about us—Murf/Murw

Murf/Murw was founded in 2018, as a fanzine. Since 2020, we have been organising a festival in Tilburg that focuses on theatre, music, visual arts, and film.

MURF/MURW

no longer capable of resistance, dulled, ready to give up all opposition, beaten down, soft, unable to resist anymore due to exhaustion.

Within the Dutch language, development is underway regarding the word ‘murw’. Today, most dictionaries indicate that the word should be pronounced [murf]. This way, the word just rolls off the tongue a little easier. Language evolves and absorbs changes. We see this change as a metaphor for a change within society. We always choose the easy way. Have we as a society become ‘murw’ [weak]? Algorithms determine our taste and the most beautiful poster decides our political choice. Do we no longer believe in opposition? Are we exhausted or paralyzed? The best medicine is experimentation. The range of culture for small groups of enthusiasts is large, perhaps larger than the bulk production of the mainstream for the weary [murw] masses. We understand the importance of the makers who are in cultural niches. It is not the majority of votes that count, but the exceptional few that determine history.