This coming Sunday, April 15^th, Casco will present a forum on squatting and social housing. The forum, “Lets squat something,” is organized around the question, “should squatting go on?”  The question is a play on one popular motto of the Dutch squatters movement, Ideeën ontruim je niet, kraken gaat door!  which translates into: You can’t evict ideas/squatting will go on (meaning prevail).

The participants in the debate range from housing activists and squatters, to politicians/policymakers and the cast of ‘Our Autonomous Life,” who are mainly in the cultural industry. I will participate in the forum as well. It should be fairly interesting since there are a range of people involved whose voices are not traditionally represented in forums on squatting that are hosted by art institutions.

I have no idea what to expect from the forum and the type of discussion that will ensue. The brilliant women of Casco who are  the organizers plan to have an experimental discussion, so I’m in the dark as to how all of this will proceed. I don’t know if there will be presentations, a game, some type of dramatic production, etc. I’m relieved by the lack of structure since I often over prepare for presentations but I wonder how this will all go. Aaah, the thrill and anxiety of spontaneity.