deal with their limitations? Does the illness change the process of “making art”? In what ways is the creators’ oeuvre affected? How does a new balance between life and work emerge? What do they experience as valuable, what as a hindrance?

 

For some time now, the arts field has been taking into account the particularity and neuro-diversity of their visitors. So-called Relaxed Performances or Relaxed Culture events are organized that apply special lighting, have more space, offer a choice of seating, allow walking in and out during a performance, warn of loud noise or bright light (trigger warnings) etc. Festivals offer chill-out rooms and safe-spaces, where people can retreat to escape the stimuli. Parkinson Bar, shaken not stirred will work with other neurodiverse artists to research different forms of “relaxed culture,” the goal being to develop concepts that – especially in public space – can be a meeting place and safe haven for neurodiverse visitors and artists. The project addresses a pressing, societal issue, to make the growing group of people with neurodiverse disorders more visible and remove the feeling of exclusion.

 

An initial outcome of the project took place as a research trajectory in collaboration with artist Renée Kool and was presented Oct. 27-29, 2023, at Bureau Postjesweg: WHO AM I, WHAT WAS I AND WHO CAN I STILL BECOME? The initiation of a completely un-scientific (research) experiment.

 

“But what if you yourself are a (visual) artist with a diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease?”, two professionals, Holger Nickisch (diagnosed 2018) and Renée Kool (idem 2013) wondered. After all, making art is not just a profession. Just as Parkinson’s is not just a disease. Over time, your artistry has become intertwined with who you are, how you are in life and how you experience the world.”

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