26.11.24, 19:30, Piet Devos, Langs bloedbanen

In the second week of November 2024, we received the saddening news that Piet Devos had passed away. On 26 November, we present his latest book Langs bloedbanen: with a reading by Anaïs Van Ertvelde, a conversation with professor of medical ethics Heidi Mertes and music by Mia Thompson. At the end of the evening, we will toast to the life of Piet Devos. He brought stories that had not yet been told, gave voice to what is often forgotten. Piet Devos was an extraordinary poet, writer and researcher. He lost his sight at the age of five due to retinal cancer, an experience that profoundly shaped his life and work. He inspired many as an activist for a greener and more inclusive world, seeing strength in the fragility and value of different perspectives.

About Langs Bloedbanen

Via extensive prenatal screenings and new gene therapies, we are trying to get more and more control over our health and that of our (unborn) children. A noble goal, it seems, but according to researcher and author Piet Devos there is an urgent need for more reflection on this medical-genetic makeability thinking.

Drawing on his own experience with a rare genetic disorder, Devos warns against the tendency to reduce people to a (correctable) DNA profile. As such, the current belief in engineerable genes is the modern offshoot of much older, widespread thinking that seeks to unambiguously identify bodies based on so-called biological characteristics.

While genetic profiling seems to be much more objective than previous classifications based on blood, skull size or skin colour, it is not value-free either. Using DNA to determine who is sick or healthy, which children are desirable or not, is indeed a moral choice. It is therefore high time we openly acknowledge and question such choices. Otherwise, sick and disabled people risk becoming victims of tacit oppression once again.

Langs bloedbanen by Piet Devos is a publication in the Karakters series, pocket-sized essays on philosophy and cultural criticism. Karakters is a collaboration of Studium Generale, Academia Press, deBuren and Rekto:Verso. Anaïs Van Ertvelde reads from Langs bloedbanen. This will be followed by a conversation on the subject with professor of medical ethics Heidi Mertes. Singer and artist Mira Thompson performs an artistic intervention. Afterwards, there will be time for drinks, a toast to Piet Devos' life and you can buy the book at the book stand.

• Piet Devos was a writer and disability researcher. After studying French-Spanish translation in Antwerp and a research master's in Literature Studies in Leiden, Devos obtained his PhD in Groningen in 2013 for a thesis on sensory perception in poetry. During a postdoc in Montréal, he focused further on Disability Studies, in particular the aesthetics of the ‘imperfect’ body in art and literature. His own blindness formed a critical lens and inspiration in this process. In recent years, Pete worked as a guest speaker and lecturer, but also exploited media such as video and podcast.
• Mira Thompson is a singer, songwriter and performer. Inspired by the tradition of vocal jazz, she is attracted to narrative songs with strong poetic and visual elements. During her time at the HKU Utrechts Conservatorium, she developed a fascination for the different ways the voice can function as an embodied instrument. Whether written, spoken or sung, Mira uses language to evoke deep and hidden feelings with a sincere yet witty approach. In 2019, she released her first EP, Festina Lente. Since 2008, she has performed at the Mosaic Theatre, Frascati and the Casco Art Institute, among others: Working for the Commons and has toured in Germany and France.
• Heidi Mertes is professor of medical ethics at Ghent University, founding member of the Bioethics Institute Ghent and of the interdisciplinary platform METAMEDICA. Her academic research focuses on the ethical implications of innovations in healthcare, with a particular focus on reproductive medicine, genetics, embryonic stem cell research, big data, AI and challenges at the intersection of these different domains. She is also committed to initiatives that stimulate the social debate around new medical technology as a board member of the non-profit organisation De Maakbare Mens, and is, among other things, co-chair of the Belgian Federal Commission for Medical and Scientific Research on Embryos in vitro and a member of the Advisory Committee on Bioethics.
• Mari Sanders is a fiction and documentary director. In the series Rolstoel Roadmovie and Mari Staat Op, he investigated dealing with disability in Europe and the Netherlands. He is currently working on his first feature film and on Wild Lam, a training programme for acting talent with disabilities.

This lecture will take place at the Kazematten. The entire building is wheelchair accessible via a spacious lift. A sign language interpreter has been provided for this lecture. Anyone with further questions about accessibility facilities should contact the organisation: anais.vanertvelde@hogent.be