The Art of Protest
2 September 2025 - 9 December 2025
10:30 - 12:00
Speakers' Corner
Public Lecture Series
What does protest look like today? It can be loud or quiet, creative or confrontational, personal or collective. From street demonstrations to poetry, music, fashion, and art, protest takes many forms.
The Art of Protest is a lecture series at The Hague University of Applied Sciences. Each week, a new lecture explores how people around the world use protest to challenge injustice, express identity, and push for change. You’ll learn about the history and future of protest through real stories, cultural examples, and creative perspectives.
Guest speakers from across Europe will share their work and ideas. Artists, performers, and activists will offer insight into how protest continues to shape our societies in powerful and unexpected ways.
These lectures are for anyone interested in activism, creativity, social issues, or just curious to see protest from a different angle.
This public lecture series is a collaboration between European Studies and The Lighthouse.
Register
All lectures are free and open to THUAS students and staff. You can attend one, a few, or all of them.
Lectures and planning
The lectures take place every Tuesday from September 2 to December 9, 2025, from 10:30 to 12:00. There are 13 sessions in total, each exploring different themes around protest, activism, and creative resistance.
1 · September 2, 2025 · Protest and Democracy
Explores the role of civic protest in upholding democracy, showcasing global examples of non-violent, creative protest.
Speakers: Helen Limon & Antje Grebner
Time: 10:30 - 12:00
Location: Speakers' Corner
2 · September 9, 2025 · Poetry of Protest
Explores the power of poetry in global protest movements, beginning with Shelley's "The Masques of Anarchy" and its enduring influence ("Ye are many – they are few").
Speakers: Helen Limon & Antje Grebner
Time: 10:30 - 12:00
Location: Speakers' Corner
3 · September 16, 2025 · Music
"The History of Europe in 20 Songs," examining the role of music in protest using examples from Ian Peddie's Music and Protest.
Speaker: Roberto Barroso Vloedgraven
Time: 10:30 - 12:00
Location: Speakers' Corner
4 · September 23, 2025 · The Art of Noise
Explores the use of sound in protest, from historical examples (medieval French women, Mary Malone's bell) to contemporary uses (activists in Tbilisi).
Speaker: TBA
Time: 10:30 - 12:00
Location: Speakers' Corner
5 · September 30, 2025 · The Power of Silence
Explores the strategic use of silence in protest, incorporating artistic and activist perspectives.
Speaker: Gerlov van Engelen
Time: 10:30 - 12:00
Location: TBA
6 · October 7, 2025 · The Right to Protest
Introduces the legal aspects of civic protest, drawing on Daniel Hignell-Tully's "Performative Agoras" (from Art Law Power) and Saul Alinsky's Rules for Radicals.
Speaker: TBA
Time: 10:30 - 12:00
Location: Speakers' Corner
7 · October 14, 2025 · Presence & Absence
Occupations, sit-ins, strikes, marches, boycotts, The Picnic (Hungary), large-scale art installations (e.g., the migrant statue).
Speaker: Antje Grebner
Time: 10:30 - 12:00
Location: TBA
8 · October 21, 2025 · Dressing Up & Dressing Down
Historical overview: From medieval jesters to Yellow Vests, with particular reference to the work of US artist Michael Sylvan Robinson and Gays Against Guns.
Speaker: Helen Limon
Time: 10:30 - 12:00
Location: Speakers' Corner
9 · November 11, 2025 · The Writing on the Wall
Uses Liz McQuiston's PROTEST: A History of Social and Political Protest Graphics (1500-present).
Speakers: Helen Limon & Antje Grebner
Time: 10:30 - 12:00
Location: Speakers' Corner
10 · November 18, 2025 · Laughter
Explores the historical use of humor (jesters, cartoons, satire, memes, stand-up comedy) in protest.
Speaker: Yasco Horsman
Time: 10:30 - 12:00
Location: Speakers' Corner
11 · November 25, 2025 · The Price of Protest
Examines the personal costs of activism and the commercialization of protest, using a short film from Sarajevo and the evolution of Pride. Activist burn out and compassion fatigue will also be addressed.
Speaker: Tiaan Westenberg
Time: 10:30 - 12:00
Location: Speakers' Corner
12 · December 2, 2025 · Frienemies
Explores the relationship between corporations, employees, shareholders, and activism, using examples of corporate sabotage (clogs to code).
Speaker: Jacco van Uden
Time: 10:30 - 12:00
Location: TBA
13 · December 9, 2025 · Staging and Event Management
TBA
Speaker: TBA
Time: 10:30 - 12:00
Location: Speakers' Corner
An event by The Lighthouse
At The Lighthouse, you take a closer look at the world and maybe also at yourself. Always relevant, inspiring, and with a twist.
