De Taalpolitie

The Language Police is a project conceived by Peter Westenberg for Satellite of Love. The format is a vlog (video weblog) about the word 'allochthonous' (used in Dutch to mean `non-Dutch'). In this weblog, videos are collected and annotated - provided with commentary, background information and context. Two classes from the college of graphics in Rotterdam, led by teacher Peter Kunnen, form the Language Police crew. For two months (the duration of the exhibition), Rotterdam kids investigate whether the word allochthonous can still be used and if not, what should we use? What do you call others? And what or who is 'an other'? The videos look at their own position and the (im)possibility of shaping their own identities; their own choices and opinions are emphatically part of the project. The vlog comprises street interviews (in corporation with Cineac - Rotterdam), workshops and exercises, sketches, background information and links. Prior to the exhibition, the students will take part in a workshop with the Onafhankelijk Toneel theatre group, with actor Jamal Boukhriss as the central figure. The workshop is about adopting a different personality. The pupils will be asked at the end of the workshop to introduce themselves as someone else. The result can immediately be seen in the exhibition. (EC)