Not so long ago religious topics were banished to the fringes of public debate. The same happened in art. However, things have been changing recently. Fundamentalist views of religion and culture may now dominate the scene, but universal religious stories continue to survive. Among them is the story of Genesis 3 the story of Paradise, which recurs in all the world’s main religions. It is a common story that binds us while highlighting differences in perspectives, motives and imagination. All of this clearly emerged during the Genesis 3 project.

Genesis 3, the basis for Visions of Paradise, was not only seen on conventional art podia but also in public space, often in the heart of the city, the hub of public life. Performances took place in different countries including the Netherlands, Turkey, and Bosnia, Latvia, Rome and Hawaii. All sorts of people took part in the interviews and performances and told their own version of the story of Eve and the apple. Their interviews were recorded on video. Many things were brought to light by the heterogeneity of the participants, their different cultural backgrounds and the diversity of their stories: how they balance good against evil, the role they would like to play in paradise – but also how their vision of paradise is shaped by social circumstances or economic reality. The power and fragility of the human imagination are exposed at one and the same time.

Paradise and its visualisations are a space where our deepest values can run free. It invites us explore our own ideas and values and to reach out for wider and greater horizons. Anne Verhoijsen offered the people a podium where they could speak freely about their dreams and how they experience their reality while they imagine paradise.

The mission of Stichting Kosmopolis is to stimulate encounters, dialogue and interaction between individuals through art culture and debate. Inter-culturalism is a central concept.
Stichting Kosmopolis is a foundation which was established in November 2006 in the four main cities of the Netherlands. It operates at local, inter-city and international level.