10–11 and 16–17 May 2019. Block seminar, Universität zu Köln, Institut für Kunst & Kunsttheorie, Humanwissenschaftliche Fakultät.
We will explore modes of production using tools drawn from feminist thinking, ecology and design. We will apply principles of care and a set of axioms of impact (environmental, emotional, affective, economic and generative).
The workshop will introduce the following concepts: Karen Barad’s “intra-action”, Benjamin H. Bratton’s “Interface Layer”, Silvia Federici’s “the Common”, Donna Haraway’s “Natureculture” and “Situated Knowledges”, and Audre Lorde’s “Self-Care”. We will also refer to related concepts in the work of Michel Foucault, bell hooks, Ursula K. Le Guin, Carla Lonzi and Anna Tsing.
The embodiment of these concepts will be facilitated through a “SomaTheory Encounter”, a form of guided meditation that uses breathing techniques and mental imagery.
Using notes, sketches and found objects, we will discuss together the practical application of these theoretical tools. Students will be invited to identify a project and experiment with applying these tools to it.
The workshop will be conducted in English, with German as a backup if needed.
