Guido van der Werve's 'Nummer 8' and the Porous Fabric of Memory and Age
Lucette ter Borg explores the themes of aging through the lens of art and memory, revisiting Guido van der Werve's 2007 film 'Nummer 8 – Everything is going to be alright', in which he strides ahead of an icebreaker in Finnish waters. What once appeared menacing now represents courage and potential. Van der Werve, born in 1977, experienced a serious accident in 2016 and now runs every other day. Ter Borg links this to her own experience at age eight and critiques the ageism present in society, drawing on Simone de Beauvoir's 1970 work 'The Coming of Age'. She also examines Melanie Bonajo's 2016 piece 'Progress vs Regress', which includes dialogues with nonagenarians. Ter Borg ultimately asserts that aging is both unavoidable and adventurous. This essay is included in 'Land zonder grenzen', which focuses on arts accessibility.
Key facts
- Guido van der Werve's 2007 film 'Nummer 8 – Everything is going to be alright' shows him walking ahead of an icebreaker in Finnish waters.
- Van der Werve suffered a severe accident in Berlin in 2016 and underwent years of rehabilitation; he now runs every two days.
- Simone de Beauvoir's 1970 book 'The Coming of Age' broke the 'conspiracy of silence' around old age and documented structural hatred of the elderly.
- Melanie Bonajo's 2016 film 'Progress vs Regress' features conversations with nonagenarians in a care home and intergenerational groups.
- The term 'ageism' was coined in 1969 by psychiatrist Robert Butler.
- Black Quantum Futurism collective (Rasheedah Phillips and Camae Ayewa) was featured at Documenta 15 in 2022.
- Bonajo's practice includes somatic sex coaching, cuddle facilitation, and activism.
- The essay is part of the series 'Land zonder grenzen' on accessibility in the arts.
Entities
Artists
- Guido van der Werve
- Melanie Bonajo
- Rasheedah Phillips
- Camae Ayewa
- Quinten Matsys
- Simone de Beauvoir
- Robert Butler
- Erasmus van Rotterdam
- Joep Dohmen
- Jan Baars
- Lucette ter Borg
Institutions
- Black Quantum Futurism
- Documenta 15
- Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam
- Praemium Erasmianum
- Museum van Bommel van Dam
- Mister Motley
Locations
- Finland
- Berlin
- Germany
- Utrecht
- Netherlands
- Venlo
- Antalya
- Turkey
- Noordpool