World Order of Our Hearts

#finearts #arttheory

In the workshop we explore visions of living together: How can we create worlds from the perspective of love, care and interconnectedness in times of antagonism? And how can satire, humor and visualisations of other worlds lift our spirits?

As far-right ideas flourish in societies shaped by neoliberalism and capitalist realism, leading to a progressive erosion of democratic institutions and norms around the globe, peace, equality and basic human rights are less and less guaranteed. Against the background of “us-versus-them”-narratives, the pursuit of equality and ecological sustainability seems almost utopian. In the workshop we explore visions of living together that undermine such capitalist thinking: How can we create worlds from the perspective of love, care and interconnectedness? In imagining such worlds, what can we learn from non-human animals, the intelligence of plants and symbiotic life forms? What role do queer feminism, decolonialism and intersectional solidarity play in it?

To delve into these questions, we look at texts by Theodor W. Adorno, bell hooks, Sherri Mitchell, Kae Tempest, Nancy Fraser, Alyson K. Spurgas, Zoë C. Meleo-Erwin and others. We explore contemporary artworks that comment on capitalist realism, illustrate dystopias of collective narcissism, and design utopias of love and care. And we discuss ideas from different times and places, such as Novalis' fable "The Mite" (1789) and Fariduddin Attar's 12th century poem "The Conference of the Birds" as examples of shifts in perspective that remind us of the interrelatedness of different species. In practical sections, we investigate the visionary potential of the provisional draft with techniques like sketch, collage and bricolage and the rhetoric of different artistic methods useful to criticize, satirize, and visualize other worlds.

Schedule

Monday:

General introduction, short introduction into literature, short introduction into practical part

Working-groups discuss texts and prepare summaries of the discussions to be presented

 
Tuesday:

Presentations by the working groups and discussions

Beginning of conceptual work: sketches for practical projects (individually or in groups)

Wednesday & Thursday:

Work on practical projects, optionally supported by discussions of ideas (individually or in groups)

Friday:

Work on practical projects

Presentation of work-in-process/work-in-progress

Equipment requirements

Please bring own tools and material. The Workshop only provides basic materials and helpful things to solve technical problems and shorta

Gabriela Manda Seith is a researcher and curator. In 2023, she completed her dissertation Sarajevo's 'War Art': On Globalization, Representation and Balkanism at the Freie Universität Berlin. It concentrates on the socio-political capacity of this art scene and contextualizes its international perception in the wake of globalization and revitalized Balkanism. As an independent curator, she has curated exhibitions and projects at the neue Gesellschaft für bildende Kunst (Kunst im Untergrund, 2019), Kunstraum Kreuzberg/Bethanien (Up in Arms, 2019), Historical Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Pollution Palette, 2021), Goethe-Institut Sarajevo (Traumblasen - Baloncici od Snova, 2022), National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina (False Clouds, 2022), Maxim Gorki Theater Berlin (Autumn Salon, 2023), and the Neues Museum Nürnberg (Memory Movers, 2024), among others. Gabriela Manda Seith was a DAAD fellow, participated in the Residency Hestia Belgrade and has published texts on various platforms.

https://gabrielamandaseith.com/