DRIFT Philosophy Festival // Between Dream and Deed
DRIFT 2026 – Between dream and action
Date & Time: 16 May 2026, 19:00 – 03:00
Location: De Ceuvel
Tickets: various options available
DRIFT 2026 explores the space between dream and action. Philosophers and thinkers explore metaphysics, epistemology, philosophy of language, and ethics to understand how ideas relate to reality. What really stands between what we dream and what we do? Are dreams and actions separate, or is their difference precisely the core issue? Together we also reflect on the role of philosophy itself: between theory and practice, dreaminess and decisiveness.
Join us for an evening full of questions, explorations, and liminal experiences, so that nothing stands between your curiosity and participation!
TICKETSStandard ticket: € 16.50
Student / CJP ticket: € 11.50
SUPPORT DRIFT ticket: € 22.50
PROGRAM STRUCTURE
PROGRAM
Herman Westerink (1968) is a distinguished professor and associate professor at the Center for Contemporary European Philosophy, Radboud University Nijmegen. He is also director of the Titus Brandsma Institute. He has published numerous books and articles in psychoanalysis, philosophical anthropology, and philosophy of religion. His most recent works include studies on Michel Foucault’s *History of Sexuality* (2019), and (with Philippe Van Haute) on Freud’s theory of sexuality (2021) and his metaphysics of trauma (2022). A monograph on Freud’s *Beyond the Pleasure Principle* will be published soon.
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Anna-Sofia Maurin is professor of theoretical philosophy at the University of Gothenburg (Sweden). She specializes in analytic metaphysics (especially the metaphysics of properties) and metametaphysics (especially explanation and justification in the context of metaphysics).
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Ingmar Heytze (1970, Utrecht) writes poetry for people who do not like poetry, often writes on commission, and frequently appears on radio and television. In 2000 he was the first resident philosopher of the Centraal Museum and from 2009 to 2011 the first official city poet of Utrecht. Eight years later he received the C.C.S. Crone Prize for his oeuvre and in 2016 the Maartenspenning of the city of Utrecht. He writes columns and essays for various Dutch media and performs widely, from student houses to major festivals such as Lowlands.
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Evelyn Wan is an artist-scholar and dramaturg. She is Assistant Professor in Media, Arts, and Society at Utrecht University. Her research focuses on emerging technologies through the lens of decolonial media and performance studies.
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Mladen Dolar is an influential Slovenian philosopher specializing in psychoanalysis and continental philosophy. His work explores desire, language, and subjectivity. He critically engages with the idea that unrestricted enjoyment is possible, arguing instead that enjoyment itself is internally conflicted.
Agata Bielik-Robson is a Polish philosopher specializing in psychoanalysis, religion, and modern philosophy. She discusses Ernst Bloch’s idea that religion is not mere illusion but a form of organized imagination expressing utopian potential within matter.
Emar Maier is associate professor at the University of Groningen. His research focuses on language, logic, and communication, including non-verbal forms such as images and music. This talk examines how we describe dreams and how language distinguishes between dream and reality.
Tanna Mwezi is a historian who studies how people understand the past and how imagination shapes identity. His talk explores the relationship between dreams, fantasy, and action, questioning responsibility and the boundary between thought and behavior.
Marije Martijn is professor of Ancient Philosophy at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. Her lecture explores Synesius’ theory of dreams, where dreams are considered meaningful experiences that can even provide access to the divine.
Victor Kal is a former lecturer in philosophy at the University of Amsterdam. His lecture discusses how legal frameworks lose power when confronted with political force, arguing that justice requires a guiding “dream” beyond law.
Sytse Bouma is a performer and theater maker working with queer narratives, drag, and club culture. His work moves between performance, identity, and nightlife aesthetics.
A collective of three artists explores making, materials, and interaction through sculpture, textile work, and installation art, focusing on how meaning emerges through material engagement.
Nikita Dhawan is professor of political theory at TU Dresden. Her research focuses on global justice, decolonization, and democracy.
María do Mar Castro Varela is professor of education and social work in Berlin, working on gender studies, ethics, and emancipation.
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Ype de Boer is a philosopher at Radboud University Nijmegen. His work explores ontology, ethics, and imagination.
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Mari Mikkola is professor of philosophy at the University of Amsterdam. Her expertise includes feminist philosophy and social ontology.
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Irfan Ahmad is a political anthropologist and professor of sociology. He critiques Euro-American models of world order and explores alternative non-state perspectives.
Toon Tellegen is a writer and former physician. His work includes poetry and animal stories, often blending myth and memory.
Timothy Williamson is a philosopher known for work on knowledge, logic, and language. He explores imagination as a collective cognitive tool used in decision-making.
Martin Mittelmeier is an author and professor of German literature. He studies critical theory and argues that Adorno’s complexity reflects deep societal contradictions.
Daniel Saric is a philosophy student at the University of Amsterdam. He develops a dialectical theory of recognition in which alienation is a necessary condition for freedom.
Monika Kirloskar-Steinbach, Takeshi Morisato and Michael Thomas discuss the rise of “World Philosophies” and the shift toward plural philosophical traditions beyond Eurocentrism.
MUSIC / THEATER
Klezmagic is an energetic Amsterdam band blending Balkan and Klezmer influences into a vibrant live experience.
DJ Kapsalon is a vinyl-only DJ known for eclectic, layered sets mixing archival music and underground club sounds.
DJ Guatambu is a DJ who blends obscure niche genres with dancefloor-focused selections.
Sikke Boemkelder is a DJ duo mixing electro, new wave, and psychedelic influences.
Octopus is a manic four-piece art-rock band from the Dutch underground. Their live shows are chaotic, energetic experiences influenced by psychedelia, punk, and new wave.
ANWB DJ is a collaboration between Kain and Britt Dorenbosch, mixing trance, Latin core, synthpop, and unexpected club sounds.
Spoenk is a temporary collective creating experimental theatrical performances that combine humor, philosophy, and imagination.
Extinction 1 is a cyberpunk street theatre act exploring post-apocalyptic themes through dance and performance.
Alina Goldwoman creates ritual-based artistic experiences focused on connection and meaning. Una Skuliç writes poetry about memory and loss. Flip Zonne Zuijderland works with performative language and poetic expression.
About this edition of DRIFT FESTIVAL
“Between dream and action / there are laws in the way and practical objections,” wrote Elsschot in ‘The Marriage’. The festival explores the philosophical space between idea and reality across metaphysics, language, and ethics.
DRIFT 2026 explores the “in-between” spaces in philosophy and invites speakers to reflect on the relationship between dream and action, theory and practice, and reality and imagination.
We warmly invite you to join this liminal journey on 16 May 2026.
DRIFT at De Ceuvel
On the grounds of a former shipyard in Amsterdam Noord, cultural hub De Ceuvel forms a living experiment in sustainability, art, and technology. It is a circular community where human and non-human life coexist and collaborate. The festival takes place in this environment of experimental urban ecology.
Walking along the wooden pathways surrounded by houseboats and nature, visitors experience a sense of anticipation and reflection between theory and practice, dream and action.
TICKETSStandard ticket: €16.50
Student/CJP ticket: €11.50
Support ticket: €22.50
