BESCHERMEN/VRIJGEVEN / PROTECT >< RELEASE
The 'Espace Censuré Protégé' project on the facade of the home of Jan Verhaeghe (1965) is entirely in line with his work as a conceptual visual artist where he disguised as 'The Censored Censor' more often used unusual places in public spaces to present art. I was invited for the summer edition and a contribution for the project situated at Leopold II-laan 46 in Bruges.
Jan Verhaeghe marks the property as a protected censored area. His intervention consists of three acts: placing two copyright signs one on the façade, one on a window and blocking the windows. Covering all the windows with glass fleece is a way of shielding your private life from passers-by on the street.
The copyright sign was created to give protection against copyright infringement; to establish the right of the creators of artworks to own their property. It seems Verhaeghe wants to emphasise that what goes on in the house really does belong to him. Or not, because by affixing a copyright sign across the facade you read it as copyleft from the other direction, i.e. free of rights from or for the creator.
I am intrigued by this because of the actions happening simultaneously: protecting something (property or artwork) and the notion of 'releasing'. You can interpret the latter in different ways. In relation to copyright, 'releasing' means making an artwork available under certain conditions. You could interpret this as 'censorship': you cannot look inside to see what is going on behind the facade. Besides these acts, Verhaeghe invites other artists to further complete the intervention both with a flag and an image on his front door. In doing so, he provides a sanctuary for fellow artists to reflect on and experiment with the theme.
What else does the word ‘vrijgeven’ (= release) mean and what are its associations?
I searched for words starting with the prefix –‘ vrij-’ (free)-and found more than 45 related words, almost all of which have different meanings. From these, I selected 36 of them for the design on the flag and door. In addition to 'release' (e.g. of rights), the word 'generous' (e.g. if you donate a lot of money to charities) and vrijhaven (= sanctuary, a place where something is allowed that isn’t possible elsewhere, or a place where you cannot be persecuted, a hiding place). By the same line, you can also consider the words vrijhaven (= free port) or vrijmarkt (= free market). What about the words vrijzinnig (= liberal, meaning a tolerant attitude where freedom of opinion and meaning are central) and vrijgezel (= bachelor, single), or vrijwillig (= voluntary, not forced, unpaid labour)? With these widely differing associations, it’s no wonder that the concept of copyright protection and the copyright sign generate many misunderstandings. It’s clarifying to translate the words into English. You then see that for every Dutch word there is another English word that has the nuance and precise meaning.
In the design, the words are arranged according to their own meaning associations and sound. Below is the list of 36 words starting with VRIJ... and the English translation.
Dutch / English
1. vrijgeven / release of copyright etc.
2. vrijgevig / generous
3. vrijplaats / sanctuary
4. vrijhaven / freeport
5. vrijmarkt / freemarket
6. vrijstaand / freestanding
7. vrijhandel / free trade
8. vrijwaren / safeguard
9. vrijkaart / free pass
10. vrijstellen / exempt
11. vrijhouden / keep free
12. vrijkomen / release
13. vrijkopen / bail out
14. vrijheid / freedom
15. vrijheidslievend / freedom-loving
16. vrijheidsbeneming / deprivation of liberty
17. vrijheidsoorlog / freedom war
18. vrijstaat / free state
19. vrijheidsstraf / custody
20. vrijpleiten / exonarate, plea-bargain
21. vrijspreken / acquit
22. vrijgevochten / free-spirited, libertarian
23. vrijlaten / release, clear
24. vrijmoedig / bold
25. vrijpostig / impertinent
26. vrijblijvend / non-committal, optional
27. vrijwillig / voluntary
28. vrijzinnig / liberal, broad-minded
29. vrijdenker / freethinker
30. vrijbuiter / freebooter, buccaneer
31. vrijgezel / bachelor, single
32. vrijster / spinster
33. vrijen / lovemaking
34. vrijwel / practically
35. vrijdag / Friday
36. vrij / free, gratis