Fragments of the Future

#finearts #drawing

Carbon, the basis of life, becomes our artistic focus. In this workshop we will work with charcoal, explore its artistic and sustainable potential and create utopian visions through drawings, books and installations that blend past, present and future visions.

Carbon is not only the basis of our daily lives, but will also be the central subject of our artistic work for the duration of the workshop. In the ‘Fragments of the Future’ workshop, we will explore the potential and broad field of charcoal as an artistic medium.

Today we are facing a turning point in which the most serious consequences of human activity - such as the climate crisis, loss of biodiversity and ecological collapse - are becoming clearly visible.
Against the backdrop of scientific climate research, the burning of forests around the world and our immense carbon consumption, we look at carbon as a chemical element and an artistic material.
We will become involved in the process of making our own charcoal and explore its utopian potential as a means of expressing artistic vision and as a material of sustainability and transformation. Charcoal is in an extremely stable state of almost pure carbon: coal as a fossil, millions of years old, infinitely durable and yet fragile, elevated from time. Fragments of charred branches and drawing pens seem to come from the past and yet point to the future.

We will make our own charcoal from materials we find and bring with us. The objects are heated and transformed in the absence of oxygen, preserving the uniqueness of each branch for the future. 
The participants will have the opportunity to develop their own individual artistic projects and presentations. Future landscapes grow out of ‘Fragments of the Future’, utopian structures and new stories are created on paper, in book form, as large-format drawings or as installations.

Schedule

Day 1-2

Introduction and open-air charcoal burning in Ulrike Mohr's studio in Brandenburg. The studio is easy to reach by public transport from Berlin.

Day 3-5

We will work artistically at the University of the Arts, followed by a presentation of ‘Fragments of the Future’.  During this time there will be various inputs in the form of sound and film examples, as well as an artist talk.

Equipment requirements

As we will be working outdoors on an open fire for the first two days, please bring your own working clothes.

Ulrike Mohr is a Berlin-based visual artist whose work explores the interplay of drawing, space, and time. She uses transformation processes of materials shaped by research, traditional knowledge, and chance. Charcoal burning has become a significant and central technique in her artistic practice.

Since 2008, Mohr has taught internationally at art academies and is currently teaching at the Universität der Künste Berlin. Her works are featured in numerous international exhibitions and biennials, and she has received several Kunst am Bau commissions. Mohr is the editor of the book series ANTHRAKOTHEK (The Green Box Verlag, Berlin), has curated the interdisciplinary project WECHSELRAUM since 2015, and is an active member of frontviews at HAUNT, a cultural centre for urban ecology.

https://ulrikemohr.de/

https://www.instagram.com/

https://www.frontviews.de/