My artist name is Loudwig van Ludens, what means-the loud wig of the playful. I grew up with the constant criticism that I should stop playing...later I found encouragement in Hermann Hesse's Glass Bead Game (also published as Magister Ludi) in the caracter of Magister Ludi and the theory about Homo Ludens by Johan Huizinga*. So originally I named myself just Ludens, from the Latin term Ludens-the playful-thus who plays. I changed my name into Loudwig van Ludens in 1995, when Luxemburg was the European Capital of Culture, where I was living at that time. Inspiration for my decision: During the summer I have organized an multidisciplinary open air festival** on the lake of  Echternach in Luxemburg where over two hundred artists participated. It developed into a scandal, after many sneaky sabotages by cowardly local politicians and their henchmen. (not collaborating by the terms of the agreement, sabotaging the traffic and parking regulations, illegal cutting the cable of the main energy source etc.) discrepancy between the presented art, volume down and the level of tolerance of the same people. After some threats, I was faced with the choice to give up and cancel the festival, or go ahead and commit social suicide... So I continued with the show, performances with some statements, and on the second day of the festival I cut off my long hair and hung it like a wig in the spotlight on stage. I an speach to the audience I addressed these Locals and said, "Here is my scalp, come and get it, if you have any courage..." A few days after the festival, an English journalist said, and later wrote something like "Loud wig van Ludens organized the loudest event since the Nazis bombed the city. I (my Ego) liked the association with Ludwig van Beethoven, who composed his greatest works unflustered of the circumstance that he has become deaf. I like the intention. It helps to comprehend the quote: "I am that, I am."
So I added Loud-wig-van  to my name Ludens and kept it as a homage to Ludwig van Beethoven.
In retrospect, I am grateful to all those who have tried to hinder me, to be myself. Challenge reveals the true character of a person-circumstances are bad excuses.

* Homo Ludens or "Man the Player" (alternatively, "Playing Man") is a book written in 1938 by Dutch historian, cultural theorist and professor Johan Huizinga It discusses the importance of the play element of culture and society. Huizinga uses the term Play Theory within the book to define the conceptual space in which play occurs. Huizinga suggests that play is primary to and a necessary (though not sufficient) condition of the generation of culture.

** Different kinds of Music from Rock to Jazz, industrial to experimental, Live Painting, Performance...The festival takes place every year since 1995 at the same location on the lake of Echternach the 'E-Lake Festival' organized by locals.

That is the story of my name from the past. Currently most people call me Lou or Ludens and that's what matters, the present time in the sense of Alan Watts.

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