Making Sense of Science: Poetic Engineering with Bauke Steenhuisen & Jeroen Manders
What happens if you turn a master thesis or an entire PhD thesis into a poem? Does it help to make sense of science? Self-proclaimed poetic engineers, Bauke and Jeroen write sonnets inspired by real science. Join of their sonnet performances to experience the transformation of science through poetry! Or try it out for yourself at one of their poetry workshops!
Sonnet Performance
What happens if you turn a master thesis or an entire PhD thesis into a poem? Is that even possible? Does it help us in our efforts to make sense of science? Yes and yes. As self-proclaimed poetic engineers, Bauke and Jeroen write sonnets inspired by real science.
At first sight, their sonnets might simply seem re-arrangements of words to explain the same essence. But, on second thought, something else happens! Sonnets poetrify the reader in some way. Poetry speaks to our senses and emotions. It immerses us, like music. Join their sonnet performance to experience the transformation of science through poetry! And of course, at the festival, Bauke and Jeroen take their inspiration from WUR science: PhD dissertations and Master Theses from your fellow WUR students.
Sonnet Performance & conversation with Bauke Steenhuisen, Simon Oosting (WUR) and audience
Location & Time: Speakers Corner, 14:15-15:00 hrs
Sonnet Performance
Location & Time: Impulse Terrace, 17:45-18:00 hrs
Poetry Workshop
Do you want to try out for yourself? Join one of their poetry workshops! Edgar Allen Poe once famously pictured the classic conflict between science and poetry: science as a vulture, a bird in search of prey. ‘Science!... Why preyest thou thus upon the poet’s heart…?’ The workshops are designed to experience how wrong Poe was. Rather than feasting on each other, poetry and science can amplify and ameliorate each other in the most simple way. Being a poet genius is not required. Snapping your fingers is a bigger effort.
Location & Time:
N’counter, 15:15-15:45hr
Reflection, 16:00-16:30hrs
The number of participants for the poetry workshops is limited, so make sure you register and purchase your ticket for this performance on time. Tickets will be on presale at the main Hall of Forum, during the lunch breaks between the 11th and 18th of May, and will be sold at the Festival (if still available).
About Bauke Steenhuisen
Bauke Steenhuisen likes to believe he invented the scientific sonnet, but he probably didn’t. After his well-received TEDxDelft performance about the power of poetry, he started to versify theses and dissertations in the form of sonnets. In daily life, Bauke is assistant professor at TU Delft in the field of infrastructure governance.
About Jeroen Manders
Jeroen Manders is, among too many things to mention, an opera singing, acrobat as well as poetic engineer. Jeroen approaches his sonnets from outside science.
About Simon Oosting
Simon Oosting is chairholder of the Animal Production Systems group of Wageningen University. This chairgroup focusses on sustainability of keeping animals as part of a food system. He is a poet too; writes mostly in Friesian language (his mothertongue) but his last book of poetry was bilingual called DC...en tichterby/DC...en dichterbij.