Emptiness & Infinite Space XVII: Tine Wilde & Martin Stokhof

On March 22, the 17th edition of Emptiness & Infinite Space will take place. Emptiness & Infinite Space is an ongoing series organized by the Wim de Haan Foundation, exploring the endless variety of cross-pollinations between art and philosophy. During E&IS XVII, artist and philosopher Tine Wilde and (language) philosopher Martin Stokhof will be guests, examining themes such as measurability, meaning, limitation, and freedom.

To what extent is something measurable? The boundaries we draw—between, for example, solid and liquid or sharp and vague—are not always easy to determine. When does one state of affairs turn into another? And is measurability even a necessary property? Important aspects of our lives often cannot be expressed quantitatively. At the same time, humans need a sense of orientation. When such guidance is lacking, we seek a point from which we can reorder life and create meaning.

In her project Zero Point, Wilde explored these questions, drawing inspiration from David Bohm’s (1917–1992) investigations into the underlying meanings of quantum theory. Bohm described “a certain scale at which the measurement of space and time becomes completely undefinable”—the “zero-point energy for a point in space.” According to Bohm, alongside the reality we experience daily, there exists an underlying reality. The two realities are intrinsically intertwined, forming a non-local and non-analyzable system. At every moment, they constitute a complex, unfolding totality that can never be fully known, together generating a continuous, all-encompassing movement. In Zero Point, Wilde applies this philosophy to the creation of her artworks.

But how exactly do such processes work? According to Stokhof, the key lies in the tension between freedom and limitation. Take a concept like emptiness; it refers to the absence of something specific, for example, an empty wine bottle that no longer contains wine. But that does not mean there is nothing at all—the bottle still contains air. To say that things are “empty” does not mean they lack content, but rather that they—echoing the Heart Sutra, “all things are empty”—do not possess an essence. And this absence of essence proves productive. It reveals a certain degree of freedom, yet in conjunction with limitation. You can fill the wine bottle with water, yet the bottle itself remains the same.

From this perspective, Stokhof will show that who we are, and how we perceive ourselves and the world, is the result of this tension between freedom and limitation. We encounter this tension in human nature, which allows us to perceive, experience, and think only thanks to inherent limitations; and equally in physical nature, which produces certain things while simultaneously preventing the emergence and existence of others. Much is open, but not everything can be different. Philosophy and visual art explore precisely this productive tension, making us aware of both possibilities and limitations.

*Please note: the talks this afternoon will be in Dutch.