rt as a A Thinking Process

Edited by Mara Ambrožicˇ & Angela Vettese rt as a A Thinking Process isual VForms of Knowledge Production

Table of Contents

Angela Vettese Foreword How Do We Teach Art? 8

John Aiken Undermining Orthodoxies 18

Mara Ambrožič Regeneration 30

Ute Meta Bauer Re_ ACT: Research-Based Artistic Practice at MIT’s Program in Art, Culture, and Technology 38

Carol Becker Microutopias and Pedagogies for the Twenty-First Century 46

Franco Berardi Economic Dogmatism and Poetical Thought in the Coming European Insurrection 54

Jeremiah Day Digging 62 Marco De Michelis Art as a Way of Thinking 68

Paolo Garbolino What the Scientist’s Eye Tells the Artist’s Brain 74

Mika Hannula The Quest for the Common Good and the Participatory Community 88

Mary Jane Jacob Experience as Thinking 100

Jan Kaila Artistic Research Formalized into Doctoral Programs 114

Lev Kreft Teaching Contemporary Art (and Aesthetics) 120

Cornelia Lauf Concrete Concepts 134

Paolo Legrenzi and Alessandra Jacomuzzi Art as a Form of Knowledge and as a Creative Process 138

Hongjohn Lin From Work to Research: Sites of Artistic Research 146

Sarat Maharaj What the Thunder Said: Toward a Scouting Report on “Art as a Thinking Process” 154

Suzana Milevska Feminist Research in Visual Arts 162

Simon Njami Fictional Faculties 176

Hans Ulrich Obrist Curating in the Twenty-First Century 182 John Rajchman Art as a Thinking Process: New Reflections 194

Gertrud Sandqvist Thinking Through 206

Henk Slager The Institutional Conscience of Art 212

Hito Steyerl Art as Occupation: What Happens to Knowledge? 224

Chiara Vecchiarelli A Technical Efflorescence 230

Mick Wilson We Are the Board, but What Is an Assemblage? 238

Biographies 248

Bibliography 254 8 first andforemost,athinkingprocess. considered afieldofknowledgeandthatanartworkshouldbeconsidered, start, the concept driving this program has been that the visual arts must be ogy tosemiotics,fromaestheticseconomics,andsoforth).Fromthe led byartistsandcurators,astrongemphasisontheory(fromsociol- a rotatingsystemofmasterteachers,short-term activity-based workshops as thefirstprogramofitskindinanItalianuniversity—thatis,centeredon any support.Shoulditsactivitiescease,itwillneverthelessberemembered ficult adolescence,forwhichtheEuropeanfinancialcrisisdoesnotprovide tion, thedegreeprogramhasrapidlygrownandisnowapproachingadif- schools—beginning with Walter Gropius’s ownmodel—is justonemore Across EuropeandAmerica, theriseandfallofmanyBauhaus-inspired ing sincethebirthof firstuniversitiesoveronethousandyearsago. Thus, the contempt for the visual arts as a field of study has been breed- tradition. a specificsegmentofChristiantheologytomuch ofJewishandIslamic images havebeensuspect:fromPlato’s ideastotheiconoclasticattitudesof aspects ofculture.Untilnow, andparticularlywithinintellectualcircles, that restsonthepersistentandwidespreadsense of distance from visual may be considered part of the discussion concerning an unresolved point The followingessays—forwhichIthankallthosewho kindlycontributed— is neitherobviousnorshoulditbetakenforgranted. achievement of specific skills.Assimplistic assucha statement mayseem, it work within this field deserve an educationbased on morethan solelythe Venice withintheGraduateDegreePrograminVisual Arts. This bookdrawsitsoriginsfromaconferenceheldattheIuavUniversityof Foreword How DoWe Teach Art? 2 Consequently, thosewhowishto 1 Sinceitsincep- basis inthehistoryofideas.Predictablewereour hard times,aswewere Italian noraEuropean phenomenon, butratherapoliticalonewithstrong However, thedifficultreceptionwehavefacedin Venice isneithersolelyan to “making”asopposed“planning”and“thinking.” again insistingonthetechnicalaspectofdiscipline,returningfocus structure forarteducation,oftenlinkedtotheworldofproduction—once full acceptanceofthecourse,Venice witnessedthebirth ofmorethanone simply playingwithterracottaorcoloredglass.Incidentally, soonafterthe blur thebordersbetweendisciplines,evenwhenthisdoesnotentailartists phers, historians,designers,andarchitectstoacceptthatartscraftscan structured culturalimplications.Itwillalwaysbedifficulttobringphiloso- that theproductionofimagesandcommunicationischaracterizedbywell sort ofvictory—albeitadifficultonetodealwith—alsoaimedatshowing sors teachingattheAcademyofFineArtsVenice. Thus, ithasbeena University, wasitselfthefruitofarebellionledbyarchitectureprofes- of architecture,whichhasalwaysbeenthemaincoresmall-scaleIuav also withintheIuavUniversityitself.Itisimportanttonotethatcourse a varietyofunsettlingreactions,notjustamongItalianartacademies,but And wecouldtakeourVenetian courseasacasestudy, havingcausedsuch to behighlyinteresting. motives andpoliticalimplicationsofsuchapersistentattitudecouldprove the tacitpremiseofadistancebetweenmakingandthinking.Astudy for educatingthehomofaberratherthansapiens,accordingto deeply rooted:itseemsasthoughvisualartsinstructionisconfinedtoplaces emies anduniversitiesstillexists—atleastintheEuropeansystem—andis piece ofevidencethislong-lastingsuspicion.Thegapbetweenartacad- A ngela

Vettese

9 10 Foreword And itishightimeweseriously reconsidertheoverwhelmingattentionpaid cally, itneedssomanythataschoolisunabletoteachthem all. does notmeanthatartistic activitydoesnotrequirecapabilities.Paradoxi- of whether it concerns drawing or computer competence. Nevertheless, this Any insistenceonteachingtechnicalskillsisthusinappropriate, regardless of mediumused,buttotheconceptualdevicewith whichitis deployed. fest amultimediacharactersothatthevalueofwork isnottiedtothetype is Saturn,thegodofthoughtandknowledge. the godofmaking,feelingandcommunicating,claiming insteadthatitalso they havearguedagainsttheenduringbeliefthattheir deityisonlyMercury, ways beenrelegatedtotheworldsofdecoration,beauty, andmanualskills, as “amentalmatter.” Despitethefactthattheirplacesoftraininghaveal- since Leonardo da Vinci’s time, artists have zealously sustained their work search wasnotpartofthebackgroundrequiredgraduates.Nonetheless, other techniquessanctionedbytime,suchasillustrationandengraving.Re- once theobviousplaceforstudyingsculpture,painting,decoration,and Goldsmiths College,andotherartschools.TheAcademyofFineArtswas the StädelschuleinFrankfurt,UCLA,CalArts,ArtInstituteofChicago, artists havebeentrainedatcenterssuchastheDüsseldorfArtAcademy, a number of pupils surpassed their teachers. Theyounger generations of Social ResearchinNewYork, sprangfromeducationalsettingsinwhich lina totheUlmSchoolofDesign,andnotmentionNewfor Art AcademytotheBauhaus,fromBlackMountainCollegeinNorthCaro- that changedthecourseoftwentieth-centuryarthistory, fromtheMunich will be betrayed by the best students. Some of the most significant moments school. Perhapsweneedartschoolspreciselysothatwhatislearnedthere a rebellionagainstrules,andthereisnobetterplacetolearnrulesthan duce newworlds.Ontheotherhand,innovationrarelyoccurswithout on assumptionssorigidastonotbeofhelpthosewhointendintro- didnotwanttoormanageattendone.TrainingCézanne, canbebased interesting paintersandsculptors,suchasVincent vanGoghandPaul Perhaps aschoolforartistsservesnopurposeatall.Manyofthemost worthwhile? And,ifso,howshoulditbearticulated? let usbeginfromanotherpointofview. Isanarteducationprogramreally tion ofsenseratherthantodecorationormereexpressiontheself.But of educationinwhichdifferentdisciplinesoverlapandleadtotheconstruc- simply followingsuitofthoseartacademiesthathadtriedtoprovideakind 3 Currentpracticesnowmani- and strategy, andonorganizationalfundraisingskills. the promotionalmechanisms thatdistinguishacareerbasedoncompetition though fully giving themselvesover to the intellectual milieu, abandoning critics, curators,andartistshavedevotedmuchoftheir timetoschools,as the methodsofartisticteaching. “Fail Again,FailBetter”isthetitleofRolandJones’s enlightening essayon teach howtofailandovercometheensuingdamageself-esteem: should teachboththeruleandwaytooverturnit.Anditalso tion, asthe“traditionofnew.” Aswehavealreadynoted,anartschool with what has been implemented, according to Harold Rosenberg’s defini- sociology. Onemustbefamiliarwithwhathasalreadybeendone—thatis, the spectators’moods,requiringnotionsofpsychologyandasmattering even tothehistoryoflandscape.Attimes,anartistmustbeableinfluence set upanenvironmentalpieceorientedtowardthefieldofarchitectureor An artprojectoftenrequirestheabilitytopaint,photograph,film,edit,or continuous movementfrompracticetothinkingandbackagain. the objectstheywereshowingasart.Rather, whatseemstoholdtrueisa Lawrence Weiner andsoon—nevertrulygaveupmakingand/orcontrolling detachment fromtheexecutionofwork—fromArtandLanguageto advocated who fervently acknowledge thateventhoseConceptualartists critic has stated each time he has touched upon the argument. And we must must recognizethatAndyWarhol’s BrilloBoxesarenotreadymades,asthe ter howrelevantArthurDanto’s contributiontoarttheoryhasbeen,we to thereadymadeanddematerializationofworkart.Nomat- the activityofexhibition venues associatedwithartschoolshasemerged posia andbooks. artistic practice,thematterofteachingartisincreasingly discussedinsym- Therefore, itisnoaccidentthatacenturyafterthe greatestrevolutionin practice withrespecttothecertaintyoftechnology. nevertheless continuestoincludedoingandthus the imprecisionofany disciplines, andwhatismeantby“knowledge”inthis specificfield, terms ofwhatitmeanstobeanauthor, therelationsthatexistwithother gram. Moreover, the role of theory has become increasingly important in been problematized,makingitdifficulttoinsertintoaneducationalpro- to useinteachingartarestillstriking.Thestatuteoftheworkhas Nonetheless, thequestionsofwhichmethodstoteachand 6 Andwemustbearinmindthatmanyofthebestknown 4

7 Inthiscontext, 5 which

11 Angela Vettese 12 Foreword room asaspaceforpolitical activism—ReneGabri,LewisBaltz,Marjetica In mypersonalexperience, Ihavewitnessedhowsomeartistsvaluetheclass- shackles. system, the function of the school, at least in part, is to rid itself of its own the moreradicaltheyare.Fromviewpointofan increasinglycoercive brand-new school:thelesstheyarelegitimizedby diplomatheycanissue, the caseofMarinaAbramovic´, havetakenontheresponsibilityofcreatinga have decidedtotransformtheirlivingandworkspaces intoschools,or, asin school. Otherartists,suchasMichelangeloPistoletto andOlafurEliasson, and Kids of Survival have thrived on the border between artwork and art ending lectures,andthepedagogicalnatureofactivities ofTim Rollins and sincethe1980s,AdrianPiper’s FunkLessons,ThomasHirschhorn’s never- had decidedtolendhisperformancesapredominantlyeducationalflavor; from thatof“producing.”LongbeforehisKasselintervention,JosephBeuys Horn, have matured toward teaching without ever truly separating this practice careers ofmanyartists,fromJosephKosuthtoJannisKounellisandRebecca baum, JensHoffmann,andHouHanruhavefoundrefugethere.Andthe In pointoffact,criticssuchasUteMetaBauer, BorisGroys,DanielBirn- Pop art.Thisitselfcouldbethesubjectofaspecificstudy. vision oftheartschoolshortlyafterinternationalcommercialsuccess There issomeevidencepointingtotheappearanceoforiginsthisnew least inthebettercases—aplaceforrefreshingformsofhypotheticalthought. the avant-gardesasaghostofpast.Rather, ithasgraduallybecome—at the schoolmayrepresentabreak.Itisnolongerthatdust-filledsitedecriedby come asomewhatsuffocatingandself-referentialsystemofpowerfromwhich other gatekeepersontheroadmapofsuccess.Thewholemechanismhasbe- overlapping dynamicsofshows,museums,magazines,auctions,andallthe boggling. Furthermore, a desire for some respite also derives from the endless Without denyingtheroleofcollector, artmarketlawshavebecomemind- art systemperceivedaslinkingculturalvalueprimarilytomonetaryvalue. has alsobeenrecognizedbymanyartistsandcuratorsasawaytoescapean cal approach—hasincreasinglyassumedastrongpoliticalcharacter. Studying field ofuniversitiesandPhDs—thoughwithgreatfreedomadeeplycriti- Thus said,itcannotbestressedenoughthatbringingthevisualartswithin from theneedforapprovalofanartworldboundtocommoditization. as neverbefore,thelatterhavingproventhemselvestobecentersdetached time ondefinitionsbutto dealdirectlywiththeworks. On this point, we can quote Nigel Warburton, who asks us not to waste already accomplished. period hasredefinedthetermaposteriori,inwakeofwhatartistshave that ithasadoptedover centuries havechanged so muchthateachhistorical and anasymptote.Thevicissitudesoftheconcepts of artandthepractices teaches asubjectthatcannotbedefined,sinceartis both anendlesschallenge And weshouldneverforgetthatanartschoolis a schoolofdoubt:one gest changes. this acceleratedcenturyhasoneneededthehelpof tools tofollowthebig- time”—according toGeorgeKubler’s famousdefinition forms, whetherintendedforcontemporarylifeornot,outlinesa“shapeof symbolic recognitionofaculturallycohesivecommunity. Thehistoryof of uselessforms:thosevotiveortotemicinnature,thatarethe solutions forpracticalproblemsmaybefoundbyexaminingthetradition all ofthemostadvancededucationalinstitutions.Thisimpliesthatbest by thefact that designappears alongside the so-calledfineartsatnearly In ourclaimthatteachingtheartsisaworthwhileactivity, weareaided the wheelthroughretracingofexperiencesothers. a baseofcommonknowledgeinordertoavoidcontinuousreinventions lack—this istobediscoveredonone’s own—thoughthe ideaistoprovide It wouldbepointlesstoaskanartstudentwhatheorshedoesnot to teach,“geniuslacksnothingsthatitneeds.” and asbestwecan.InthewordsofRobertStorr, anothercriticwhochose We canonlytrytoperformthetaskofconveyingknowledge ashonestly gories ofartisticpracticesfollowedtodaywereamplydefinedbefore1912. any desiretoprovokeorastonish:asHaroldRosenbergobserved,thecate- ing furtherback.Today’s centersofartistictrainingarenotdistinguishedby whether itbethatwhichemergedfromthetwentiethcenturyorothersdat- method, butbydefinitiontheyareplacesforthepassingonoftradition, is moreacommoditythandiscipline.Schoolsmaybeexperimentalin protesting againstacapitalisticlaissezfairesociety, accordingtowhichart and IlyaKabakov, appeartoworkinaverytraditionalway, whileactually Potrcˇ, andAntoniMuntadasamongthem. Others,suchasGiulioPaolini they lackandthewaysoffindingthingsdon’t knowtheylack.” “the purposeofartschoolsistoprovidestudentswiththethingstheyknow 9 Butgeniusisrareandthus 12 11 Regardlessofwhat —and neverbefore 10 8

13 Angela Vettese 14 Foreword while SuzanaMilevskaexpresses awoman’s pointofview. Fromaperspec- Berardi’s intervention,withits specialfocusontheroleofimagination, division. Thepoliticalrelevance ofartand imagination isthecoreofFranco tempts todemonstratein his essay, itisoverlysimplistic toinsistonsucha less) polarizationofhomofaberandsapiens . AsRichardSennetat- this bringsusbacktothebeginningoftext, the (probablymeaning- that artcancreate.Thus,itbecomesapowerful“transforming agent.”And tion ofthedialectical,progressive,continual,dynamic, andsharedspace notion ofBa–borninthecontexteconomyandmanagement—for defini- proposed again in Mary Jane Jacob’s essay. Jacob also suggeststheJapanese of learningbydoingandmakinghasbeeninvestigated byJohnDeweyand episteme, andthusrelatedtothemethodologiesofarts).The importance way tofullknowledgebacktechne(basedonexperienceandopposed ing a“practicalturninphilosophyofscience”thatgivesthedignity knowledge hasinsistedontheimportanceoftheory, wearenowwitness- Paolo Garbolino’s texttellsusthat,evenifthemethodology ofscientific work ofart:oneshouldbeabletoselectthefirstanddominatesecond. shown thatrandomanddeterministicprocessesinteractinthecreationofa chological pointofview, PaoloLegrenziandAlessandraJacomuzzihave in education.But what lies behind these skills,soft or not? From the psy- as “softskills,”maybetooinvolvedwithemotionstobetakenseriously Carol BeckerofColumbiaUniversitypointsoutthattheartsareoftenseen we areinafieldofopenedcontroversies. premise, wecanmovethroughtheotheressayswithunderstandingthat as hardandfastgivens,fixed,immutableentities.”Startingfromsucha they are“blanket,abstractcategories.We needtobewary oftreatingthem the meaningofwords“art”and“thinking.”AsSaratMaharajstates, thoughts. First of all, it may be useful to begin with a certain doubt about for whichIreiteratemythankstoallofthosewhokindlydonatedtheir analyses of some of these issues in a long series of profound contributions— points ofassemblingonecannotbesoquicklyexpunged.We canreadthe Yet, theproblemsrelatedtowhatanartschoolshouldbeandtricky world “thinking.” process, we are also questioning the meaningand widening the meansof the is noroomforapacifyingepisteme.Inassertingthatartmaybethinking pigeonhole itintoataxonomyorinflexiblecategory, asectorinwhichthere it maybe,artisaslipperyentitythataimstoupendanyonewhotries simply withthepeculiarstory ofasingleschool.Intheend,itcantellus reviling imagesandtheir means ofcommunication—doesnothavetodo keeping cultural dignity out of this field—from Western toAsian formsof understand andredefineitself. Investigatingthereasonsforattemptsat rethink the world. And subsequently, art education also must continuously and asenseofloss.Itasksusnottorelyonourcertainties. Itwantsusto today asitwaslongago.Artisnotareassuringtool. Itbringsaboutanxiety been broughttothepointofcensorshipandthreats—is highlypredictable, difficult fieldtocultivatethatafrequentcriticism ofboth—whichhasalso In fact,artisadifficultsubjecttosubjugate,and arteducationissucha and perhapsgenerally, fromananthropologicalpointofview. a “secretknowledge.”Thisperspectiveevokestheneed tolookatartalso, cinating storyoftheSwedishartistHilmaafKlint,sometimesartbringsus nor desirable.Andthen,arguesGertrudSandqvist,remindingusofthefas- of experiments,whereasinthefieldart,thisisneitheralwayspossible john Linclaims,inscientificpracticesthisnotionimpliesthereproducibility modernistic ideaofprogressorevenapseudo-scientificapproach.AsHong- or redefinitionofit:andthuswemayfindourselvesfollowingthepatha are inclined to use the term “research” without an explicit understanding been directingatMassachusettsInstituteofTechnology inBoston.Yet, we of theaimsArt,Culture,andTechnology (ACT),theprogramshehas ogy determinesasourfuture,”UteMetaBauersaysindescribingone imagine thattheartscanhelpus“developanawarenessofwhattechnol- quantifying quality—a process implicit in the calculation of credits. We can such asJanKailaandHenkSlager, haveclearlywarnedagainsttheriskof meaning of “research” when applied to the visual arts. Some contributors, theory- andhistory-baseddoctoraldegrees—havetriedtohoneinonthe cated toartists—thatis,withanoticeablespaceforpracticerespect as nosurprisethatthosewhohavebeendealingforyearswithPhDsdedi- space forakindofcontrolledorthodoxy. Within thisframework,itcomes and MikaHannula,manifestasimilarapprehensionoftheartschoolas of knowledge.”Manythecontributors,fromJohnAikentoSimonNjami treating themashallsoffreedomandnotplaces“boringproduction ing. HitoSteyerlstressestheimportanceof“occupying”artschools, applicability—as JeremiahDay’s essayunderlines—incity-ornation-brand- the recent mythology concerning the “creative industries” and their direct Foucault andGuyDebord,weshouldbewaryoftheindependencefrom tive spanningTheodorW. Adorno’s warningstothemonitions ofMichel

15 Angela Vettese 16 Foreword ie Warburton, TheArtQuestion(London:Routledge,2003). Nigel 12 Kubler, TheShapeofTime: RemarksontheHistoryofThings George 11 Ibid. 10 Madoff, 9 Rosenberg, Harold 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 be discreditedasuseless. rated. Andthismayverywellbeareasonwhyitcanseemdangerousand be consideredaplaceinwhichchangesarewelcome,accepted,andelabo- have todealwithimminentchangesinculture.Anartschoolmayverywell something aboutourheritage,future,andthewaywewill (New Haven:Yale UniversityPress,1962). (New York: Horizon Press, 1964),20. into Art,eds.MaryJaneJacobandJacquelynnBaas,op.cit., 137. Ute MetaBauer, “ZonesofActivities,”inLearningMind:Experience MIT Press,2011). Open Editions,2010);FelicityAllen,ed.,Education and MickWilson, eds.,CuratingandtheEducationalTurn (London: Press oftheNovaScotiaCollegeArtandDesign,2009);PaulO’Neal porary ArtSchool:TheArtist,thePhD,andAcademy(Halifax: 2009); BradBuckleyandJohnConomos,eds.,RethinkingtheContem- ing Mind:ExperienceintoArt(Berkeley:UniversityofCaliforniaPress, Among others,seeMaryJaneJacobandJacquelynnBaas,eds.,Learn- Kaila andAnnaHerlin(Helsinki:AcademyofFineArts,2008),6–9. Knowledge 2:ResearchattheFinnishAcademyofFineArts,eds.Jan Jan Kaila, “The Artist As a Producer of Knowledge,” in tury) (Cambridge,MA:MITPress,2009),151–64. Steven HenryMadoff,ed.,ArtSchools(Propositionsforthe21stCen- Religion andArt(Edinburgh:ThomasNelsonSons,1964). Saturn and Melancholy: Studies intheHistory of NationalPhilosophy, The reference is to Raymond Klibansky, Fritz Saxl, and Erwin Panofsky, venture), andmyself. Germano Celant(whobothsubsequentlydecidedtoabandonthead- of theFacultyDesignandArts),Walter LeMoli,SergioPolanoand Marino Folin(theformerrector),MarcoDeMichelisfirstdean Arts atIUAV, Venezia: 2001–2011(Milan:MoussePublishing,2011). have beendescribedinChiaraVecchiarelli andAngelaVettese, Visual The structureoftheschoolandresultsitstenyearsactivities Art Schools,54–65,65. The AnxiousObject:ArtToday andItsAudience (Cambridge, MA: The Artist’s 17 Angela Vettese 18 importance ofvisualforms of knowledgeproduction. Most of the Britishart had anenormousimpacton howtheartschoolcanmaintainandassert questioned andreplaced neworderswereestablished,allofwhichhave occurred duringthisperiod ofchange, when perceived orthodoxieswere The subjectofthispaperchartssomethesignificant developmentsthat into universityresearchculturesandmethodologies. and problemsas art schoolsshifted from vocational statustofull integration requirements ofhighereducation.Thesedevelopments revealedstrengths how theartschoolscontributedtocreativeindustries andontheformal and politicalupheavals.Theseupheavalsinturnhad aprofoundeffecton and numberduringaperiodoftimethatwitnessed majorsocial,cultural, became available.Artschoolsdevelopedtheircurricula andgrewinsize of contemporaryartanddesignembracednewtechnologiesasthey cation becamemorealignedwithwhatwashappeningatthecuttingedge one wherethedevelopmentofideasandconceptstookprecedence.Artedu- evolved fromaforumforlearningparticularprocessesandtechniquesto agenda ratherthanmaintainingafurthereducationfocus.Theartschool addressed theconceptofarteducationbecomingpartahigher riod is important because the major changes initiated in the early 1960s edents pioneeredbyBritishartschoolsoverthelastfiftyyears.Thispe- of knowledgeproduction,itseemsappropriatetolookatsometheprec- into how aschoolof visual artcan engage with and develop visual forms by aninstitutioncelebratingtenyearsofinnovativeandeffectiveinquiry Within the context of a debate about “Art as a Thinking Process,” hosted Orthodoxies Undermining

education inBritainatthetime,thisworkbyBroodthaers confirmedthe with Bentham’s auto-iconinthecloistersofUCL.Within thecontextofart in Wax (JeremyBentham) (1974),inwhichhewasfilmedconversation in 1973,hemadeanumberofshortfilms,includingthepioneeringFigures location withintheuniversity. WhenMarcelBroodthaersmovedtoLondon and accompaniedbyhismummifiedhead,tobelocatedinaprominent vided alastinglegacyintheformofanauto-icondressedhisownclothes Bentham, determinedtocontinuehisinvolvementwithUCL,pro- Jeremy As anexampleofhisunorthodoxapproachtoinstitutionalengagement, ies inteaching,research,andsociety. jurist JeremyBentham,toundermineandquestionlongstandingorthodox- or race. UCL was established by its founders, including the philosopher and accepting studentsontheirabilitiesregardlessofgender, creed,nationality, ing atOxfordandCambridge)hadaradicalpioneeringagendaof not tied to the few existing institutional frameworks (such as those operat- was amulti-facultyliberalartsuniversitythat,uniquelyfortheperiod, fine artwouldbeconsideredasubjectworthyofstudyinitsownright.UCL founded in1871withinUniversityCollegeLondon(UCL)asaschoolwhere ture. Forexample,theSladeSchoolofFineArt,whereIamaprofessor, was and Newcastle),wereestablishedattheirinceptionwithinauniversitystruc- A fewBritishartschools,includingtheSladeSchoolofFineArt(inReading turing ofartschooleducationinthe1960s. been oneofthemostsignificantchangesthathasoccurredsincerestruc- first the polytechnic systemand more recentlythe university systemhas local authorityfunding.Theabsorptionoftheindependentartschoolinto linked totechnicalinstitutionsorexistingindependentlyandsupportedby schools were,untilrelativelyrecently, outsidetheuniversitysystem,either J Aiken ohn

19 20 Undermining Orthodoxies rights movementintheUnited States,whichgavecouragetocommunitiesin My awarenessofprotestwas formulatedthroughmediacoverageofthecivil factions andconstituencies. polarize situationsandalsoformbridgescoalitions betweendisparate frustration andinsomecasesdesperationmanaged tosimultaneously art schools,andinstitutions.Itwasaperiodofchange thatgrewoutof that was inhibiting,restricting,orrepressing developments in universities, war inVietnam, aboutcivil rights, andaboutthe“deadhand”ofauthority rope andAmerica,protestmovementswerevoicingtheir concernsaboutthe exciting cycle.Ienteredartschoolataninterestingtime: in1968.AcrossEu- frameworks. Artschoolsarenoexceptiontothisinevitable andoftenvery status quo into something quantifiable or tangible within a range of existing and unorthodoxenergyofnewideasturnaprocessunderminingthe chal methodologiesandproceduresbutalsoneedstoengagewiththeraw The artworldisaparadoxinthatitrequiresitsclearlydefinedandpatriar the orthodoxytheyreplace. of theday, defendedwithasmuchvigorandsophisticationofargument ideas andwaysofdoingthingsgraduallyorspeedilybecometheorthodoxy dogma. Ofcourse,asgeneralagreementbecomesmorewidespread,new sequently functioningasanirritantthatenablesself-reflectionratherthan having thepotentialtodisruptgeneralagreementofmanyandcon- to manifestitselfinadiscordantfashion,thecultofindividualalways themselves intosomekindofharmoniousthinking,albeitoftenappearing er theyarecalledmovements,attitudes,groups,orstyles—driftpropel or moreof these groups,but generallythe most powerfulofthese—wheth- ing artasathinkingprocess.Sometimesthesechangeswereinitiatedbyone er initiatedbyartists,critics,curators,ortheoreticians,resultedfromfram- sociopolitical primacy of the time. In art, the changes that occurred, wheth- quo andperpetuateexistingpowerstructureswithintheacademy can functiontounderminecreativeenergyinordermaintainthestatus were in the past. The opposite is also true, as when prevalent orthodoxies throughout thetwentiethcentury, andareequallyimportanttodayasthey lent orthodoxiesandtogeneratenewenergiessubstancesconsistently Creative endeavorandpurposecanhaveservedtounderminepreva- ceptualizing artasathinkingprocess. breakaway from technique-based forms of knowledge production to con- - had an established chair in history of art, held by important figures including including had anestablishedchairin historyofart,heldbyimportantfigures to teachattheSladein earlypartofthetwentiethcentury, theschoolhas reticians, andcurators.Since thecuratorandcriticRogerFrywasappointed the newly employed (first-generation) university-trained art historians, theo- that existedbetweenarthistorybasedonanotion of connoisseurshipand techniques. Complementarystudieswereintroduced andillustratedthegulf methods andproblemsolvingratherthantraining in particularskillsand was a need for something more flexible—an education in art and design danger ofobsolescenceinarapidlychangingeconomy andsociety, andthere Existing vocationalcourseswereperceivedasnarrowly specializedandin schools acrossBritain. Design wasofferedinawell-resourcedandaccountable coreofonlyforty each servinglocalratherthannationalneeds.ThenewDiplomainArtand The NationalDiplomainDesignwasofferedbyseveralhundredartschools, of theNationalDiplomainDesign. integration oftheoryandpractice,incontrastwiththevocationalemphasis A newdegree-equivalentqualificationwasestablishedthathighlightedthe this report,theBritishartschoolsystemwasradicallyoverhauledin1963. sioned todraftareportin1960,and,basedontherecommendationsof One of my predecessors at the Slade, Sir William Coldstream, was commis- developed amoreholisticnotionofart,design,andcontemporarythought. the acquisition of skills (in the narrow sense) to an equivalent degree that from aNationalDiplomathatconcentratedontechnicalcompetenciesand pragmatic decisiontochangethedirectionandemphasisofarteducation The governmentofthedaymadeaconsciouspolitical,pedagogical,and British artschooleducationwentthroughanenormouschangeinthe1960s. positions andopportunitiestoframeartindifferentcontexts. Live inYour Head:WhenAttitudesBecomeFormin1969,openedupnew Povera, and catalogues for seminal exhibitions, such as Harald Szeeman’s such asStudioInternational,pioneeringtextsbyGermanoCelantonArte provincial galleriesandmuseumsinmycountry—wasliberating.Magazines of whatwasavailablethrougharthistorybooksinlibrariesandlimited rope—exciting, generative,andopencomparedwiththerelativeconformity a growing awareness of the new art being made in the United States and Eu- the politicalstructureoftime.Inparallelwithsocialandunrest, my owncountryofNorthernIrelandtochallengetheinequalitiespresentin

21 John Aiken 22 Undermining Orthodoxies ment. projects, and links to theater, music, dance, architecture, and the environ- embraced conceptualthinking, performance and installation, collaborative curred againstthenormsofwhatwasacceptablefor exhibition.Newwork young artistsemployedonapart-timeandvisitingbasis andabacklashoc- & George,andmanyothers.Ambitiousstudents encountered successful Martins College of Arts, which produced artists such as Richard Long, Gilbert sculpture departments,especiallyfromthenewdiploma courseatSaint ing themselves in an international milieu of contemporary art emerged from Many ofthoseartistswhoembracednewmediaand newwaysofposition- artists generatednewdefinitionsandmodelsinthe 1960sandearly1970s. since, particularly in the expanded field of sculpture, showed how innovative range oftechnicalprocesses.Evidenceintheartworldbothattimeand areas had by definition a narrow agendaand aspecificfocus on a limited generally correctly)thattheconceptofspecializeddepartmentsorsubject solved inthefreeflowofcreativeactivity. Thisnotionpresumes(probably The physicalandconceptualbarriersarounddepartmentswouldbedis- and staffincommonprojects. should notbeclassesbutrathercreativegroupingsembracingbothstudents should befittedtostudentsratherthantheotherwayaround—thatthey around structureratherthancontent.Theoccupationproposedthatcourses The situationatHornseywascomplicatedandmultilayeredbutrevolved structure ofcoursesandmethodsdelivery. created massivemediaattentionandexposedflawsinthenewlyestablished coverage ofstudentriotsinParisandcivilrightsdemonstrationsIreland, lines forastudentoccupation.Thatoccupation,incombinationwithmedia of ArtinnorthLondonmadenationaland,surprisingly, internationalhead- lems withtheSladeasaninstitution.Bycontrast,in1968HornseySchool student unrestacrossalldisciplinesratherthanbecauseofperceivedprob- of highfeesforuniversitystudents.Thisoccupationwasinsolidaritywith pied bystudentsinprotestsagainstcutseducationandtheintroduction In 2011,andforthefirsttimesince1970s,SladeSchoolwasoccu- established inthe1960sBritain. art asadistinctdisciplinewithintheuniversitysystemwasonlygenerally Tancred Borenius,RudolfWittkower, andErnstGombrich,buthistoryof the timeduringwhichthey studied. the important rolesocial and politicalagendas played in higher educationat cabinet postssimultaneously mustberareorevenunique,butdemonstrates have twoformerartstudentswhostudiedinthe late 1960s/early1970sin ture atartschoolaroundthesametimeasHornsey occupation.To Raynsford, whowasalsoaMinisterintheBlairgovernment, studiedsculp- needed wassomerealrevolutionariestoblowthem out ofthewater.” Nick the workexhibitedwas“coldmechanicalconceptual bullshitandwhatart ment andinfamouslyleaveanoteatTurner Prizeexhibitionsayingthat should goontobecometheMinisterforCultureinTony Blair’s firstgovern- works ascommoditiesforthebourgeoiselite.”Itis thereforeironicthathe Kim Howells,oneoftheleadersHornseyrevolution, denounced“art was abeliefthatanartist’s taskwastorenderservice thecommongood. and Marxisttheoryplayedaprominentpartindiscussionatthetime.There spective familieshadpreviouslystudiedatauniversitylevel.Socialagendas 1960s werefromsocialbackgroundsinwhichfew, ifany, peopleintheirre- A significantproportionofstudentswhoenteredhighereducationinthe exhibition opportunities. engage 100percentwiththeemergingcommercialmarketsandincreasing ful youngartistsbegantoremovethemselvesfromartschoolteaching these developments,orevenasaresultofthem,manythemostsuccess- an increasinglyimportantpartofdebateinartschools.Inparallelwith understanding ofhowtopositionworkwithinacriticalcontextbecame practice. A muchstronger awareness of critical theory developed, and an one worked,andbyadevelopingmarketconceptsaroundcuratorial tus additionallybeingdefinedbythegalleriesormuseumswithwhich into the1980sandfundingwascutback,thisemphasisshiftedtosta- ing artistsandlecturerswasestablishednationally. Asthe1970smoved ways ofthinkingwereindemand,andaveryeffectiveprogramvisit- ideas butalsoconferredstatusasacontemporaryartistwhoseand at whichone taught notonlyenabledadynamicopportunitytodiscuss ideas that extended beyond previously defined subject areas. The location The artschoolcreatedaneffectiveforumfordebateandexchangeofnew derdeveloped bycomparisonwithcentersintheUnitedStatesandEurope. Britain, especiallyasgalleryandmuseumopportunitieswererelativelyun- the mosteffectiveanddynamicpartsofcontemporaryartworldin The artschoolinthe1960sand1970swasoftenperceivedtobeoneof

23 John Aiken 24 Undermining Orthodoxies those weeks(ofoccupation)willnotradicallyaffectthesystem.” art schoolsthingswillbethesameagain,thatwhatwassaidandthoughtin in hisbookShouldArtbeRespectable?:“Ipersonallycannotbelievethat stream sense,andRichardWollheim wroteabouttheHornseyoccupation There wasadesiretomakeworkmatterinpersonalratherthanmain- had theidea,someoneelse managedtheproject,andateamofspecialist from furnituremanufacture tohigh-endtraditionalartisanship.Theartist rather thantotheindustrial past,fromspacetechnologytoshopfittingand processes, andfacilitiesthat werelinkedtocurrentcommercialpractice innovations, tion methodsmovedintoareasthatembracedtechnological Increasingly, artistsoutsourcedtechnicallydemandingfabrication.Produc- mercial sector. aspirations werenowunabletomirrortechnicaldevelopments inthecom- and technicalfacilities.Facilitiesthatpreviouslyhad fulfilledwishlistsand tory and theory corresponded with expansion and redefinition of the studio tablished intheearly1990sandthisexpansioninto anewfocusonhis- and subsequentlywithNormanBryson.TheMPhil/PhD wasformallyes- of artwerereestablishedattheSladein1994,firstwithMichaelNewman tween theuniversityandSladewerealsoredefined.Historytheory port wasneededinspecificbutalsoflexibleways.Therelationshipsbe- required anumberofdifferentapproachestoallaspectstheschool.Sup- The Sladebeganrestructuringinrelationtothis.Artasathinkingprocess industry—and anewgenerationofartist-fabricatorswasborn. duce heavilycraftedworksupportedbyskilledtechniciansrecruitedfrom economic tosustain.Newideasquicklybeganquestiontheneedpro- equipment thathadbeeninstalledinartschoolsbecameredundantorun- a curiousreversaltookplace:thecomprehensive,heavy, post-industrial moved forwardandnewrealitiesintermsoffundingcutsbecamethenorm, portunity forinterdisciplinarycrossoverthannewerartschools.Asthings in long-establisheduniversities,wasasituationwhichithadmoreop- The Slade,andindeedallofthoseartschoolsthatwerealreadyembedded the artschoolsystemthathascontinueduninterruptedeversince. in thewayheanticipated,butthroughaseriesofcutsandrationalizations cally, MargaretThatcher’s governmentdidfulfill Wollheim’s prediction,not in generalshouldbecomepartofapolytechnicoruniversitysystem.Ironi- with otherprominentartistsandthinkers,wasnotconvincedthatartschools 1 He, along He,along tutions dealingwithcontemporary issuesinflexibleandopenways. nevertheless begantopromote themselvesintermsofresearch-mindedinsti- research structureinplace. Theartschools,withdifferentratesofsuccess, degree-status schools,manyofferingdoctoralstudy withoutanysignificant proliferation backtoseveralhundredinstitutionsinstead ofacoreforty massive increaseinthenumberofstudentsBAand MAprograms,anda assessment exercises,teachingqualityassurance,the introductionoffees,a These includedtheBolognaAgreement,inflationof qualifications,research operated andwereresourced,assessed,academicized inthelate1990s. imagined orthodoxiescoincidedwithmajorconstraints onhowartschools Ironically, this newfreedomof action or liberation from previousrealor or concernsaboutwhethertheyweredoingtherightwrongthings. perimented withoutconstraintandmostimportantlyfearoffailure created amorerelaxed,vibrant,andnewgenerationofartistswhoex- understood theory thathad been adoptedwithalmostreligious zealotry tors. The newfound freedom from unfulfilled aspiration and often barely with emergingcurators,gallerists,andanewgenerationofyoungcollec- schools interesting again and inevitably generated an expanded engagement eration fromaparticularaspectofmarket-orientatedorthodoxymadeart ingly unobtainableortheoverwhelmingmotivationforwork.Thislib- appeared tobetheprescribednorm,particularlyasitbecameeitherincreas- ideas rather than to financial resources, and were not restricted by what Students returnedtosearchingoutparadoxicalsituationsthatrelated mercial valueofaworkbyanartistatearlystageinhisorhercareer). of theunsustainableratiocostsmanufacturetorealisticcom- group dynamicthatdoesnotlooktowardthehighlypricedartefact(interms be innovative,thinkinglaterally, beinginventive,andcreatingapersonalor Wentworth: “gettingbyandmakingdo.”Thisinvolvedlookingatwaysto ish artists aregoodat,summedupinthisparaphrasingofartistRichard tiger, anewrealitytookshapethat enabledthekindofthinkingthatBrit- students’ means.Whenstudentsstoppedchasingthetailofthisparticular large-scale colorprintedphotoworkssimplywerepricedbeyondmostart late 1980sandearly1990s,whenhigh-costproductioninmadeobjects in thiswayforarelativelyshortbutintenselyanxiousperiodoftimethe lection, orthegrowingareaofpublicart.Studentsaspiredtoproducework fabricators crafteditforitsfinaldestination—themuseum,theprivatecol-

25 John Aiken 26 Undermining Orthodoxies create it. Art is, I believe, in a healthy and interesting period of development, create it.Artis,Ibelieve,in ahealthyandinterestingperiodofdevelopment, internationally focusedthan previously, andifopportunity doesnotexist,they very strongandexciting,the areainwhichtheyoperateismorevariedand art schools,theworkbeing producedbystudentsandemergingartistsis Ironically, despitethisratherpessimisticviewofthecurrentstateBritish the developmentofsubject. dience ofgovernments,ratherthanintotheneeds andaspirationstoward homogenized intothecorporateplansofuniversities andthepoliticalexpe- generate excitinggroupsof distinctive studentsarebeingharmonizedand aspects thatenabledindividualartiststoflourishand individualcollegesto of timetables,modularity, facilities,methodologies,andfunding.Thevery Art schoolsareunderpressuretobepartofharmonized schemesinterms engage withknowledgeproduction. art schooltoforefronttheareasofactivitythatenablevisualfully continued remorselesslyandisnowseriouslyunderminingtheabilityof the meansofdeliveringeducation.Inmyopinionthisdevelopmenthas matter inmanyinstitutionsbecamedangerofbeingseenassecondaryto artist/academic/manager tothereverse:manager/academic/artist.Thesubject the priorityhierarchyofengagementlecturerinartschoolsfrom in teachinggrewexponentiallyandincreasingpressurethreatenedtoshift the strategicplansofparentuniversity. Bureaucracyforthoseinvolved sessed withintheoverarchingconceptofsubjectnationallyand and mechanisms,theneedsofanindividualdisciplinehad to beas- forcefully tofunding,therewasanincreasingacademizationofprocedures generalized andlessspecifictothesubject.Accountabilitywaslinkedmore Institutionally, however, themechanismformeasuringsuccessbecamemore artists asaresult. in thisenvironmentandasignificantnumberhavebecomeverysuccessful space andmorerelatedtoasemi-publiclaboratory. Manystudentsthrived versity community. Thestudiobecamelessaconceptofpersonal,private bigger academicpictureandprovidedaccesstoresearchinthewideruni- dures. Butitdidmeetthegrowingdesireamongstudentstobepartof how theirownpracticesasartistsrelatedtoestablishedacademicproce- ment thattheywerepreparedtocountenance,particularlywithrespect upset aspectsofwhatsomestaffsawasthelevelinstitutionalengage- Of coursethismetwithacertainamountofresistancefromwithinasit tion tothisongoingdebate. schools have,should,and canmakeaprofoundandimportantcontribu- multiple levels.Thework producedanddecisionsmadewithintheart visual formsofknowledge productionarevitallyimportanttosocietyon demic delivery within harmonized schemes. Art is a thinking processand complexity of the subject over the proceduresandmechanismsfor aca- acutely focusedandentirelyflexible.Itmustreassert theimportanceand paradoxical academycan be defined througha need to besimultaneously fifty years.Asinglemodelisnolongeracceptable or viable.However, the developments havebeentestedanddifferentsystems adoptedoverthelast major restructuringoftheartschoolsysteminBritain inthe1960s,many Who can say what the ideal environment should be? Beginning with the established criticaltheory. and questiontheacceptedmethodologiesofstudio,workshop, attitudes, whichenableandrespondtospeculativethoughtaction, the academyandprovidecriticalcontentthatunderpinsresearch-minded where words such as “thoughtful, original and deep” can be applied to school today:“determinedandunafraidtodothingsitsownway,” aplace Some ofthesestatementscouldequallybeappliedtothesuccessfulart easy sell,Bicestandsapartasverythoughtful,originalanddeep.” field whichisperhapstoooftenenamoredwithhotnewthings,trendsorthe “determined” and“unafraidtodothingsherownway.” Hestates,“Inour about right for the current climate.” Iwan Wirth goes on to describe her as has a“calm,distilled,longviewofwhatisimportantandthatshouldbejust The articleprofilingBiceCurigerquotesLarryGagosian,sayingthat than theaesthetic. pharaprase, thatforherthethinkingbehindartisalwaysmoreimportant in the1960s.Thejournalisticsoundbiteswereinteresting.Pradasaid,to profiles ofMiucciaPradaandBiceCuriger, bothofwhomwereteenagers number ofarticlesontheopening54thVenice Biennaleandincluded Journal, nich airport,uponboardingtheplaneIwasgivenacopyofWall Street On mywaytotheconferencethatistopicofthisbook,atMu- and mustresistbecomingtangentialormarginalized. growth and theartschoolsneedtoensurethattheyarecentralthisperiodof the onlyEnglish-languagenewspaperavailable.Inevitablyithada 2

27 John Aiken 28 Undermining Orthodoxies 2 1 3181141786.html. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142405270230452080457634749 Goran Mijuk,“Art’s Tranquil Voice,” Wall StreetJournal,June3,2011, Times Magazine,September8,1968,22. Richard Wollheim, “ShouldArtbeaRespectableOccupation,”Sunday 29 John Aiken 30 the foundationalglueofwebhumanrelations, As HannahArendtstated,artandculturearethe factorsthatrepresent ments ateverysinglestepofcreativeandcognitive humandevelopment. are part and parcel of basic human needs, insofar as they are crucialele- artistic andculturalactivitiesalongsideeducation. These interlinkedfields believe theyareoffundamentalimportanceforthe presentcoevolutionof research tounderstandingthelogicsofpower, history, andfreedom,forI By linking practice to art education platforms,Ihaveoften dedicated my tious” ideologicalworld. resentment ofrealityitselfthattoooftenleadshumanstofabricatea“ficti- wonder andtobegintheactivityofthinking,withoutbeingpossesseda from alivelyexperienceofexistence—anthatpermitsoneto and socialknowledgecanoccuronapracticalbasisthatprimarilyproceeds platforms aretherightplaceswherepossiblitytoputinmotionavisual and aninternationallevel.Sometimesartschoolseducationalartistic us withprinciplesandaimsthataregreatlyrespectedonbothadomestic a society that does not impose a single model, but that is able to provide to thosewhohavealwaysbelievedinanon-oppressivesociety. Thismeans as welltoreinforcethosesocialvaluesandhumanisticnotionssodear ing andcreatingprocess—mighthelpustoreconstructourownidentities, tool, itisourdutytostartconsideringmoreseriouslyhowart—asathink- In an era in which even “fictivization”has become apragmatic financial Regeneration ploring theideasandpossibilities ofapracticenotbasedon“exhibitionsor production mechanismslinked tothesespheres.Thismaybedonebyex- titioner, andnotanacademicone—mycoreinterestisin building cultural spheres areapublicsocialissue , andthatisalsowhy—as- aculturalprac through memory, areabletoendowdignityandhonorpubliclife.These 1 which,particularly the chancetodeployanddevelopartisticformatsfrom scratch. about changeisbecomingcruciallyrelevant,especially nowthatwehave to sensitize ourselvesand of how to act (and not to react) in order to bring here topromoteaviolentassaultonbanks.Therefore,thequestionofhow expressing itisnolongerenough,andprobablynotthebestapproach must beconsideredapoliticalstatement:callforregeneration.Thatsaid, may stillsaythatacallforthereconfigurationandreformationofsociety in Europe.Butalthoughweacknowledgethedangerofthisrhetoric, der siegeandareentrappedintheongoingdebatearoundsurvival,atleast educational platformsthatareparticular, potential,andmarginalareun- is undergoingaperiodofgreatduress.Callsforthelegitimizationartistic or for“artisticlegitimization”withinabroadersociopoliticalhorizonthat of beingmisperceivedbythegeneralpublicasamere“callforrecognition” context), andthecoredemandfora“collectivecalltojustice”runsrisk sometimes makingitcomeacrossastoorhetorical,especiallyinthearts concerns hasbecomeasortof“permanentwakeupcall”(itsrepetitiveness described invariousquarters.Thestateofemergencydeclaredthroughthese The specificconditionofthecurrentworldwidesocioculturalcrisishasbeen art andculturethatarelinkedtospecificcontingenciesissues. tance intheprocessofmakingandimaginingcontemporaryvisualforms the canonicalframeofcontemporaryarthasalwaysbeencrucialimpor from differentfieldstoaddressquestionsthatmightnotbedirectlylinked Linking andbringingtogetherartists,intellectuals,professionalfigures primarily as collaborative processes of knowledge creation and sharing. ing” (to relate to Mary Jane Jacob’s contribution to this book)areperceived of socioculturalandpoliticalstudies,inwhich“doing,learning,build- event-making,” butratheraresearch-basedapproachcarriedoutinthefield M Ambrožič ara -

31 32 Regeneration of dailyliving,bothlocallyandinternationally. suggests, hastocomeviathereformationandtransformationofpolitics The metamorphosisofoursociety, astheFrenchphilosopherEdgarMorin the present, lay at the heart of the “Art Enclosures” project, which between between which the present,layatheart ofthe“ArtEnclosures”project, may contributetothedevelopment ofadialogueaimedatthedescription ing the “knowing and doing” elements, in which each of the parties involved which varioussubjectscome togethertocollaboratewiththeaimoforganiz- Hence, thinkingofaresidencemodelasifitwerecreative trainingmodel,in capital, status,visibility, andreputation. ances thatendangertheveryconceptofhumanityin theconstantquestfor for profitablereflections,analyzingdifferences, and rethinkingtheimbal- ter howpositivechangemaybebroughtabout,thatopensup space impossible, throughout the project theattempt was made to understand bet- ment ingreatdetailastheprogramunfolded.Without aimingtoachievethe parties toanalyze,measure,andevaluateeach every experimentalele- designed asasmall-scaleprototype,“pilotproject,”toallowthevarious sity. Themodeldevelopedwasaresidenceformatforinternationalartists, Bevilacqua LaMasaandtheFacultyofArtsDesignIuavUniver along withthesupportofnumerousinstitutions,includingFondazione force behindafour-year projectthatIsetupwiththe Fondazione diVenezia diation ofartandthecirculationideasthatitgenerates,wasdriving sentation ofworks—onrelationshipswiththeurbancontext,onme- Placing aconcreteemphasis—ratherthanonthemereproductionandpre- production/creation isandwhobenefitsfromit. at thesametimetryingtodeployacriticalreflectiononwhatknowledge an approachthathasshiftedfromtheorytopracticeandviceversa,while these aresomeoftheissuesthatIhavetriedtoaddressoverrecentyears,in As partofmy everyday commitment to thesocioculturalcontextofVenice, other, isafterallthekeymalaiseaffectingoursociety. thy, andcompassion,translatedintoadegenerativeindifferencetowardeach increasing phenomenonofloneliness.Thegenerallackempathy, sympa between individuals,tothedegenerationofideasolidarity, andtothe domination of the quantitative over the qualitative, to mindless competition crisis, tothehyper-bureaucratization ofpublicandprivatestructures,tothe rights. And it is right to believein a workablecounterpartto the financial hope for thepublic health service,consideredone of thefundamentalhuman 2 Ithastocomethroughnew - - sion, racism, business interests at all costs, the isolationand “invisibility” of such asimmigration,theexploitation ofnon-Europeancitizens,socialexclu- several ofthepressingissues directlyconnectedtothelocalVenetian context, surroundings through the harsh gaze of the artists, we managed to address Slowly, overthecourseofproject,thankstothisopportunityobserve widespread amnesiawithregardtocivilandhuman rights. only by the stereotypes broadly promoted in the mass media, but also bya less detailstendtoslipunnoticedpastthecommon gaze,influencednot capable ofinventingandactivatingnewvisionsa realityofwhichcount- text ofthe“catalyzingfigures”(artists,poets,musicians, andprofessors) trans-disciplinary approach—theattemptismadeto setupaspecificcon- of thoseartisticplatformsexperimentaltraining, in which—througha given itsstructureandarticulation,setouttomakeasmall-scaleadaptation the topicsandneedsthatarosefrommaterialexamined.Theprogram, cal, scientific,andartisticdisciplines;variouscraftsmen)withregardto gration centers;refugees;charityorganizations;expertsofvarioushistori- arts institutions of every kind; local artists; students and intellectuals; immi- the SchoolofGraphicArt;Venice CityCounciland other publicbodies; range of different peopleand associations(highschools;IuavUniversity; This calledforgrassroots-levelworkonface-to-faceinteractionswitha to focusevermoreonthelocalsphereanditsownconflictspotential. time, themaincoreofproject—fromsecondeditiononward—began artist (throughworkshops,meetings,publicdebates,etc.)whileatthesame fined onthebasisofpreoccupationsandpoeticleaningseachindividual Zambia (Victor Mutelekesha).Alongtheway, aseriesofactivitieswerede- Mutasa), Nigeria (Victoria Samuel Udondian), Kenya (Samuel Ghitui), and Tamlyn Young), Angola(KiluanjiKiaHenda), Zimbabwe(Mambakwedza rist FabianChicawe),theRepublicofSouthAfrica(JabulaniMasekoand seven Africancountries,each with theirownparticularities:Tanzania (Eva- Europe—developed aroundthecontributionsofeightpromisingartistsfrom The program—one-of-a-kindinItaly, andindeedoneamongveryfewin artists fromoneoftherichestandmostexcitingpartsworld:Africa. di Venezia, aswellofthecityVenice asawhole,butaboveall,ofthe lationships werebuiltthatalsopromotedthedevelopmentofFondazione promoters of the localcommunityinvolved. Over those fouryears, strong re- interests: politics,theurbancontext,arts,andoperators/organizers/ 2008 and 2011 managed to link up a great variety of subjects with different

33 Mara Ambrožič 34 Regeneration concerns theirownartistic practicesandwithregardtothelocalcontext. of eachthecandidates selectedtobringaboutmicro-changesbothas case basiswithgreatcare, andwithaneyetopickinguponthepotential thus evaluatedthedocumentation foreachindividualartistonacase-by- tion, theselectionpanel(whichunderwentchanges amongitsmembers) brief projectproposal,accompaniedbyanartist’s statement.Foreachedi- the localVenetian context,whichtheyeachhadtooutlineintheformofa cal studyofeachtheirportfolios,andpotential forinteractionwith The selectionoftheartiststookplaceonbasis theircurricula,acriti- context wouldnothavebeenavailable. to theirexperimentationwithexpressivemeans,which intheirownnational and material context that offered support to their poetic development and sures publication (thirty-five projectscompletedintotal,allthenpresentedtheArtEnclo- this goes for all of them—had the chance to produce a number of works open tothegeneralpublic.Duringresidenceperiod,artists—and process thatcouldbestbesummedupintheexhibitionsandencounters with theythemselvesputtingforwardpotentialsolutionsthroughacreative ideas thattheywerecallingfor:thesenseofinternalrenewalandchallenges, approach, one which was then able to give full support to the proposals and and theirideas,whoopenedthewaytowardamorecommittedcuratorial languages; andsoon.Itwastheartiststhemselves,withtheirapproaches on theyoungergenerationstoadventoftrans-medialandinteractive contemporary Africanculture;fromtheimpactof“liberalshocktherapy” the spread of information otherwise difficult to come across with regard to for immigrants;fromthequestioningoflastsixtyyearshistoryto the wandering from one publicstructureto another insearchofassistance less bureaucraticproceduresneededinordertoobtainaresidencepermit the GDPofdevelopednationsthathave“access”tothem;fromend- staggering mismatchbetweenthequantityofrawmaterialsinAfricaand guide thepublic’s attentiontowardkeycircumstancesandtopics:fromthe and thelastatCasadeiTre OcionGiudeccaIsland)weredesigned to the firstthreeheldinvenuesofFondazioneBevilacquaLaMasa, was alsoforthisreasonthattheend-of-residenceexhibitions(fourintotal, of that“knowledge”wasbeingcreatedthroughartisticintervention.It tried to make a “good impact” on the local context, and to foster the spread tion andhowitisspokenaboutinWestern cultures.Theprojectcontinually immigrants, thetouristflow, thehumancondition,history, andrepresenta- 3 ), to find themselves in an intellectual, methodological, verge of dire poverty on a cultural, social, and a political level. verge ofdirepovertyona cultural,social,andapolitical only be achieved through the practice of self-discipline before a world on the theoretical level,oronthebasisofabureaucratic plan, butratheritmay the microandplanetarylevels,becauseitcannot justtakeplaceona to startplanningourregenerationlittlebylittle,on adailybasis,bothon we still tend toperceiveasfarremovedfromour way of thinking. We have Western world—thatareclosetousandfundamentallyimportant,yetthat especially thoseoverlookedbyeducationalcurricula revolvingaroundthe face arealchallenge:directconfrontationwithhistories andcultures— disciplinary skills,seekingtheappropriatemeansand toolswithwhichto at welcomingandabsorbingculturaldiversity, deployingourowntrans- aimed exclusivelyatself-defense,self-justification,and/orrejection,butalso multicultural, of generational change, of triggeringlearningprocesses not Thus, regeneratingmaymeantheacceptanceofbecomingsophisticatedly came totheforeduringthisprocess. who inturnwereenrichedbythenewperspectives,visions,andideasthat take partandmakeanactivecontributiontothecreationofprojects, scholars, artists,andstudentsfromIuavUniversity, whowereinvitedto pants, whooftenworkedalongsideprofessionalsfromotherdisciplines— and this may also be seen in the artistic operations carried out by the partici- was oneofthemainaimssetforprojectduringcreationprocess, Training, orratherretraining,inaformofsophisticatedmulticulturalism social groups.” and authorityalsotoformsofresistancethepowerdominant racism relatestothepossessionandexerciseofpolitico-economiccontrol either indigenousormigrant—andfailstorecognizethattheexistenceof zel Carby: “excludes the concept of dominant and subordinate cultures— do withitspostmodernparadigm,which—inthecontentiouswordsofHa- in multiculturalismthatwasputtothetest,onehaslittleornothing each individual. We might say that over the years, it was a form of training solidarity and mutual understanding of the cultural differences intrinsic to involving andstrengtheningbondsbetweenpeople,creatingasenseof the courseoffouryearsextendedtovariouslayersandlevelssociety, to the type of support and the methodological approach developed over Undoubtedly, thevalueofartisticprojectsthatcametolightthanks 4

35 Mara Ambrožič 36 Regeneration have comeoutof“experimental artisticplatformsandtrans-disciplinaryart should occur. Therearegenerationsofpeoplewhooverthe pasttenyears as fieldswherethearticulation ofacleardefense“earthanditscitizens” all overtheworld)arequestioning theroleofcontemporaryartandculture sence ofacuratorialstatement,puttingtheissuebefore governmentsfrom the Earth’s atmosphereintheUNESCOWorld HeritageList:thequintes- hibitions likedOCUMENTA(13) (andthe We have nowevenreachedthestagewhereinrelevantartisticprojects/ex- standing upfor. the hopeforchangeisnotjustadesire,butaboveall arightthatitisworth cultural divisions,butratheroneprojectedtoward adimensioninwhich horizon, onenotboundupincanonicalhistorical, geopolitical, andsocio- see and know; instead, this attitude must make way for a new experimental indication of the material force of ideology that makes us refuse what we Slavoj Žižekremindsus,isknownasafetishistsplit. “‘I knowverywell,but…’[Idon’t reallybelieveit]”inpsychoanalysis,as forms ofvisualknowledge,thenitisaswelltorememberthattheattitude there isapurposetotheartisticprocessthatleadsgenerationofnew do notknowwhototurninorderseetheirdreamstakenseriously. If past andarewillingtoworkimprovethefuture,butwhoalltoooften answers tothecurrentsituation,sincetheycanseemistakesmadein the newgenerationswhoaretryingtomaketheirvoicesheard;provide a regeneratingdimension,oneaccompanyingthedemandsofmembers onstrating thatthingsmayalsorunadifferentcourse,theyenter to theinjectionofnewenergy(andthusalsopeople)capabledem- find andgeneratecertainequilibria­ potential to impactsociocultural mechanisms,whichmakeitpossibleto right from the outset—those that might otherwisehavethestrengthand it isthesmallestandmostoriginalprojectsthatgetinterruptedorblocked odology, andthemeans.Without these,weknowfromexperiencethatoften cultural policyisbased:thecontextforopencriticaldiscussion,meth- must undoubtedlyprovidethethreekeypremisesonwhichanyhealthy mats toadopt,whichmustnotandcannotbethesameforall,but more thanever, toquestioneducational modelsandtheexperimentalfor the perspectivesofthosewhowillsucceedus.Thusitisonlyright,today tools and the means to imagine, respond to, reform, and structurally refine first make sure that art and the art community have the “facilities,” the If westillwanttobelievethatartisaknowledgecreationprocess,must —to inventnewsolutions,thanksalso Public Smog Petition to include 5 Suchasplitisclear - 6 5 4 See 3 2 even tosay, inCornelWest’s words: the roleandfunctionofsolidarityself-disciplineonadailybasis.Or, (our) voiceswillnotbeheard.Maybeatleastitistimetostartquestioning tion inthisbook,wemightcalla“culturaloccupation”field,wheretheir get absorbedinthemarginsofwhat,topharapraseHitoSteyerl’s contribu- posium, timeandagain.Maybeit’s timetolistenthembeforethey page afterpage,e-fluxe-flux,videovideo,conferencesym- programs” addressingsimple,fundamentalissuessuchastherighttoexist, anh Arendt, Hannah 1 can onlycomeafterpropereducation. that regeneration and emancipation, aswe might have learnedatschool, And whileworkingandwillingtomakeitbetter, weshallallkeepinmind

lacan.com/zizraphael.htm. See SlavojŽižek,“HowtoReadLacan,”Lacandotcom , http://www. Hazel Carby, “Multi-culture,”Screen,no.34(Spring1980):64–65. Marsilio Editore,2012). Fayard, 2011),24–34. See EdgarMorinandStéphaneHessel,Lechemindel’espérance (Paris: Press, 1958),181–188. al. (Cambridge,MA:MIT Press,1990),36. Marginalization andContemporaryCultures,ed.RussellFergusonet Cornel West, “TheNewCulturalPoliticsofDifference,”inOutThere: ward thefutureandlooktomakeitdifferentbetter. the presentandseepeopleperishing,notprofitsmounting;welookto- of the present. We look to the past for strength, not solace; we look at possibility andpotential,especiallyforthosewhobearthesocialcosts present, wepromote a prospective and prophetic vision withasenseof retrospective andconservativeoutlooksthatdefendthecrisis-ridden for freedomanddignity. AndwhiletheFirstWorld intelligentsiaadopts terrains […].We havenowreachedanewstageintheperennial struggle by refusetolimittheirvisions,analyses,andpraxisparticular difference tocasttheirnetswidely, flextheirmusclesbroadly, andthere- The timehascomeforcriticsandartistsofthenewculturalpolitics Art Enclosures: Residencies for International Artists in Venice (Venice: (Chicago: University of Chicago The HumanCondition(Chicago:UniversityofChicago 6

37 Mara Ambrožič 38 left out.Today, aprogramlikeACTisnot includedinsuchacampus-wide energy initiativesteeredby therecentenergycrisis,ofcourseartswere technological progress. It is interesting to note that when MIT started an environmental challenges and socialinteractions,beyondtheideaofmere and studentswerereflectingonhowtechnologysupports societiesintheir moment atMIT. ThisrelatestotheeraafterWorld War IIwhenMITfaculty what acolleagueofmine,ArindamDutta,refersto asthe“techno-social” by Kepes,titledVisual Design andVisual Studies—couldbeunderstoodas Artistic researchatMIT—ormorespecificallyreferring tothefieldtaught today, inaverychangedgeopoliticallandscape? artistic practiceandinnovativepedagogy. Butwhatdoesthislegacymean ACT program,drawonmorethanfortyyears’history ofresearch-based these ideas and pedagogy at MIT, and therefore CAVS and its successor, the as ProfessorforDesigntheNewBauhaus.Kepescontinuedtoexpand laborator of Moholy-Nagy, who in his position as director appointed Kepes War II.GyörgyKepes,aHungarianartist,wascompatriotaswellcol- what hadbeenstartedbytheBauhausmovementinGermanybeforeWorld tive schoolswithLázlóMoholy-Nagyasfoundingdirectorthatcontinued of theNew Bauhaus andthe Institute ofDesigninChicago—twoconsecu- (ITT), beforecomingtoMITin1946.TheCAVS isoneofthedescendents initial facultyoftheNewBauhausandIllinoisInstituteTechnology Culture, andTechnology (ACT)wasfoundedbyGyörgyKepes,whothe The Center forAdvancedVisual Studies(CAVS) of the MIT Program inArt, at MIT’s Program inArt, Re_ACT: Research- Culture, andTechnology Based Artistic Practice

later joinedbyGüntherUecker. FormedinGermanyafterWorld War II, founding memberoftheZEROmovementalongwith artistHeinzMack, director ofthecenter, directingitforthenexttwentyyears.OttoPieneisa of CAVS in1974,oneofhisfirstfellows,OttoPiene,becamethesecond operates semi-independently. AfterKepesretiredasprofessoranddirector Architecture andPlanning.ThismeansthatACTisahybridstructure fellows andaffiliates,wereportdirectlytotheDeanofMIT’s Schoolof the Department of Architecture at MIT. With our research center that hosts the CAVS, is,withitsacademicprogram,oneofthefive-disciplinegroups ACT, foundedin2009asamergeroftheVisual ArtsProgramatMITand on thisglobe. civic society, notjustleavingituptootherfieldsaddresspressingissues of CAVS, insistedthatartistsshouldtakeonaleadingvoiceinnegotiating the challengesofourtimes.KepesalongwithWodiczko, therecentdirector that engageswitheverydaylifeandgeneratesartisticproposalsreactto the MITcampus.Kepescalledfor“artincivicscale,”anartisticpractice in whattakesplacetheworld,butalsointerveninghappenson Interrogative Design.Forhimthisisaformofartisticintervention,notonly critical inquiry, focusingonwhattheartistKrzysztofWodiczko definesas Our self-imposedmandatefavorsfreeandexperimentalresearchaswell investigate whatisgoingoninotherdisciplinesandschoolsatMIT. research withtheclaimthatartsgenerateknowledgeaswell,butalso it isinterestingthatwhenweusetheterm“research”atACT, weindeed new technologiestoprotectnatureandtheenvironmentisoverlooked.So ute inthisrespect.ThatfortyyearsagoKepeshadalreadyproposedusing debate, anditisnotconsideredthattheartsmighthaveanythingtocontrib- U te Meta Bauer

39 40 Re_ACT approaches fulloflightand movementafterthetrulydarkyearscaused ness ofapost-World War IIperiodthatgeneratednewandexcitingartistic Gutai GroupattheModerna MuseetinStockholm,arepickinguptheopen- reenactments ofearlyperformance projectsbyPieneandmembersofthe “Force Fields:FacesoftheKinetic”),majorretrospectives ofZERO,and temporary institutions,includingtheMACBAinSpain (withtheexhibition presented inmuseumsfeltalmostacliché.Overrecent years,majorcon- aged metofindoutmoreabouttheseartists,asthe wayIsawtheirworks MIT onaregularbasis,mademerevisitthework ofZEROandencour a younger generation. To meet OttoPiene in Cambridge, as he still attends little ofthiscutting-edgecollaborativeworkattheCAVS todayisknownby Compared withtheprominenceofworkby ZERO movement,very experiment, whichwascertainlyquitecontroversial. at homemusthavewonderedagreatdealaboutthisearlyinteractiveTV ent inflatablesinWDR’s electronicstudio.Audiencesin theirlivingrooms the audiencemovedbetweenkineticsculptureandhelium-filledtranspar sination withexperimentalfilmandslideprojectionsbytheartists,while from thefuneralofMartinLutherKingandRobertKennedyassas- artist project ever aired on TV, and was pretty radical, combining footage in Cologne.Accordingtotheartists,“BlackGateCologne”wasfirst broadcast onaGermantelevisionstation,Westdeutscher Rundfunk(WDR) duced “BlackGateCologne,”thefirstcommissionedartprogramtobe CAVS, AldoTambellini, anAmerican-born artist withItalianroots,copro- as anartistandthinker. In1968,heandhisfriendlaterco-fellowat the arts,engineering,andscience.Today Pienecontinuestobehighlyactive of experimentationandconversation,whichfosterednewdevelopmentsin often involvedlarge-scaleoutdoorprojectsandmulti-daycollectiveevents he declared“SkyArt.”ThevariousArt”happenings,leadbyPiene, ued toworkonthenotionoflightandenergy, undertheumbrellaofwhat on artisticandinterdisciplinarycollaboration.Pienefurthermorecontin- and scientists to address relevant concerns of the time with a strong focus professor atMIT, andcontinued tocollaboratewithengineers,physicists, Piene, likeKepes,alsoengagedinenvironmentalissueswhenhebecamea laborate withotherartistssuchasLucioFontanaandYves Klein. national avant-gardemovementasthegroupspreadacrossEuropetocol- one-night exhibitionsshowcasingtheirpeersandthatevolvedintoaninter ZERO developed out ofa Düsseldorf studio wherethe artists would stage - - - Gregos addressedthistopic throughherexhibition“SpeechMatters”atthe fourth editionoftheVenice Biennale in2011theGreekcuratorKaterina gather anddemonstratein publicspaces.Iamgladthatduringthefifty- have experiencedwhathappened tothefreedomofspeechandright geopolitical constellation.Inthelastdecade,afterSeptember 11,2001,we 1974 asapointofdeparture,whileengagingin continuouslychanging from taking thereflectionsandwritingsofFrenchsociologist HenriLefebvre lum. Forexample,onecourseweofferaddressesthe “ProductionofSpace,” uate inart,architecture,orurbanism,weaimtodothis throughourcurricu- At ACT, whereabouthalfofourapproximately300mastersstudentsgrad- contribution toknowledgeproductionbyouruniversities. within theacademyanduniversityrecognizedas avaluableandcritical practice “outthere”intheworldshouldbesyncwithwhatistaught with hispedagogyintheclassroom.Thiskindoffluiditybetweenartistic munication andtransformationconnectinghispoliticalpracticeasanartist through alternativenotionsofdesign.Heappliesdesignasadevicecom- ciplines, dealtwithconflictandtrauma,addressingthesesensitivetopics accessible toboth graduate and undergraduate students from all MIT dis- Department ofArchitecture.HisInterrogativeDesignWorkshop, acourse terrogative DesignGroup(IDG)”atMITCAVS, whileteachinginMIT’s sual ArtsatMIT, initiatedanddirected,formorethanadecade,the“In- For example,CAVS directorKrzysztofWodiczko, ProfessorEmeritusofVi- At ACTourattemptistoincludefaculty-ledresearchintothecurriculum. of anartist’s involvementinamovementoranartscene oftheirtime. the complexityofartists’bodieswork,orfailtorepresentdimension produced inarthistoryandinterveneifinstitutionscollectionscutshort and academicsshouldtakeavoiceengagewithwhatiscollected and culturalproducers.Itisfinetoquestionreflectonmuseumpractices aspects ofartisticpracticeintothearchiveforfuturegenerationsartists of thereasonswhyweaseducatorsareaskedtoreinscribetheseimportant eral aspectsof a workor its political references are marginalized. This isone tates—focus onthe“classical”partofanoeuvreandpresenceephem- body ofwork.Atcertaintimesmuseums—oftenhandinwithartistes- similar experienceinthe1990swhenIrevisitedJosephBeuys’s activitiesand within myownpracticeasaneducatorandcurator, iscriticaltome.Ihada linked tothiscrucialmomentinhistory, toreviewthisperiodandreflect by theNationalSocialistsandWorld War II.To revitalizesuchwork

41 Ute Meta Bauer 42 Re_ACT To understand thischallengingtopographythroughtheir“eyes” isverydif- to generateadifferentspatial representationproducedbytheyouthonsite. these Palestinianchildren create theirownmapsofwheretheyliveinorder family and friends, their daily lives, etc. NitinSawhney also suggestedthat so differentfromwhatisinthemindsofyoungpeople aroundtheglobe: The resultsareshortfilmsontopicstheychoose, whichareactuallynot in ordertodisseminatetheirviewsandexpress what isontheirminds. audio-visual material.Thissupportsthemindeveloping theirownvoices, equipment toreceivetraininginrecording,editing,and storytellingthrough young peoplelivingtherewhomightnototherwise haveaccesstomedia Palestinian youthintellingstoriesthroughshortfilms. Hisinitiativeallows Palestine, includingGazaandtheWest Bank,inordertocollaboratewith which engageswithdisenfranchisedyouthinthe occupied territoriesin research fellow and lecturer, founded the NGO “Voices Beyond Walls,” Nitin Sawhney, analumnusoftheMITMediaLabandACTpost-doctoral disciplines. which isaprocessthatnotdifferentfromtheworkingmethodsofother ence andinformationwecollectfromaspecificsite,particularlocality, the classroom,toengageandreflectuponbutalsotheorizeexperi- director OsvaldoSánchez.Thesearethekindsofprojectsthatwebringto of twoyearsandcommissionedforthistransnationalbiennalbyitsartistic and SanDiego,itwasanarchiveinthemakingresearchedovercourse Fine ArtsVienna, whoisElkeZobl.LocatedattheborderbetweenTijuana which I developedalongwith one of my PhD students fromthe Academy of began mytenureatMITin2005,withthe“Mobile_Transborder Archive,” had testedthroughthebiennale“InSite05,”inwhichIwasinvolvedwhen as “ZonesofEmergency.” SuchintertwinementoftheoryandpracticeI lab—we cangroupprojectsthematicallyundercoursetopicsweoffer, such Under aproposedumbrellaforoff-campuswork—kindofmobileACT what ishappeningintheworld. deeper attentiontotopics,using“academictime”investigateandreflect material fromworking“outthere”intotheuniversity, allowingustopay section ofArt,Culture,andTechnology, weimplementour“findings,” perspective onwhatistaughtatauniversitylikeMIT. Teaching attheinter But toreturnACT: throughtheartswebringanotherperceptionand in reactiontothethreatfreedomofspeechthatoccursaroundglobe. Danish Pavilion,whereshepresentedworksbyartistsfrommanycountries - tural engagement.Through her multi-yearengagement intheFEMATrailer open upnewareasoftransdisciplinary studiesundertheumbrellaofcul- could changepolicies,create strongsupportwithinouruniversities,and Literature atHarvardUniversity, andtogetherwehadthe naïvebeliefwe Doris Sommer, aculturalactivistandprofessorofRomanceLanguages also intouchwiththe“CultureAgents”initiative, directedbyProfessor in joiningforceswithchemistry, law, andotherprogramsatMIT. We were tions addressing the environment, as pointed out earlier. Lee’s interest was done deal,especiallygiventhehistoryofCAVS anditsengagementinques- of art.We thoughtthatexpandingthecompetenceofartsatMITwasa at aplacelikeMITwewouldbeconfrontedwithsuch anarrowdefinition and accuracyinitsinvestigation.Itwassurprising toLeeandmyselfthat field-activism ledbyanartistatfirstcreatedsome doubtsaboutmethod as agovernmentagency. Thatsucharesearch-relatedcourseisindeedabout this wasengagementinenvironmentaljusticeanddirectlyaddressedFEMA beginning was that this topic was beyond a conventional notion of art, that and Transdisciplinary Research.”Someoftheresistancewefacedat various disciplinesinanewlyestablishedcoursetenitled“ArtisticPractice problems ofthetrailersonMITcampus,andtoincludestudentsfrom one ofthe145,000FEMAtrailerson-siteatMIT, toresearchthevarious ing thisasaprojectoftheVisual ArtsProgramatMIT, wewantedtoget who losttheirhomesin2005duetohurricanesKatrinaandRita.Start- provided undertimeconstraintsbyFEMAforthepeopleofNewOrleans The FEMATrailer Projectaddressedtheformaldehyde-pollutedtrailers commissioned by the US Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). investigating environmentalandhealthissuescausedbytrailersthatwere ACT fellowandalumnaofourprogram,JaeRhimLee,initiatedresearch the projecthadbeendisplayedinagalleryspace. more thoughtprovokingforthefacultyandstudentsatourschoolthanif four months. To pass this installation each time oneentered the library was invested inthisinitiativethattheyhostedexhibitionoverthecourseof visited ArchitectureandVisual ArtsLibraryatMIT. Ourlibrarianswereso Gaza” asanexhibitionthroughouttheRotchVisual Library, thehighly from atop-downdistributionofinformation.Nitininstalled“Re-imagining tempt istoprovidespaceforanexperiencefromthebottomup,ratherthan official statisticsprovidedbytheUnitedNations,forexample.Nitin’s at- through theOsloAccords(signedin1993),mappingterritory ferent from how we might depictPalestineas covered by the news media or

43 Ute Meta Bauer 44 Re_ACT way, connectingtheorywithpracticeandviceversa. One cannotdevelop bine itwithpotentialapplications, someoftheminaverydown-to-earth When wetalkabouttheory andpracticeofcontemporaryartwetrytocom- requires awiderandlonger theoreticalreflectionthanaone-termcourse. of people.“ZonesEmergency”issuchacomplex fieldofstudythatit ters, enablingresearchoverseveralyearswiththeinput ofadiversegroup and to integrate thoseprojectsintoa number ofoverarchingresearchclus- goal istodeepenourknowledgeofwhatwedothrough projectsoutside, from thisperiodhavebecomepartofthecurrent ACTcurriculum.Our been doneduringthelastfourdecadesandreviews ofworksandprojects With ACT, wedonotstartfromscratch,butratherbuild uponwhathas agenda andmissionattheMITPrograminArt,Culture, andTechnology. at theCAVS andinthe Visual ArtsProgramareallcriticaltoourcurrent to takeontheresponsibilityofwhatwasstartedbypreviousgenerations To lookintoourownarchive,toreflectthehistoryofprogram,andalso Capital Grant. Fellow, hasbeenfeaturedonCNN,andissupportedbyamulti-yearCreative come avaluablevoiceonthismatter, wasnominateda2011GlobalTED toxins, LeewasledtoinvestigateUSpolicyinthisfieldaswell.Shehasbe- of formaldehyde, addressing various problematics caused by environmental interesting challengeforartists.Working foroversevenyearsontheeffects the publiceyeandtojoinforceswiththoseaffected,claimagency, isan ers andpolicy-makersoftendonothave.To exposesuchhiddenmattersto arts havesymboliccapital,andaccesstomediavisibilitythatwork- come backtoFrenchsociologist,PierreBourdieu,whopointedoutthatthe If youaskyourselfwhyanartistisengagingwithsuchatopic,onehasto business—because ofthesensitivenaturetopicforthislargeindustry. Burial Councilshefaced,yetagain,resistance—thistimefromthefuneral fairs and hosting a workshop at MIT along with the Massachusetts Green When sheinitiallystartedtointeractwiththefuneralindustry, visitingits including formaldehyde,eventuallycontaminatinggroundwaterandair. even whendeceased.Thecorpsesburiedorcrematedreleasetoxins embalmers, whopreservedead bodies in order to help them look “good,” aldehyde, asexposuretoformaldehydeincreasestheriskofcancerfor research shediscoveredthatthefuneralindustryisalsoaffectedbyform- years shehasestablishedtheInfiniteBurialProject,andaspartofthatnew formaldehyde ontheenvironmentaswellhumans.Overpastfew Project, Lee continuedanin-depth exploration of the effectsandimpactof veloping anawarenessof what technologydeterminesasourfuture. across disciplinestoaddress thecomplexchallengeswefacetodayandde- This isoneexampleofwhatACThasbeentryingto workat:joiningforces ent audiencethanpolicy-makersorscholarsininternational studies. at ourprogramseries,hewasgratefulforthevisibility ofthissitetoadiffer who initiatedthe“HumanCostofWar inIraq,”togiveapubliclecture region anditscivilpopulation.WhenIinvitedCIS directorJohnTirman, ing oftheconditionsandimpactthislong-lastingconflict imposesuponthe of thewarinIraqbyprovidingaplatformformore complexunderstand- ates forcivilsocietyinIraq.With thissitetheCISmadevisiblecivicside population and neglecting to discuss the devastating situation the war cre- overlooking the causalities and dangers the war brings upon Iraq’s civilian Iraq, which focus on collecting the number of casualties ofUS soldiers while reports andmilitaryrecords,theone-sideddatacollectionofcasualtiesin dressing the“HumanCostofWar inIraq”tocountertheusualmedia on dynamicdiasporas.Afewyearsago,theCISdevelopedaWeb sitead- side partners,discussingtheinstrumentalizationofothernessandreflecting Studies (CIS)atMITinashared“think-tank”formatalongwithsomeout- Emergency,” ACTcurrentlycollaborateswiththeCenterforInternational proximity toverydifferentfieldsofstudyandinvestigation?For“Zones ing withotherdisciplinesandMITcenters,orofbeingsituatedin than thatofanartacademy. ButwhatisthepotentialofACTcollaborat- being situatedinaresearchuniversityofsuchscope,verydifferentcontext in atrianglebetweenart,culture,andtechnology, hastouseitspotentialof is andhowknowledgedistributed.ACT, asahybridprogramoperating kind of“interrogation,”acriticalreflectionwhatknowledgeproduction society thatismostaffectedbytheresults.Artisticinquirycanserveasa ous detachmentofsocietyfromwhatisresearched,althoughitusually anymore, asthereisnoentitlement.Thiscreatesaproblematicanddanger think, “We havetoleavethisareatheexperts,”andtheydonotengage ic communicationiscalled“expertspeak.”Thisleadsageneralpublicto Most ofthetimeuniversitylabsoperateinspecializedareas,andacadem- embedded inpracticeitself. theory without“real-life”experience;sustainablepracticerequiresfeedback a sustainablepracticewithouttheoreticalreflection,norcanonereinforce - -

45 Ute Meta Bauer 46 schools mighthavesomething toteachthem. how theythinkabouteducating theirstudents.Perhapsthepracticesofart want thesamejob.”These institutionsknowthatsomethingismissingin admit them, but by the time they leave us they appear all the same and they dean bravelyputit:“Allthestudentsweacceptare interestingwhenwe discuss thehomogenizationofdifferenceintheirown institutionsor, asone CEO ofErnst&Young. Ilearnedthatthesebusinessleaderswantedto INSEAD, andtheSkolkovoManagementSchoolin Moscow, allledbythe the deansofLondonSchoolEconomics,Harvard BusinessSchool, At Davos, Iwas in public conversations about leadership and creativitywith tions.” ness contextstodescribeallexperienceandinformation relatedto“emo- with othersuchpracticesas“softskills”—atermusedinprofessionalbusi- consider it sessions representedthefirsttimeForumtookartseriouslyenoughto art-making, andtheplaceofartintransformingsociety. Theseweek-long artists, curators,andarthistorians,engagedinconversationsaboutart, workshops “Taking the Stage.” The participants also attended lectures by University toengageintheaterandvoicetrainingforaweek.We calledthe who werebeinggroomedforleadershipbytheForum,cametoColumbia again in2011.Sixtyyoung,talentedindividualsfromallovertheworld, for the World Leadership Fellows at Columbia University in 2010 and then schools. ItcameasaresultofsessionsIhadworkedtoorganizewithothers of corporateleaders,headsstate,anddeansbusinesseconomics are not usually invitedto this veryhigh-powered,often-protestedforum vos, Switzerland. Thisinvitation was a bit unnerving, since art schooldeans In January 2011, I was asked to speak at the World Economic Forum in Da- Microutopias and

Pedagogies for the core to the education of their fellows and did not marginalize it Twenty-First Century

4.  3.  2.  1.  Nine Assumptions AboutEducating Artists They alsoofferausefulplacetobegin. sent how I personally think about Columbia University’s School of the Arts. match thoseofotherinstitutions,ormycolleagues,buttheyrepre- are atthefoundationofschoolsart.Thesepresuppositionsmightnot for society, Ibeginwithsomeoftheoriginaryandunspokenpremisesthat of knowledge? To attempt to address these questions and their implications students? Howdotheythinkaboutprocessandthecreationofnewbodies How doart-makingenvironmentssecurethesustainedoriginalityoftheir While the ability to replicate results is an essential element of scientific While theabilitytoreplicateresultsisanessential elementofscientific and moveonfromtheretodiscussthework’s coherenceandeffectiveness. knowledge be“proven.”We accepttheworkthatartists produceasart Unlike thesciences,however, wedonotaskthatthisnewlygenerated like thesciences. ideas mightemergefromtheyoungestartists.Inthisassumptionweare We respecttheinsightsofyouth.We understandthatthemoststartling tivity inrelationtothecollective,art-historicalcontext,andhistory. individual andsociety, weencourageourstudentstocultivatetheirsubjec- that attemptstoresolve,orcommenton,therelationshipbetween Because artmakingcanfunctionasaparticularformofproblemsolving to producinginterestingwork. mand it,andwefostertheirdesiretodevelopthisuniquenessasessential and talentedstudents.Thenweaccepttheiruniqueness.Infact,de- The admissionsprocessisdesignedtolocatethemostunique,committed, C Becker arol

47 48 Microutopias and Pedagogies for the Twenty-First Century thing wedo.Yet werevere it. ity, inpartbecause,likeair, itisbehind,underneath,andinfrontofevery- In thesepedagogicalenvironments,wedonotnecessarily talkaboutcreativ- senses andintuitionswhoachievethegreatestsuccess. ing actions. It is often those who use their minds in conjunction with their to access the work, create the best metaphors, or perform the most engag- the mostcultivatedphilosophicalmindsarenotnecessarily themostable point for knowledge is not the mind alone,butalso the senses. Those with the acquisition of knowledge in unexpected ways. It assumes that the entry Out oftheseassumptionsevolvesaprocessworkingthatapproaches 9.  8.  7.  6.  5.  even feared?Creativityrelies onthecultivationofindividual’s imagina- What constitutescreativity? Whyisitsohighlyprized,romanticized,and Creativity andProcess ative thought. This commitment to an open-endedness of interpretations is vital to cre- ity of meaningsembeddedin the juxtapositionsthat determine itseffect. pretation ofmostartwork.Iftheworkisrich,therewillbeamultiplic- We encourageambiguityandunderstandthatthereisno oneclearinter in anambitiousfailurethanmoremodestsuccess. courage risktakingthatcouldleadtofailureandareoftenmoreinterested Samuel Beckettwrote:“Try again.FailBetter.” Indeed,ween- refusal toconformestablishedrulesisoneofthekeysinnovation. understand thatanxietyoftenresultsfromfailure,butweknowa We knowthatsuchexperimentalpracticessometimeslead tofailure.We forms. We believethatsuchhybriditycreatesnewknowledge. We encouragethemixing,blending,reconfiguring,and intertwiningof ity—and theexpansiveexplorationofform. We respectinnovation—whichcouldbeunderstoodasappliedcreativ- be considered“safe.” We encouragerisktakingandpromotethevalueofshakingupwhatmight verifiability, weknowthatthebestartcannotbereplicated. - H. Lawrencewrote,“Nevertrusttheartist.Trust thetale.” by partsofthemselvesthatmightbeunknowntotheirconsciousminds.D. able to complete the work? Such practitioners allow themselves to be led direction and writersso unclear about wherethe story will go and yet also How canthatbe?artistsattimesbesouncertainaboutthework’s the workintobeing. shape. Whatemergesoftensurpriseseventheartist,orartists,thatimagined ten hiddenandunknowntotheconsciousmind—aremanifestedgiven to-articulate spaceofflow,orthezonewheremultipleconsciousnesses—of- It also depends completely on the courage of each personto live in the hard- tive resources,evenwhengroups,collectives,orcollaboratorsareinvolved. intuition. constant evolutionofknowledge thatresults.Itcreatesspacefortheuseof which allowsfortheopen-endedness neededtocompletetheworkand ration fortheactualmakingofworkbut,rather, theentireendeavor, aspect ofartists’workcouldbeunderstoodasresearch—not justtheprepa- process isessential,yetitoftenremainshiddeninthe “finished”work.This recognize thevalueofaprocesswhoseinherentnature isconstantflux.This ness” inherentintheworkthatartistsdo.Artschools aretheplacesthat lution ispartoftheexperimentalnatureprocess—the “unknowing- of theinvestigationhasbeenrevealed.Livingwithsuch uncertaintyofreso- This interrogativeprocesscangenerateanxietyforthe artistuntilthenature the artistcompletely. viewer/receiver ofthework.Butsometimesmeaningworkeludes herent order, makesitselfknowntotheartistandthenrecognizable It isoftenonlyintheeditingprocessthat“sense”ofpiece,its- position ofmaterialsthatcombinetocreateimagesgeneratemeaning. work emergesfromtheformitself—thecolors,shapes,textures,andjuxta- imagination; and formalists might insistthe meaning or the utility of the conscious; Jungians might name it the collective unconscious or the active in contradistinctiontotheacquired;Freudiansmightreferitasun- work emanatesfromthesubtlebody;Buddhistsmightcallitprimordial work isthereforefundamentallyirrational.Theosophistsmightsaysuch its meaningeasilyvisibletotheiraudiences.Theprocessofcreatingthe don’t alwaysknow what a work is about, nordo they always want to make 1 Artistssimply

49 Carol Becker 50 Microutopias and Pedagogies for the Twenty-First Century in thevirtualworld. as wellinteractivepublic sculptures,massactions,andtheirequivalents bicycle repairshops,andinnumerable otherneighborhood-basedinitiatives, ways. Theseeffortshavetaken theformofcommunitygardens,greenroofs, tempting tocreatepublicspacewherepeoplecaninteract inveryintimate In responsetothecurrentcomplexstateofpublic sphere,artistsareat- arena andhowtouseitachievedesiredeffects. often knowhowtointerpretandcritiquewhatishappening inthepublic the spectaclethatoverwhelmstwenty-first-century society. Asaresult,they how itachievesitsresults—areoftenlesssusceptible totheseductionsof attuned tothewilinessofmedia—itsusevisual representationsand a confusionofpast,present,andfuture.Artists,many ofwhomarevery and effectsanunprecedentedconflationofpublicprivate,aswell The media floods us with images and an overabundanceof information, changes daily. ences. Suchconsiderationsaremademorecomplexbyapublicspherethat increasingly considerthepotentialimpactoftheirworkonmultipleaudi- therefore moved to the foreground, gaining amorevisible profile as artists pated audienceresponsedirectlyintothework.Theconceptofprocesshas the spectator. Manyartistsnowtalkaboutincorporatingsuchanantici- ists increasingly understand that, ultimately, the artwork is completedby Through writerslikeJacquesRancière, Nicolas Bourriaud,andothers,art- the traditionalecosystemsofartworld? normally address?Whatisneededtoachievesuccesswhenworkingbeyond and howtocreateit.Canartistsworkwithcommunitiesoutsidethosethey the work. This type of art making isrelated to the notion of public space creasingly insistoninvolvingtheiraudiencesmoredirectlyinthemakingof work, processhasrecentlybecomemorevisibleascontemporaryartistsin- knowledge—has typicallybeenlesswellunderstoodthanthecompleted While process—thegivingoneselfovertothepossibilityofdevelopingnew can functionwithinsystemsofexchange. is “subjective.” Therefore they are usually not as valuedor supported. What science, artists’researchandthefindingsthatresultareoftenunderstoodas Although artmaking,likescientificinquiry, isbasedondiscovery, unlike valued—literally, givenvalue—istheartobjectthatisusuallytangibleand critique ofwhatispresent.” Bloch saidtoTheodorW. Adorno,“TheessentialfunctionofUtopiaisa say. which is—intermsofthat-which-is-not,”asJean-JacquesRousseaumight Art andthepracticeofartmakingcancreatean“interpretationthat native capacitytobringpeopletogether. and collectivedesiresvisibleunderstood.Andtheyuseenormousimagi- we envisionourfuturesocieties.Theyhavetheabilitytomakeindividual are nonethelessessentialtothedevelopmentofconsciousnessandhow micro-utopian environmentsthatmightonlylastforashorttime,but nature of these types of contemporary practice. Such projects functionas ation ofartists,thinkers,andresearchersneedtorecognizetheidealistic Institutional structuresthatareconcernedwitheducatingthenextgener Microutopias always “anticipate”and“illuminate” call “thenot-yet-conscious”revealsakeyimperativeofutopianthought,to is autopianprospect.ThisdesiretogiveformwhatErnstBlochmight terpretation oftheworldcanoccurthroughexternalizinganinteriorvision seeing hasbeenbroughtintothepublicsphere.Believingthatauniquein- externalized bytheimagination—meansthatparticularityofindividual ideas couldbeimaginedandgivencoordinates—alatitudelongitude be promotedandsupported morestronglyifthespeciesistosurvive. will, isanundisputedlynaïve, utopianpractice,butitisalsoonethatmust vision ofreality, whilestandinginjuxtapositiontothedominant collective individual transformationofthematerialworldthat alsopositsacollective fulfilling practice, and it is also a revolutionary one. The desire to present an This notionofdreamingtheworldintobeingisanontogenic, archaic,wish- begins inideas,theincorporeal. assumes theutilityofartmakingtodemonstratethat thematerialworld other elementsareneededtotranslateitsintention to others.Suchabelief narrative, shape,color, texture,complexity, sound,movement,orwhatever desire. Artallowsforanindividualvisiontobecome communalbygivingit understanding theworld.Itisneverjustare-presentationofpersonal Utopia always implies a change in the communal way of organizing and a societalsituation. 2 Theybringintosocietythatwhichtheyfeardoesnotexist.AsErnst 3 Nomatterwhatthecontent,factthatsuch 4 whatmightbecomepossiblewithin -

51 Carol Becker 52 Microutopias and Pedagogies for the Twenty-First Century bd, 17–29. Ibid., 4 rs Bloch, Ernst 3 Martineau, Alain 2 1 seem thereisnootherchoice. of practicethatmightfosterprofoundlycreativeproblem-solving.Itwould inherit them,wouldseekoutdifferentformsofinterrogationandmodels attuned toitsfailures,andcommittededucatingtheleaderswhowill continue toengendergreatuncertainty, itisnotsurprisingthatthosemost the possibilityofanother. Still,astheshortcomingsofglobalcapitalism often feared.Atitsbest,itshakesuptheexistentsocialorderandimplies existing structuresisyettobedetermined.Perhapsthiswhycreativity model thatissofundamentallynon-utilitarianandessentiallycriticalofthe Whether corporateenvironmentscanevertrulyembraceapedagogical cially significantforthismomentinhistory. disciplinary approachandhybriditytosolveproblemsareuniqueespe- reimagined. Thisiswhyart-makingenvironmentsthatinsistonacross- natural evolutionofthoughtanddonotallowtheworldtobeconstantly categories, andfocussolelyonproductwhileignoringprocessinhibitthe there isrecognitionthatthosetraditionalmodelsisolateforms,reify As otherstodaylooktoenvironmentspredicatedonsuchconsciousness, Press, 1988),12. says, trans.JackZipesandFrankMecklenburg(Cambridge,MA:MIT 1968), 35. Penguin, 1923),8. D. H.Lawrence,“Studies,”inClassicAmericanLiterature(London: The UtopianFunctionofArtandLiterature:SelectedEs- Herbert Marcuse’s Utopia (Montreal: Harvest House, 53 Carol Becker 54 a politicalprojectofpeace atthecontinentallevel.ThewarbetweenFrance What hasEuropebeenduring thepastcentury?FirstofallEuropehasbeen strong andinaverypolitical sense. “spirit” withthewordimagination.Iuseinavery that “Europewillbeaproductofyourspirit”while Iwillreplacetheword European nation, but I want to change a word in his sentence. He says not be.IstartfromJulienBendaandthiswell knownspeechonthe about Europe-ness:whatEuropeis,maybe, can- I wanttostartfromthesewordsofJulienBenda because Iwanttotalk such athinglikebeingEuropean.” your spirit,ofwill,notaproductbeing, becausethereisnot what you willsay, not thanks to what you are. Europe willbe a product of book Discoursàlanationeuropéenne:“You willmakeEuropethanksto In thecrucialyear1933,JulienBendawrotefollowingwords,inhis burning thatflagofhope. and of solidarity, and now people are so angry and despairing thatthey are I understood that a tragedy is underway. Europe has been a symbol of peace tion anddebt.Iamnotespeciallyafanofflags,butwhensawthepicture darity hasbeenabandonedanddestroyedinfavorofthedogmacompeti- drid andRome,theninParisBerlin,becausetheprincipleofsoli- What hashappenedinAthenswillsoonhappenalsoLisbon,andMa- flag oftheEuropeanUnion. ened me:inAthensagroupofcitizenswereburningflag—thebluestarred Some daysagoinaFrenchorItaliannewspaperIsawphotothatfright- Insurrection in theComing European Economic Dogmatism and Poetical Thought

ganism ofsociety, andthisferociousmathematizationofthelivingbody mathematical entity. Mathematicsisferociouslyinscribedinthelivingor What happens now? What is Europe today? is becominga fiercely tion oftheeconomicidentityfinancialcapitalism. imagination.” Then,inthe1980sand1990sitbecameaprojectofaffirma- ginning, theEuropeanprojectwasessentiallyaof“will,spiritand financial absolutisminthelongrundisplayeditsviolentside.Atbe- But the prosperity-basedidentity was not destined to last forever, so the power oftheEuropeanCentralBank. dogmas ofinfinitegrowth,financialbalance,consumerism,andtheabsolute was prosperity, so the members established the unification process with the rather than on will and imagination. The European identity in those years met inMaastrichtdecidedtoestablishtheEuropeanprocessonidentity, warning, obscuredbyneoliberaldogmas,theEuropeanrulingclassthat sanction ofamonetaristreductionEurope.ForgettingJulienBenda’s track offinancialandmonetaryunification.TheMaastricht Treatywasthe of Europeannations,oblivioustothetragicbackground,optedforfast the economic definition of the European Union, in which the leading class But thisprospecthasbeensomehowforgottenoratleastmarginalizedby the political assignment and the historical mission of the European Union. Overcoming thisopposition,whichisattheverycoreofmodernity, was lightenment. Culturalidentityversusuniversalreason. between twonation-states,butalsoaculturalwar:RomanticismversusEn- ning ofthenineteenthcenturyuntilWorld War II.Itwasnotonlyawar and GermanymarkedthehistoryofEuropeanmodernityfrombegin- F Berardi ranco -

55 56 Economic Dogmatism and Poetical Thought ... proclaimed deregulation. much more: it was a cartography of the coming future of theneoliberalself- Their thoughtwasanattempt toimagineapossiblefuture,butitwasalso Foucault, JacquesDerrida,andJean-FrançoisLyotard. 1970s and 1980s, in the age of Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari, of Michel in thesphereofdialecticalthought.Ialsoremember Frenchthoughtinthe of thecriticalthoughtthatmadepossiblecreation oftheEuropeanentity I rememberthephilosophicaldiscussionin1960s and1970sinthewake today, theso-calledEuropeanhighculture.Thelandscapeisrathergloomy. Let uslookatthelandscapeofphilosophicalandpolitical thoughtinEurope of thereassertionneoliberalism. the verypossibilityofafuture,weareobligedtogobeyonddogmatism tent future—asaconditionofthought.Ifwestartfromthedismantling start fromthisconsideration,obviousknowledge—thenonextis- “Not havingafuture”isalreadykindofrefrain,butIthinkweshould from thepointofviewtheirfuture,becausetheydonothaveafuture. we areteachingthingsthatgoodorbad,butultimatelyuseless All ofusknowverywellthesituationlastgeneration,ourstudents: the narrowinterestsofprofitsandeconomiccompetition. ing theuniversity, subjugatingresearchtothenarrowinterestofprofit, if you want to say it in a more prosaic way, destroying the school, destroy- The coreprojectofEuropenowadaysisdestroyingcollectiveintelligence,or destruction, ofdevastation,anddismantlingthegeneralintellect. and thepostponingofretirement,thatfinallyleadstoasadproject to theimpoverishmentofEuropeansocietiesthroughcuttingsalaries and reinforcementofneoliberalideology, ofneoliberalregulationthatleads cal necessity of the bank system. This is a dogmatic project of reassumption ethos ofdebt,andsacrificinglife,culture,well-beingtothemathemati- ticians, belongingtotheEuropeanUnionnowadaysmeanssubmitting In thespeechesofAngelaMerkelorMarioMontiandotherEuropeanpoli- pression, despair, andsuicideis sweeping thecontinent. people areturningtowardracistsentiments,andthisiswhyawaveofde- is whypeopleareburningtheEuropeanflag,thismoreand of societyispreparingaviolentreactionandnurturingbarbarianism.This today understandwhatis happening inthepresentEuropeannightmare. imagination ofpoetsandmusicians andthinkersofthepunkculture,wecan here rightnow. Startingfromthisno-futureforeshadowed bythevisionary In thissenseLuhmannwas speakingaboutthecoming“nofuture,”whichis formed intotechno-linguisticautomatism. of theunavoidable.Ingovernancepraxis,economic dogmaistrans- of socialexistence.Governanceisinformationwithout meaning,dominance understand thatgovernanceistheautomationofthought, theautomation cal practiceofourtime.IfwestartfromtheLuhmann perspective,wecan never definedtoday, becauseitisasymptomofthetotalpovertypoliti- As farasIcanunderstand,“governance”isaword thatismuchusedand that therulingclasshasbeendoinginlastdecades? 1980s. What is the meaning of this word, beyond the political manipulation guage—was firstproposedanddeconstructedbyLuhmanninthe1970s Governance—this word that has totally invaded the field of political lan- with administrationmanagement:thefutureofgovernance. described afuturewithoutalternative,andthereplacementofdemocracy benevolent idea of thedialogic society, while on theother side Luhmann predicted gooddemocraticeffectsofcommunicationanddrewuponthe of anticipationwhatEuropewasgoingtobecome.Ononeside,Habermas between JürgenHabermasandNiklasLuhmannwasanimportantmoment In thelandscapeofGermanphilosophyin1970sand1980s,debate violence andimpoverishment. ing dystopia:awayofthinkingaboutthecomingfutureasdarkage philosophers ofthe1970sand1980shavebeenacartographycom- imagination ofthecomingneoliberalrevolution.TheworksFrench most importantbooksofthe1970sand1980s—maybereadasnegative Plateaus, along with Jean Baudrillard’s Symbolic Exchange and ­­—the Death Also, DeleuzeandGuattari’s celebratedbooksAnti-Oedipus rules ofcompetitionandfinancialaccumulation. world: deregulation,welfaredismantling,andsubmissionoflifetothewild is amostenlighteningforeshadowingofthecomingtransformation that isnowpublishedunderthetitleTheBirthofBiopolitics.Thisbook Think ofthelecturethatMichelFoucaultdeliveredinyear1979and and A Thousand A Thousand

57 Franco Berardi 58 Economic Dogmatism and Poetical Thought ... shared thecommondestiny ofthealeatory. ing, aseparationofsignsfrom theirreferentialtask.Poetryandfinancehave shared acommondestiny of de-referentialization,alossreferentialmean- communication. In the past century poetry and finance have paradoxically guage fromtheeffectsthatfinancehasproducedand embeddedinthesocial etry and finance, andIseeapossible actionofpoetryasliberationlan- In thehistoryoftwentiethcenturyIseeastrong relationbetweenpo- main solutionthatart,poetry, canoffer:de-automationoflanguage. to dowithwhatwereallyneednow:ade-automation oflanguage.That’s the This isthemeaningofword.Furthermore,word poetryhassomething ducing, andofmakingsomethingthatdoesnotactually existinthepresent. word “poetry,” thereistheideaofcreatinganewbridge:creating,pro- rebranding and would propose the word propriate wordtosaywhatIreallyamtryingsay. Iwouldproposeasmall Art isprobablynotthegoodwordinthiscontext,andmostap- ousness assadness.” artist means“toescapethefutureofsadness,toprecari- I thinkthattheysaywanttobeanartistbecausefeelbeing the richpossibilitiesofartmarket?Well, maybe,but Idon’t thinkso. What dotheythinkthatbeinganartistmeans,exactly?Doabout an artist.” you wanttodowhenareanadult?”withtheanswer“Ibe young peopleinterviewedbyjournalistsansweredthequestion“Whatdo actly. Yet itseemsthatinarecentpoll,around24percentofGerman when I say the word “art,” and you aren’t either: no, nobody knows ex- losophy butfromart.Iamactuallynotsureofwhattalkingabout A lightofpossibleintelligenceandopennessseemstocomenotfromphi- ishment, andfinancialdictatorship. have pavedthewaytoabyssofdogmatism,violence,racism,impover the foreinlate1970swithemptylabel“nouveauxphilosophes,” non-thinkers whoinhabittheParisiansceneoftoday—thosecameto of politics.LookatthesadnessFrenchcynicalthought.The Now cynicismhasinvadedthesphereofthought,notlessthan . In the very etymology of the poetry. In the veryetymology of the - have tobeablethinkboth sidesofthislimit(weshouldthereforehaveto But Wittgenstein also writes: “In order to draw a limit tothinking we should its oflanguage. Automated languageistrappedinsidethedigital andfinanciallim- guage canelaboratethatsphereofbeingliesbeyond thepresentlimit. guage lieswhatwewillbeabletoliveandexperience onlywhenourlan- resides inside the limits of our language, therefore beyond the limits of lan- writes: “Thelimitsofmylanguagemeanthe myworld.”Asworld In theprefacetoTractatus Logico-Philosophicus,LudwigWittgenstein circulating intheinfosphere. guage, andistheonlymarkerthatdefinesmeanings ofthesignsthatare scribed inthesystemoftechno-linguisticautomatismsembeddedlan- precarization oftheeconomyandlanguage.Violence isintrinsicallyin- violence. Thisistheeffectofde-referentialization,aleatorization,and The onlywaytoregulatearelationinconditionsofuncertaintyisthrough and thingsisaleatoryuncertain? based onnoobjectivestandard,andtherelationbetweendifferentpersons the forcethatmakespossibleregulationandmeasurement,whenmeasureis no morerelationbetweensignandmeaning,signifiersignified?Whatis value isstillpossible?Howcanweregulatealinguisticsystemwherethere violence: howcanweregulateasystemwherenorelationbetweentimeand In theplaceofreferentthereisonlymonetaristdogma,basedon product asreferent—alongwithmoneyitself. financialization ofcapitalismhascanceledandforgottenthereferent—the of thefinancialsignfrommaterialitymoneyandtime.So, and theeconomyhasproducedaneffectofde-realizationabstraction cutting therelationshipthatmakesthingsvaluableintermsoftimelabor, fect: cuttingtherelationshipbetweenmoneyandso-calledrealeconomy, (reality). Financialorganizationoftheeconomyhasproducedasimilaref- attempted tocuttherelationbetweensign(theword)andreferent Since thesymbolistage,andduringwholetwentiethcentury, poetryhas sentially actingasfactorsoflanguageautomation. subjected toautomation. Digital technologyandfinancial economyare es- Separated from its signifying function (from its meaning), language has been

59 Franco Berardi 60 Economic Dogmatism and Poetical Thought ... uin Benda,Discoursàlanationeuropéenne (Paris:Gallimard,1979), Julien 1 way toareactivationofthe relationbetweensensibilityandtime. otic concatenationcreatingnewpathwaysofsignification, andopeningthe exchange andofcodifiedcorrespondencesignifier andsignified,thesemi- We call poetrythesemioticconcatenationthatisexceedingsphereof tion oflandscapesimaginationandemergingmeaning. disentanglement ofthesignifierfromlimits signified,theexplora- limits ofpresentsignificationprocesses.Poetryisthe excessoflanguage,the language. Butlanguageisboundless:itspotentiality isnotlimitedtothe linguistic automatismshavebeenincorporatedinthe socialcirculationof information thatcanbemeasuredbyeconomicstandards,andthetechno- exceeding theestablishedmeaningofwords.Languagehasbeenreducedto space ofpossibility. Poetryisthereopeningofindefinite,ironicact based ontheinstitutionofalimit.Butbeyondlimitthereisaninfinite a limitbringsintobeingworldoflanguage.Grammar, logic,andethicsare guage happensinfiniteconditionsofhistoryandexistence.Thedefinition capitalism. Languageisaninfinitepotency, althoughtheexerciseoflan- a degreeofcomplexityhigherthanthefinancial point ofnegotiationbetweencomplexityandchaos,poetrycandisentangle emergence ofanewlifeform.Inthecross-pointfiniteandinfinite,in ing thetechnicalautomatismsoffinancialcapitalismwillmakepossible of politicscannotovercomeanddestroy. Onlyanactoflanguageescap- Digital financialcapitalismhascreatedaclosedrealitythatthetechnicalities make itpossibletoseeit,andnameit. a newformcomesoutandtakesshapewhenlogicallinguisticconditions world. Scientistscallthiseffectofautopoieticmorphogenesis“emergence”: of thesemioticlimit,whichisalsolimitexperienceability sis,” and he callsthisgoing-beyond“re-semiotization,” i.e., the redefinition Guattari callstheprocessofgoingbeyondlimitsworld“chaosmo- my worldbydefininglanguage? what cannotbeseen?Howisitpossibletogobeyondthelimitsthatdefine How isitpossibletothinkwhatcannotbethought,howsee be abletothinkwhatcannotthought).” 67; mytranslation. 4 éi Guattari, Félix 5 4 Foucault, Michel 3 2 Ibid. uwg Wittgenstein, Ludwig ledge, 2001),23. Chaosmosis (Paris:ÉditionsGalilée,1992). La naissancedelabiopolitique(Paris:Gallimard,2009). Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus(London:Rout -

61 Franco Berardi 62 Are works of “artistic research” that couldseehowgoodRaphaelwaswhenhe good.” tion, there’s nomutationhere.Pollockaskedtobetested bythesameeye or Manet’s orRubens’s orMichelangelo’s paintings.There’s nointerrup- lock’s paintingsliveordieinthesamecontextasRembrandt’s orTitian’s… searcher,” I’mremindedofalinebyClementGreenberg:“[Jackson]Pol- When consideringpossible“newroles”tobeplayedby“theartistasre- —Hedda Sterne,TheLastIrascible And shesays,“That’s whyIdrawhim.” he is?” And themothersays,“HowcanyoudrawGodwhendon’t knowwhat And shesays,“I’mdrawingGod.” A littlegirlisdrawingandhermotherasks“whatareyoudrawing?” motto fortheabstract-expressionists: I once told Barney [Newman] a story which he wanted to adopt as the “Leonardo drewthingstoexplainthemhimself… Digging motivation iswhatlargely animatesthepresentdiscussion. research” holdstheappeal ofapossibleoasis.Thisearnestandgood-faith “greater good”)threatento overwhelmtheculturalrealm,ideaof“pure ics) andthepublicsphere(justifiedthroughsupposed contributionstothe ketplace (production of spectacle, collectibles, the justifications of econom- widespread instrumentalizationofculture.Whenboth thetermsofmar defense ofartpracticeandthecriticaldiscourse arounditagainstthe tion. Ontheonehand,manyfindemphasisonresearch tobeapossible field of“artisticresearch”hingesparadoxicallyon thequestionoffunc- 3 to betestedby a different 1 2 eye? The new - means—he hastosellit.” you shouldaskMr. Castelli.He’s inamuchbetterpositiontosaywhatit have their eyes checked.” But, asClaesOldenburghsaid:“Anyonewholistenstoanartisttalkshould an impliedandsuperficialbenevolence. search” havethehumorlessandahistoricaltoneofsocialsciences,with partment ofacademia.Moreandmore,discussionsaround“artisticre- thing, theconnectionbetweenartandresearch,couldbecomeanotherde- many goodsymposiabutfewexhibitions,thusriskingthatthewhole At thispointwehavehadmuchdiscussionbutlittledemonstration,and trophy-making. radical instrumentalizationofartthanforcity-brandingandhigh-society of thedemandfor“directapplicability”—or, inotherwords,foramore to departmentsof“artisticresearch”couldinfactrepresentanintegration a high-value-addsector, the shiftin the academyfromdepartmentsofart tries” inthe“knowledgeeconomy”andrecognitionthatartrepresents On theotherhand,givenpublicpolicyemphasison“creativeindus- and self-justifyingirrelevance,wasrejectedby GustaveCourbetand “Academicism” intheearlyperiodofmodernartcame tomeananinward elaborated salespitch. around thevisualartsisalwayspronetobecomingnothingmorethanan is stillwordlessapprehension,andsecondbecausethediscourseofmeaning only leadtofailure,firstbecausethemainevaluativecriteriaforartworks Put in an other way, the temptation to establish a legitimating discourse can 5 4

Or Andy Warhol: “What it means? Oh, I think J Day eremiah

63 64 Digging ence Hito Steyerl’s recent attempts to establish a non-bureaucratic footing French toEnglish,furthering mysuspicionoftheterm).Or, Icanalsorefer ing tonotethateventhis example likelyemergedfromatranslation as anongoing“lifeofdevelopment” inone’s practice(althoughitisinterest- which theterm“artisticresearch”wasusedinagenerous andgeneralsense, For example,IoncesawacaptiontextattheRodin MuseuminParis interrogation, notatop-downone. “research” that emerges from art making. What is needed is a bottom-up Instead, Ithink,themomentcallsforelaboration and exemplificationof their ownjournals,gatherings,heateddebates,and even fundingstructures. the transcendentalistscountingghostsinvapor. Wilson oncespeculated,perhaps itwillturnouttobeentirelynothing,like or attackontheterms of a field thatis soopen andundefinedthat,asMick What isrequiredfromthesediscussionsnotanevaluation,justification, turn outtobenotanoasis,butamirage. of artaltogetherinfavorsomenewformdesign.Thefieldwould The riskisnotjusttheinstrumentalizationofart,butalsoabolishment risk ofmixingmetaphors)wewillalsocutoffthelegsuponwhichstand. years, wewillnotonlythrowoutthebabywithbathwater, but(atthe disconnect fromthetraditionsandcapacitiesestablishedinlasthundred “Artistic research”mustbejudgedbythesametermsasartingeneral.Ifwe and claims. defined: thevisualartsasahighlyintellectualfieldwithitsownquestions formalization andconcretizationofwhatalreadyexists,butwhichisunder- of modernart.“Artisticresearch”thencouldbeestablishedasaprocess tween one’s ownartmakingandthequestionsofin generalallarepart The emphasisonsubjectmatter, experimentalmethods,andadialoguebe- through artworks—i.e.,theexactspace“artisticresearch”aspirestoinhabit. and thoroughunderstandingsofphilosophy, history, politicsasartistsand the roleoffunctionary. AndBeuysandhispeersarticulatedsynthesized microphone duringanacademicceremonytofeelthevirulentrejectionof of applied art. One need only think of Joseph Beuys barking like a dog at the to workforanengagementwiththeworldwasearnedthrougharejection is theearlierandperhapsrootparadoxoffunction:spacewithinwhich others infavorofanoutwardengagementpubliclifeandconditions.This 6 Theytoo,afterall,had - history andworld meetfrequently:didtheownerdieincamps, lived there,andwhathappened tothem?ThisisBerlinafterall,wherelocal it was a home,or an office, andifitwas bombedorjustburneddown. Who I onceaskedSmithifheknows whatkindofstructurehehasdiscovered—if can.” Indeed,thereissomerelation. “Does arthavesomerelationshiptoarcheology?”Smith replied,“Iguessit asked what he wasdoing. When tolditwas an artprojecttheman asked, People passbyandmostlyignorehim,butwhilewe werethereoneman has turnedtoashandchunksofburnedwoodnow come up. soon discoverwhereitleads,descendingdownward. Alongthewaydirt digging withashovel.Hehasdiscoveredwholeburied staircaseandwill But the citydeclined and so Smith is movingforward on a different scale— cast thenegativespaceandmakepositivesoutofconcrete. buried ruinsofthesite.Smithwantedtomakesculpturesoutthem, allowed tousesonarmeasuretheundergroundstructuresandgaps—the will benospaceatall.ErikSmithproposedtotheBerlinSenatethathe smaller and smallerasnew apartmentbuildingsfillin thegap;soonthere a siteforart,callingit“SkulpturenparkBerlin.”Theareatheyworkingets from theWall, butinthelastyearsagroupofpeoplehaveappropriateditas that isinlimbo.It’s apieceofpropertythat’s inlimbo—formerdeadzone some Super8footageofhimdiggingholesinBerlinonapieceproperty In themeantime—yesterdayIwenttohelpafriend,ErikSmith,byshooting those potentialitieswouldbeabetterstartingpointfordiscussion. works ofdemonstrableandself-evidentsubstance.Perhapsthecontrast years alltheseartPhDswilleitherbealaughingstockorproducesome After all,“artisticresearch”mustrefertoamethod,notsubject.Inten throughout the twentiethcentury.” aesthetic research,whichisrelatedtothehistoryofemancipatorystruggles for theword“research,”drawinguponPeterWeiss andhis“genealogyof stayed withresearch.” solo: “Oh,she[thefriendwiththebigcompany]gotintodevelopment.I ing different modes of improvisation with groupsoffour or five, and often large company, touringbigvenues,whileSimonestayedsmall-scale,evolv- once distinguishedherselffromoneofherpeerswhohadgoneontoforma 8 7 A further example is Simone Forti, who

65 Jeremiah Day 66 Digging 3 2 1 and status(andnotjustafunction). wrestle withbroaderquestionsandconcerns,inordertohavesomestake in theashanddirt,whoinsistondemonstrateart’s capacityto sense ofpurposebureaucracy, andinsteadactivelyfosterthosewhodig field of researchin art could shake offthedustof academicism and the false research”—but itdoesmeritoursupport.Inthisway, theeffortsofnew or ontheEARN(EuropeanArtisticResearchNetwork)even“artistic In anycase,this“investigatorypoetics”doesnotdependupontheacademy of “becoming.” one doesnotneedtoberesponsibleallperspectives,preservethespace a “limitedhorizon,” to gothearchive(yet)islikewhatFriedrichNietzschecalledchoiceof gives artitsownstatus,claims,andquestions.PerhapsSmith’s decisionnot to the root of that word, a shaping of circumstance, the transformation that not knowing the“truth,”Smith’s act can become a kind of “fiction”—back by, anditwillbecomehis,notjustthestaircaseofsomeformerowners.By I believethatasSmith’s staircasebecomesvisibleitwill attract morepassers- staircase downwardemerges. opers buildallaroundhim,Smithproducesanarchitectureaswell,the is possible,onethatnotaxiomaticorverifiable.Astherealestatedevel- ging, attending to the soil and ash, in which a differentkind of information visit. Hepreferstosustaintheperiodofthiskinddiscovery, throughdig- state archive to find out that kind of information, but he keeps delaying the or perhapshelporganizethem?Smithrepliedthathehasplanstogothe tant precedent. more appropriate.Thanks toFredDeweyforpointingoutthisimpor ity. Something likeEdSander’s phrase“investigatorypoetics” wouldbe “of thearts”butrather embellishment orholdingadecorativequal- research-ic. To makemattersworse,“artistic”does notgenerallymean search as“artistic”opposedtoqualifyingakind of artthatmightbe The termisproblematicinasmuchasitseemstoqualify akindofre- Corp., 1972.ReissuedbyMisticFireVideo, 1989,VHS. 1970, produced and directed by Emile de Antonio, 116 min., Turin Film From aninterviewinPaintersPainting:TheNewYork ArtScene1940– New York ReviewofBooks,December23,2010,43. The artistHeddaSternequotedinSarahBoxer, “TheLastIrascible,” 9 inwhichnotallquestionshavetobefaced, - Researcher, ed.JannekeWesseling (Amsterdam:Valiz Publications,2011). Art andVice-Versa” publishedinSeeItAgain,SayAgain:TheArtistas This textisanadaptedversionof“TheUseandAbuseResearchfor Nietzsche, Friedrich 9 8 7 6 5 4 viu.ca/~johnstoi/nietzsche/history.htm. Johnston (Nanaimo:Vancouver IslandUniversity, 2010),http://records. From aconversationwiththeartist. 2010): 34. and Conflict,”MaHKUzine,JournalofArtisticResearch,no.8(Winter Hito Steyerl,“AestheticsofResistance?ArtisticResearchasDiscipline held attheUniversityofGothenburgin2009. From publiclecture“TheArtText­ Art Scene1940–1970,directedbyEmiledeAntonio,1973. Paraphrased from asceneofthe film PaintersPainting:The New York DC: SmithsonianInstitutionPress,1998),250. sues inPublicArt,eds.HarrietF. SenieandSallyWebster (Washington, lished in “Earthworks: Land Reclamation as Sculpture,” in Paraphrased from a remark quoted in a talk by Robert Morris, pub- The UseandAbuseofHistoryforLife,trans.Ian —Writing InandThroughtheArts,” Critical Is-

67 Jeremiah Day 68 tion ofcatharticfreedom. daily lifeandfrom practical necessities,sometimesevengrantingitacondi- ability to renew an experience of the world and to free it from the habits of into hisowndwelling,toinhabittheworld;and manner, toallowmansatisfyhisessentialneedtransformtheworld art’s capacitytofreetheworldfromitsgrudgingextraneousness and,inthis dimensions oftheartisticexperience:poiesis—poieticpower—consistingin experience. GermanphilologistRobertJaussdescribedthisastwoparallel Their “mystic”naturedependsonthispeculiarabilitytotransformourlife itself andtothepowerthatartcanexertuponit. reality; aspectsthatartaidsinonceagainmakingvisible.Theyrelatetolife suggest istoconceiveofthemasconcerningcertain“hidden”aspects 2009. Buthowcanwebestdescribethese“mystictruths”today?WhatI of theAmericanPavilion,welcomingvisitors53rdVenice Biennale made byBruceNaumanin1967,reappearedtwoyearsagoattheentrance “The trueartisthelpstheworldbyrevealingmystictruths.”Thisstatement, asArt a of artistic practicesoflatemodernity, alongwiththeirhistoricfoundations. like tointroducesomeissues thatmayhelpusinterpretthepeculiarnature thought, toimprisonnotonly ourbodies,butalsominds.” tanks andbulldozerswhich aimtoflattendifferences,reducethoughtsa es (of art) and its motivationsis the strongest weapon we wield against the this passage,affirmingthat“throughitsveryfragility, thepluralityoflanguag- traditional realmsofinteresttheIuavUniversity, FrancoRellaexplained sensations. Ten years ago, whenwebeganintroducingthevisualartsinto ence—a discovery of the world made of wonders and surprises, of body and From thisperspective,artbecomesaformofknowledge—a cognitiveexperi- Way of Thinking

1

aesthesis, theworkofart’s 2 I would now Iwouldnow of thetotalworkart.GillesDeleuzeobservedthat “philosophy, artand for anewunitarysynthesis.Thesundefinitivelyset onthemoderndream a resultofinternaldilemmaswithinthesingulardisciplinesthansearch to stepbeyondthetraditionaldisciplinaryboundariesappearedbemore differences in the framework of a rediscovered artistic “totality.” Theneed form theveryessenceofdifferentpracticesandsweepawayexisting a conclusionintermsofthecreationnew“artform”thatwouldtrans- question posedbythenewpostwarconditionnolongerseemedtoenvisage As forthedesireddialoguebetweenvariousartisticforms,crucial and “modern”continuity. the endofWorld War IIandthedramatic debate concerningreconstruction teenth century. Thisenduringmattercametoa“conclusionless”closewith originally formulatedbyRichardWagner inthesecondhalfofnine- later debates of the1950s, may be understood as a development of this idea question ofthe“synthesisarts,”fromBauhausManifestoto cept ofthe“totalworkart.”Itissufficienttounderlinethatentire Today itisnolongerpossibletofurtherdevelopourreflectionsonthecon- same foundation. as uninterruptedvariationsofasinglelanguage,andthusallsharingthe recast painting,sculpture,architecture,andthedesignofeverydayobjects allow for the resumption of the interrupted dialogue between the arts: it even thevariousformsofdailylife.Thecoherencenewstylehadto a “modern style” concerned the entire universe of artistic expression, and eth centuries—aimedatreestablishingtheunityofarts.Thesearchfor ing tothenumerousexperiments—straddlingnineteenthandtwenti- The “totalworkofart”maybe read asakeyphraseofmodernism,pertain- M arco De Michelis

69 70 Art as a Way of Thinking porary art. Peter Osbornedescribedthisbehaviorasan“architecturation”ofcontem- there recognizingtheprocessesand events takingshape.English philosopher of domesticdwellings.Andtheycriticallyobservetheplaceseverydaylife, toward naturallandscapes,urbanpublicareas,andeventheprivatezones The visualartslookbeyondthelimitedspacesofartgalleriesandmuseums, their ownhabitualboundaries,ofexceedinglimits,andoverlapping. cinema, and theatre, seem involved in a controversial process of overstepping ernist approach.Thevisualartsandarchitecture,notunlikemusic,dance, each singular discipline and, thus, completely alien to the traditional mod- between art,design,andarchitectureasproblemsgeneratedfromwithin Hence, wemayinterpretthenatureofcontemporaryrelationsestablished the fusion—oftraditionalfieldsofactivityvariousdisciplines. “asymmetric” space,characterizedbytheexpansionandrevision—butnot completely innovativeconditionhasarisen.Itmaybedescribedasanew Consequently, adistinctivelylate-modern,tremendouslyinteresting,and for internalreasons.” science comeintorelationsformutualresonanceandexchange,butalways ernism withasocialcontent,” observed, architectureisthe emblem,thesymbol,ofourdesirefora“mod- ducing meaningrelatedto specificsocialorcollectiveissues.AsJeff Wall Architecture maybedescribed, withinthefieldofart,asatoolforintro- the professionaland academic territories ofplanningand building practices. ous “between-disciplines”condition,closertothatof artexhibitionsthanto including MarjeticaPotrcˇ orKyongPark.Theyseemtoshareanambigu- Teddy Cruz, whose works bear a strong likeness to that of artist-activists, and so on), Diller & Scofidio, or architect-activists like Rural Studio and and someoftheprotagonistsTeam X(AlisonSmithson,AldovanEyck, to thoseofartandexhibitionsaspartthisprocedure: Yona Friedman half ofthetwentiethcenturyfromtraditionalterritories ofarchitecture the “migration”ofsomemostexperimentalarchitectssecond tural elementsintotheartisticwork.Itisthereforelegitimatetoconsider even growinginterestinthecontaminationofpractices,drawingarchitec- tions ofHansSchabusandMikeNelson:alltheserevealaconstant, vestigations ofAntoniMuntadasandKyongPark;thesculpturalinstalla- the workofRobertSmithsonandGordonMatta-Clark;conceptualin- 3 JanDeCock’s monuments;DanGraham’s seminalmasterpieces; 4 andevenOsbornenoted that “architecture

Yona FriedmanspokepreciselyofthisinUtopiesréalisables , of theoptimistichyper-technological visionsofthe1960s. longer aquestionoftherigid totalitarianutopiasofthepast,andnoteven escape utopianlures,toceasebelievingthat“something ismissing.”Itno cluding documentaandtheVenice Biennale.Today artistsseemunableto publications, but rather within large-scale international art exhibitions, in- seemed tohappennotsomuchinarchitecturalstudios orinprofessional our memoryand,hence,theyperiodicallyresurface. Inrecentyears,this of Yona Friedman,these visionshavenotbeenultimatelycancelledfrom of Archigram,theJapaneseMetabolists,Superstudio, ofConstant,or Even if we no longer live in times of fantastic futuristic visions, such as those our culture.And,infact,itis. point ofaconditionimpossibleperfectionisanineliminableelement And thatthedesiretoimagineitstransformationandimprovement manity remainsawareoftheimperfectionworldinwhichitlives. well knownBrechtianstatement.“Somethingismissing”impliesthathu- same ‘today.’” Yet, “somethingismissing,”rebuttedBloch,drawingona fulfillment of utopia consists largely only in a repetition of the continually speed of sound. “One could perhaps say in general—he observed—that the vision, andthepossibilityofvisitingotherplanetstravelingat called tomindthatcertainutopiandreamshad,infact,beenachieved:tele- In 1964,duringafamousdebatewithErnstBloch,TheodorW. Adorno recurring failures.Howcanwestillconsiderutopiatoday? discredited bythemoderntradition,itshistoryappearingasaof ficult nottoappealthenotionofutopia—anideathatwascompletely practice orRirkritTiravanija’s groupexperiments?Inthesecasesitisdif- of art as a visionary practice.HowcouldweotherwiseinterpretPotrcˇ’s original socialimpetus,artistsalsorediscoverthepossibilityofconceiving Through therediscoveryoftraditionsmodernarchitectureandits poses himselfasanartist—theprocesssuddenlybecomesdevoidofinterest. status—when Vito AcconcibecomesanarchitectorDanielLibeskindpro- dialogue movebeyondthedisciplinaryconfinestofinallychangetheirvery ambiguous asymmetryofthisrelationship.Whentheprotagonists problems. Thesignificanceofthesemutualinterestsliespreciselyinthe is anarchiveofthesocialuseform,” 5 orofthesocializationspatial 6 claimingthat

71 Marco De Michelis 72 Art as a Way of Thinking coming “theseismographof eventsandmovementspertainingtothefuture.” tion. […]Seeing,feeling,andthinkinginrelationship” and,inthisway, be- the industrialsocietyandtotranslatenewfindings intoemotionalorienta- yet-unseen rangesofthebiologicalfunctions,tosearch thenewdimensionsof asked totakeonacrucialsocialfunctionwithinthis process,“topenetrate til itfuseditselfinthemagnificenttotalityofa“design forliving.”Andartwas world. Designpenetratedthevariouslayersoflifeand socialorganization,un- tial philosophyconcerninghowmenandwomenperceive themselvesinthe For Moholy-Nagy, design(andart)wasanexpressionofadeepexisten- standing andtosignificantlycomecloserthetotalityoflife. senseless, whileconsentingeachstageintheprocesstoimproveitsunder between individualcraftsmanshipandanonymousmechanicaltechnology, expressive formtoanother, makinganydistinctionbetweenartandnon-art, everyday life,cannotbeisolatedinseparateterritories.Theseflowfromone the arts,asacriticalprocessandtoolforinterpretingtransforming penned overfiftyyearsago,shortlyafterhisarrivalintheUnitedStates: At thispoint,it would be wise to recall László Moholy-Nagy’s manifesto, discontinuous centers. an archipelagoofutopias,islandsdistributedintheweb,aconstellation enclave, tothepointofmakingcommunicationbetweenthemsuperfluous: “liberal” characterandthespecificpoliticalculturalidentityofeach cally recognizedthisdistinctiveaspectofFriedman’s thought: itspluraland It isnocoincidence that American philosopher FredericJameson specifi- peculiar answertoaconditionofdissatisfaction… And thisiswhatwearestill dealingwithtoday. their ownutopiaand“eachwouldbepeculiartoaprecisegroup,” which smallgroupsofindividualsmaydedicatethemselvestothesearchfor the globalcitycould be interpretedas a networkof“urban villages”within fulfillment representstheovercomingoftheiruniversality. ForFriedman, ability oftechnicalsolutionsandpopularconsent.Theconditiontheir utopian visions may still form, justified bydissatisfaction, a ready avail- the ironicandpejorativeconnotationsorampanttoday. And,nonetheless, dangerous. Itispreciselyduetotheirfailuresthatthetermhasacquired in our day and age, universal utopias are not only impossible but areeven 7 a - 8 ázó Moholy-Nagy, László 8 7 Friedman, Yona 6 5 Ibid. 4 3 2 1

Ibid, 179. translation. Ibid. 88–101. Peter Osborne,“Ouestl’oeuvred’art?,”MultitudesTR(Winter 2007): sity, 2006),256–63. Venice, in the inaugurationof2000–01academicyearIuavUniversity Franco Rella, “Il saperedell’arte,” stanz: Universitätsverlag,1972). Hans RobertJauss,KleineApologiederästhetischenErfahrung(Kon- 1991–2006: Inaugurazioni accademiche Utopies réalisables(Paris:Éditionsdel’éclat,1974);my Vision inMotion(Chicago:PaulTheobald,1947). lectio magistralis (Venice: Iuav Univer on theoccasionof -

73 Marco De Michelis 74 It istriviallytrue,ofcourse, thatappliedscienceandtechnologymake are makingartefacts,orthings thatdonotnaturallyexist). scientists aredoingart,also intheoldmeaningofthatword(thatis,they in accordancewiththeoldmeaningofword, and thatcontemporary without knowingit.Ishallarguethatcontemporary artistsaredoingmath, homme, In asense,justlikethecharacterinMolière’s playLebourgeoisgentil- third centuryADwrote: something similartowhatwemeanbymathematics.Anauthorfromthe “everything thatistaught.”OnlyafterAristotlewasthetermusedtodenote practice (tekhne¯), theoriginalmeaningofGreekwordmatematikéwas tent. Atthetimewhenknowledge(epistêmê)wasnotyetseparatedfrom do believe that art practice, not just art history, can be taught to some ex- I supposethatartscholarsandartistswhoaremostlyteachersinschools claimed thatartisvanishingintophilosophy. has beenarguedthatvisualartistsarethinkers,andtodayiteven Vinci’s time,inordertosupporttheideathatartcanproduceknowledge,it artifacts andthathas to do withthe hand andtheeye.SinceLeonardoda cess, thatthinkingisinthehead,andartapracticeproduces We areusedtobelievingthatknowledgeistheproduct of athinkingpro- What theScientist’s Eye called mathematics. having studiedthem,andforthisreasonthetheory ofthesethingsis no onecanunderstandthingsthatarecalledbythis namewithoutfirst and popularmusiccanbeperformedevenwithout beingstudied,but Why ismathematicssonamed?Aristotelianssaythatrhetoric,poetry Tells theArtist’s Brain who spoke in prose without realizing it, we are speaking in math 1 entities (images). that theartist’s businessistorepresenttheworldthrough non-linguistic the worldthroughobjectsthatarelinguisticentities(scientifictheories),and edge ispropositionalknowledge,thatthescientist’s business istorepresent The backgroundassumptionsofKuhn’s argumentwerethat scientificknowl- taining knowledge. because they are not knowledge in themselvesbut means to the end of ob- pointed outthatvisualformsofknowledgeareancillaryforthescientist, his famousbook,TheStructureofScientificRevolutions,ThomasKuhn similarities betweenartandsciencewerenoticedinthedebateraisedby phenomena throughtheproductionofartificialphenomena.Whensome do things. What I’m saying is that pure science obtains knowledge of natural means forthescientist,andviceversa. in therealmofproductsoractivities,whatareendsforartist puzzle isthegoal,andaestheticatoolforitsattainment.Whether such objects.Forthescientist,onotherhand,solvedtechnical objects; technicalpuzzlesarewhathemustresolveinordertoproduce “aesthetic” maymean,theartist’s goalistheproduction ofaesthetic emphasis upontheseparallelsobscuresavitaldifference.Whateverterm and governedbyestablishedmodesofperception[…].Butanexclusive size thatthescientist,likeartist,isguidedbyaestheticconsiderations which mustberesolvedinthepursuitofhiscraft.Evenmoreweempha- […]. Theartist,too,likethescientist,facespersistenttechnicalproblems tions, ontheotherhand,areatbestby-productsofscientificactivities of objectwhichthepainteraimstoproduce[…].Thescientificillustra- The paintingsareend-productsofartisticactivities.Theythesort P 2 Garbolino aolo

75 76 What the Scientist’s Eye Tells the Artist’s Brain all impartialobservers. which is“neutral”withrespect totheoriesandintersubjectivelyavailable comparison toempiricalevidence describedbyanobservationallanguage, of sentences,writtenina theoretical language.Theoriesaretobetestedby was thatknowledgeispropositionalknowledge,and thattheoriesaresets tieth century(let’s callitforthesakeofsimplicity“thepositivistview”), The standardviewamongphilosophersofscienceat themiddleoftwen- Science as Practice used todo,make,orchangethings. world andinterventionisaprocessinwhichanunderlying causalrealityis obtained withinlaboratorywalls.Bothartistsandscientists interveneinthe does notexistnaturally, atleastnotwiththepurityandsaliencythatcanbe effective—is by producing in a laboratory environment a phenomenon that beliefs abouttheworldoutthereinmanyways,andoneofthem—themost I takeamoremodest,andempiricist,stance:scienceproducesprobable term “factoryofphenomena”referringtophysics, science isintervention.TheFrenchphilosopherGastonBachelardusedthe edge: wehavebecomeawareoftheimplicationsfactthatmodern change hasoccurredinourunderstandingofscienceandscientificknowl- through the senses. The second fact is that in the last thirty years a deep in theclassicalmeaningofthingsthat happen andthatcanbeperceived objects,” butrathertheyproduceevents,andbringintobeingphenomena, interventions thatdonotmakerepresentations:they“aesthetic emerged inthemeantime.Thefirstisthatcontemporaryartistsengage Forty yearshaveelapsedsinceKuhnwrotetheselines,andtwofacts concept of“worldmaking”: it tosketchawidermetaphysicalvisionremindingusofNelsonGoodman’s This claimhasbeenforcefullydefendedbythelatePaulFeyerabend,whoused “natural” and“artificial”hasbecomemeaningless. rary artistsarethinkers,scientistsartisans,andtheolddivisionbetween netic engineering,thishasbecometrueoflifesciencesaswell.Ifcontempo- identify withBeingitself. Being, buildavarietyofmanifestworldsthattheyoften,butmistakenly, researchers areartists,who,workingonalargelyunknownmaterial, ing toshapeaworldfromlargelyunknownmaterialBeing[...].Or In a way, individual scientists [...] function like artistsorartisanstry- 4 3 andintheageofge- to scientificpractice. chotomy byseeingexperimentationandexperimental techniquesascentral Andrew Pickering,amongothers,haschallengedthe theory/observationdi- ence likeIanHacking,AllanFranklin,PeterGalison, DavidGooding,and ods. Thenewapproach,putforwardbyphilosophers andhistoriansofsci- takes seriously the assertion that scientific methods are experimental meth- Starting in the1980s,anew and morebalanced view developed,which scientific puzzlesmustberesolvedinordertoproducethatphenomenon. tists thegoalisproductionofaparticularphenomenonandthatmany of thatscheme.Bothgroupsoverlookedthefactforexperimentalscien- within a particular conceptual scheme and areunderstandable only interms positivists denied that possibility, asserting that experiments are carried out that testingcanbedonethroughuniversalepistemictools,whereasanti- nomena inthelaboratoryonlyameanstowardthisend.Positivistsclaimed testing theories, considering thecomplexpracticalactivityofproducingphe- Positivists andantipositivistsbothfocusedontheroleofexperimentsin into knowing-that. sitional incontent,andthatallformsofknowing-how mon withthepositivistview, theideathatallscientificknowledgeispropo- transfiguration ofmereobjectsintoartworks,butitmaintained,incom- science ofthe1970sand1980s,onArthurC.Danto’s ideasaboutthe The antipositivistviewhadanimportantimpactonmostradicalviewsof experimental practice. infected bytheory, andthatscientifictheorizingisalwayspriortogood they claimedthatsentencesdescribingobservationsarealwaysseriously quence ofthedifficultytracingaborderbetweentheoryandobservation: challenged thepossibilityofa“neutral”observationallanguageasconse- In the1960s,so-calledantipositivists,likeKuhnandPaulFeyerabend, in contextualizedapplications ofthetheorytoproblemsolving. transmitting throughpractice asetofmentalandmaterialtechnologiesused ing atheory’s formalexpressions, butisratherthebusinessofadoptingand is propositionalknowledge. Practicingatheoryisnotmatterofunderstand- knowing-how thatcannotbeentirelycapturedbythenotionknowledge network-based, andlaboratory-based,experimental practiceembodiesa In thisrecentview, scienceisdrivenbypracticeandlargelyskill-based, 5

are tobetransformed

77 Paolo Garbolino 78 What the Scientist’s Eye Tells the Artist’s Brain physical state,theso-called Higgsboson,which,accordingtotheory, existed Collider inGeneva,where scientistsaretryingtomakeinthemachinea in themostsophisticatedmachine everbuiltbymankind,theLargeHadron synthesized bygenetically modifiedbacteria,andthephenomenaoccurring photons. Otherexamplesoflaboratory-madeartifacts arelasers,insulin in the1923,discoveredthatwecanplaybilliardsby hittingelectronswith The Comptoneffectissocalledafterthephysicist ArthurComptonwho, in 1982: create newphenomena,asIanHackinginparticularhasstressed.Hewrote check newinstrumentsandequipment,addprecisioninmeasurement, phenomena (today through methods that include computer simulations), vision ofdatafortestingtheories.Experimentsexplorenewdomains riety of rolesit plays in the productionof knowledge beyondthe mere pro- The “practicalturn”hasputexperimentintheforefront,showingva- Experiment inScienceandArt terial resources,inwhich“themanipulativehandandtheattentiveeye,” plex networksofskills,competences,instruments,andintellectualma- the productofstable patterns ofscientificpracticethatemergefrom com- the “linguisticturn”offirsthalfcentury, scientificknowledgeis According tothis“practicalturn”inphilosophyofscience,asopposed use IanHacking’s words,playarole. ture exceptpossiblyonvanishinglyrareoccasions. created bytheexperimenterarelikeplutonium:they donotexistinna- use thejargonoftrade.Mostphenomena, effectsandevents extension ofthecreationphenomenais of“events,”to toelectric effect,theComptonandsoforth.A recenthigh-energy Many arewhatphysicistsafter1870sbegantocall“effects”:thepho- physics, thekeystonatureandsourceofmuchmoderntechnology. naturally existinapurestate.Thesephenomenaarethetouchstonesof of phenomena.Experimentersbringintobeingphenomenathatdonot ied rolesofexperiment[…].Onechiefroleisthecreation life ofitsown.Sowelackevenaterminologytodescribethemanyvar value only when they test theory. Experimental work, theyimply, has no become historiesoftheories.Experiments,thephilosopherssay, areof entific methodisexperimentalmethod,buthistoriesofsciencehave than experiment.Ourgradeschoolteachersmayhavetoldusthatsci- No fieldinthephilosophyofscienceismoresystematicallyneglected 7 6 to - ence thathelpusto“extend ourselves.” that computersimulations constituteagenuinelynewmethodologyofsci- ing situationsthatcannot bephysicallyproduced,andithasbeenclaimed lations, whichallowscientists totesthypothesesandprobemodelsinlimit- important inboththenaturalandsocialsciences:namely, computersimu- Today anewpracticeofphenomenacreation isbecomingmoreand impurities, clearingawayunwantedclutter, presentinginunusualsettings.” salient. Thismayinvolveunravellingcommonconcomitants, filteringout plifies […].Itpresentsthosefeaturesinacontextcontrived torenderthem Catherine Z.Elginstates,“affordsepistemicaccess to thefeaturesitexem- people toseewhatcannoteasilybeseenineveryday life.Anartwork,as tures of the world, and in doing so they make these features salient, allowing ena that highlight, underscore, display, or convey in theirtraits certain fea- tions butrepresentationsaswell—produceknowledgebycreatingphenom- in bringingaboutnaturalevents.Artisticexperiments—notonlyinterven- keep themseparatedagainstthebackgroundofallotherfactorsthatconcur Scientific experimentsmake“visible”certainfeaturesoftheworld,andthey ton, andofmanyothers. vided afulltheoreticalexplanationofthephenomenonproducedbyComp- course. Afewyearslater, thenewlybornfieldofquantummechanicspro- a featureoftheworldthatcannotbe“seen”whennatureislefttoherown turned out to be thatphotons, like electrons,behaveas if they are particles, surprising propertyoftheartefactand,inend,bestexplanation artefact), andfoundoutthattheyhadlostenergy. Hetoiledtoexplainthis graphite plate(theartificialsetup),analyzedthescatteringofrays a simpleexampleofwhatImean:ArthurComptonfiredX-raysagainst the natural course of things. Theabove-mentionedComptoneffectprovides certain featuresoftheworldthatcouldnotbeobservedbynakedeyesin It happensthateventsproducedinartificialsettingsallowscientiststo“see” happens inthescientificcreationofphenomena. what isrunninginscientificlabs,orsowesuppose.Butletusexamine and wehavelaboratoriesinourartschools,but“real”experimentationis When wetalkof“artisticexperiments,”arespeakingmetaphorically, anymore. shortly aftertheBigBangandcannotbeobservedinactualuniverse 9 Creationofvirtualphenomena 8

79 Paolo Garbolino 80 What the Scientist’s Eye Tells the Artist’s Brain Andrew Pickeringhaswrittenofscientificpractice as a“performance”: the instrumentalandonlyrarelyaretheoreticalconstraints altered. often theexperimentalconstraintsaremodified,while onlysometimesare of. Asuccessfulexperimentrealizesatrade-offbetween allthesefactors:very machines: thedeviceforemittingX-raysandmaterial thetargetismade energy towardatarget.Instrumentalconstraintshave todowithlaboratory experimental setup—inourexample,thetechnique of pointingasource the theoreticalconstraints.Experimentalconstraintshavetodowith fect, thetheoryacceptedathistimeaboutbehaviorofX-rayswasamong ground fromwhichthe“event”mustbeisolated:incaseofCompton’s ef- and experimentalconstraints.Scientifictheoreticalconstraintsfixtheback- tween theoryandphenomena,takingintoaccounttheoretical,instrumental, In bothcases,decisionistheoutputofaprocessmutualadjustmentbe- “done” andreadytobeexhibited. been workingformanyyearsattheLargeGlassbeforedecidingthatitwas cide when the sought-for result is fully accomplished: Marcel Duchamp had event” researchersarelookingforhasbeenproduced.Artistshavetode- is indeedagenuinephenomenonamongtherawdata,whether“golden the workwelldone?Scientistsfaceproblemofdecidingwhetherthere still shareacommonproblem:Whendoestheexperimentend?is When allofthesedifferencesareconsidered,scienceandartexperiments world” isneeded,thistheoryexpressedinnaturallanguage. data canbemadebycommon-sensereasoning.Evenifatheoryofan“art dividual activity, doesnotneedhigh-techtools,anddeductionsfromvisual data aremadewiththehelpofformalizedlanguages.Artisusuallyanin- and sophisticatedinstrumentsto“see”phenomena,inferencesfrom experiments. Contemporarysciencenormallyneedslargeresearchgroups Science and art are, of course, very different in the ways they carry out their between artandscience. territorywhereitcansometimesbedifficulttotraceadivide border a is from thehumanend,thus takestheformofadialecticresistance to captureinmachines[…]. Thedanceofagency, seen asymmetrically, entists are human agents in a field of material agency whichthey struggle mance, thedoingsofhuman andmaterialagencycometothefore.Sci- My basicimageofscienceisaperformativeone,in whichtheperfor 10 - which areembodiedinobjectsandprocedures. less interlanguages”arespoken(hecallsthem“pidgins” or“creoles”), engineering meetstheory, scientificsubculturesmeeteachother, and“word- (networks oflabsconnectedbytheWeb) wheretheorymeetsexperiment, concept of“tradingzones,”spatiallylocated(laboratories) orvirtualzones and strengthtotheenterpriseofscience.PeterGalisonhasputforward it ispreciselythispluralitythat,atoddswithappearance,bringsstability method exists.Whatindeedexistsisapluralityofscientificpractices,but We can saythat neither “the”scientific method nor “the” experimental simple responsetobegiven.” “If someoneasks‘Whatisascientifictheory?’itseemstomethereno What isScience? What isArt? constitution assignstoaestheticalexperience. tionism in aesthetics, but studyingthephysicalconstraints that our bodily of neuroaesthetics,namely, notthepursuitofsomesortphysicalistreduc- makeup andthatneurosciencehasbeguntostudy. Maybethisisthescope art theoriestothe“tacitknowledge”manyartistshaveofourperceptual in science,andmuchmore“soft”art:theyrangefromexplicitlyasserted physical andsocialsettingsoftheworks.Theoreticalconstraintsare“hard” and materialsareused,thedeviceswithwhichtheyemployed, and experimentalconstraintscanbeunderstoodasthewayinwhichtools In artisticexperimentation,instrumentalconstraintsaretoolsandmaterials, successful theoriesintothe frameworkoftheirsuccessors,andtheybelieved Positivists saw scientific change as the processof incorporating earlierand of scientificchangeandthe overallpictureofscience. piecemeal. Thispicturebringswithitimportantconsequences forouridea all atonceingreatconceptualschemesor“paradigms,” butpartiallyand even wheretherearenotgloballysharedmeanings. Meanings donottravel boundaries andcoordinationaroundspecificproblems andsitesispossible surround it. question andtothehumanframeofgesturessocialrelationsthat to goalsandintentionsaswellthematerialformofmachinein human strategyofresponsetoresistance,whichcanincluderevisions intended capture of agency in practice, and accommodation an active and accommodations,whereresistancedenotesthefailuretoachievean 11 12 13 Knowledgemovesacross

81 Paolo Garbolino 82 What the Scientist’s Eye Tells the Artist’s Brain He alsomentionsthemetaphor ofthecableandthread: crophysics University (Chicago: of Press, Chicago 1997). Figure 1:Intercalated periodization. Adapted from Peter Galison’s Image andLogic: AMaterial Culture of- Mi of abrickwallasvisualanalogyforthisview: involve concomitantbreaksintheotherpractices.Galisonoffersimage dynamics ofchange,andbreaksineachthesepracticesdonotnecessarily change atthesametime,becauseeachhasitsown“systematic”timeand ed withtheseviews,inwhichinstruments,experiment,andtheorydonot An instruments andexperimentalpractices. overlooked thecommongroundprovidedinanyscientificfieldbyshared over observation,butbothfailedtoappreciatethatscienceispracticeand ists privilegedobservationovertheory, andantipositivistsprivilegedtheory schemes andcarryingwithitachangeinstandardsofobservation.Positiv- dramatic gestalt-like“paradigmsshift”involvingincompatibleconceptual tive viewofscientificchangeispossible,andclaimedthattheorya that observationallanguageisthebedrockuponwhichbuildingacumula- by the“neutral”observationallanguage.Antipositivistsrejectedidea that theorychangeoccurswhenneededtoaccommodatenewdataexpressed intercalated periodizationofthehistorysciencecannowbecontrast- gle, goldenthreadthatwinds itswaythroughthewhole.Noonestrand its intertwinedstrands,the cablegainsitsstrengthnotbyhavingasin- In 1868CharlesSandersPeirce invokedtheimageofacable[…].With separately considered. continuity as a whole, even while deep breaks occur in each subculture making, experimenting,andtheorizing)thataccordsphysicsitssenseof its strength,itisthisintercalationofdiversesetspractices(instrument just astheoffsetsbetweenjointsinabrickwallgivemuchof as awholeanirregularstonefenceorroughbrickwall[…].And, This intercalatedperiodizationwoulddepictthehistoryofdiscipline 14 and influence.” the sameartisticproblem,“relatedtooneanotherbybondsoftradition bricks havepartiallyautonomous tempos:somethingcanbemadeusingold ivied brickwall,coveredby “formalsequences”climbingalloverit,whose devices, setups,andtheories. Theprocessofartisticchangelookslikean cal properties—aretheeffects ofthechoiceinstrumentsandtechniques, and events)whosetraits—whichcanembodyrelational aswellphysi- We can saythatartworksmakeupformalsequencesofphenomena(objects According toKubler’s idea,everyworkofartis: view a“linkedprogressionofexperiments” The ShapeofTime, whereeachfiberisa“formalsequence”thatinhis We canalsofindthemetaphorofbundlefibers inGeorgeKubler’s argument—that isresponsibleforitsstrengthandcoherence. is thedisunificationofscience,intercalationdifferentpatterns laminated, finite,partiallyindependentstratasupportingoneanother;it analogies cutdeep.Itisthedisorderofscientificcommunity—the its wholelength,butintheoverlappingofmanyfibres.”[…]These of thethreaddoesnotresideinfactthatsomeonefibrerunsthrough number asinspinningathreadwetwistfibreonfibre.Andthestrength reflected onwhatitmeanttohaveaconcept.“We extendourconceptof genstein used the same metaphornowcastintheimage of thread, as he limited strands,nooneofwhichheldalltheweight.Decadeslater, Witt- bridges ofPeirce’s timeweremadestrongbytheinterleavingofmany defines thewhole.Rather, the great steelcablesgrippingthemassive skin areofdifferentsystematicage. and thenervesareofdifferentbiologicalantiquity, andtheeye any otherorganizationofmatter, suchasamammal,ofwhichtheblood but havingalsoclustersoftraits,oraspects,eachwith itsownage,like A complexhavingnotonlytraits,eachwithadifferent systematicage, scious forethoughtorrigorousplanning. many brief.Theyarejuxtaposedlargelybychance,andrarelycon- consist ofvariegatedfibrouslengthshappening,mostlylong,and need andthesolutiontoitsproblems.Theculturalbundlestherefore of action,andthelengthsfibersvaryingasdurationeach dles, with each fibercorresponding toaneed uponaparticulartheater We canimaginetheflowoftimeasassumingshapes offibrousbun- 18 20 17 19 thataredifferentsolutionsto 16

83 Paolo Garbolino 84 What the Scientist’s Eye Tells the Artist’s Brain 2 1 sequences ofartisticphenomena. are thingsoftheworld,andtheycontributetoshaping theformsin particular settings.Theserelationalpropertiesaswell asphysicalobjects Artistic artefactsencoderelationshipsamongphysical objects,people,and stilled.” run outintodeadends[…]butthestreamofthingsneverwascompletely what wecallart:“Theserieshasbranchedmanytimes,anditoften ping ofmanyfibers”andthe“continuousseries”thingsthatmakeup tion “Whatisart?”butthisdoesnothinderusfromseeingthe“overlap- of scientificpractice.Nostraightforwardanswercanbegiventotheques- science?” butthisdoesnothindertheviewof“intertwinedstrands” We havelearnedthatthereisnosimpleanswertothequestion “Whatis Figure 2:Intercalated periodization of formal sequences. of continuityasawhole. practice embodiedinthetraitsofobjectsandeventsthatartisgivenitssense It isbythisintercalationofdifferentpatternsinstrument,theory, and so forth. be madeusingnewmaterialsinanoldwayaccording to a new theory, and materials inanewwayaccordingtoanexistingtheory, andsomethingcan hms Kuhn, Thomas tion and Change (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1977), 342–343. entifico grecoelascienza moderna(Milano:Feltrinelli,2003), 224. Quoted by Lucio Russo,in reprint ed.1976,vol.IV(Leipzig:Teubner, 1899–1974), 160,17–24. Anatolio, “HeronisAlexandriniOperaquaesupersunt omnia,”5vols., 21 The EssentialTension: Selected StudiesinScientific Tradi- La rivoluzione dimenticata: Il pensiero sci- 9 8 7 6 Bachelard, Gaston 3 12 Pickering, 11 Wilson, Stephen 10 Hacking, Ian 5 4 al Humphreys, Paul (1993): 17. Catherine Z.Elgin,“Understanding:ArtandScience,” Synthese,no.95 Topics, no.13(1982):154. Ian Hacking,“ExperimentationandScientificRealism,”Philosophical tory andPhilosophyofScience23,no.1(March1992):4. Ian Hacking,“‘Style’forHistoriansandPhilosophers,”StudiesinHis- Practice (Chicago:UniversityofChicagoPress,1995). University ofChicagoPress,1992);AndrewPickering,TheMangle 1989); AndrewPickering,ed.,ScienceasPracticeandCulture(Chicago: Today, ed.SidneyMorgenbesser (NewYork: BasicBooks, 1967),63. Patrick Suppes,“Whatis a scientifictheory?,”inPhilosophyofScience Technology (Cambridge,MA:MITPress, 2002). Face ofExperimentation,”PhilosophicalStudies,no.143(2009):33–57. “Models, Measurements, and Computer Simulations: TheChanging Philosophy ofScience,no.70(2003):105–25;MargaretMorrison, Winsberg, “SimulatedExperiments: MethodologyforaVirtual World,” cism, andScientificMethod(Oxford:OxfordUniversityPress,2004);E. eds., Academic Press,1990);DavidGooding,Trevor J.Pinch,SimonSchaffer, Gooding, of Microphysics(Chicago:UniversityChicagoPress,1997);David go Press,1987);PeterGalison,ImageandLogic:AMaterialCulture Peter Galison,HowExperimentsEnd(Chicago:UniversityofChica- iment, RightorWrong (Cambridge:CambridgeUniversityPress,1990); (Cambridge: CambridgeUniversityPress,1986);AllanFranklin,Exper University Press,1983);AllanFranklin,TheNeglectofExperiment Other ArtsandSciences(Indianapolis:Hackett,1988). Goodman andCatherineZ.Elgin,ReconceptionsinPhilosophy man, Terpstra (Chicago:UniversityofChicagoPress,1999);NelsonGood dance: A Tale ofAbstraction versus theRichnessofBeauty,ed.Bert no. 1(January1996):27.SeealsoPaulFeyerabend,ConquestofAbun- Paul Feyerabend,“Theoreticians,Artists,andArtisans,”Leonardo29, (Paris: PUF, 1951),10. The Uses of Experiment Ways ofWorldmaking (Indianapolis:Hackett,1978);Nelson Experiment andtheMakingofMeaning(Dordrecht:Kluwer The MangleofPractice,21–22. Representing andIntervening(Cambridge:Cambridge Information Arts:IntersectionsofArt,Science,and Extending Ourselves:ComputationalScience,Empiri - L’activité rationalistedelaphysiquecontemporaine (Cambridge: CambridgeUniversity Press, - -

85 Paolo Garbolino 86 What the Scientist’s Eye Tells the Artist’s Brain bd, 2. Ibid., 21 99. Ibid., 20 122. Ibid., 19 33 Ibid., 18 Kubler, George 17 843–44. Ibid., 16 15 19. Ibid., 14 Galison, Peter 13 (New Haven,CT: Yale UniversityPress,1962),85. Ibid., 799[Figure9.5]. (Chicago: UniversityofChicagoPress,1997),46,781. Image andLogic:AMaterialCultureofMicrophysics The ShapeofTime: RemarksontheHistoryofThings 87 Paolo Garbolino 88 are certainlyattackingus with thefullforceofone-dimensionality, beitin economical structuresthat wearepartofandembeddedinto,which the actofwaving,rather than drowning.Thesharksarethepoliticaland the whilethisveryhowisinmiddleoflearning theactofswimming,and the deepbluescarywatersfullofnastysharksandterrible currents—andall come aplaceinneutralornaturalcircumstances.This how isthrowninto This very do it. in it,atwithandonit.Thequestionisnotwhat wedo,buthow production, thiseconomyofattentionispartthe overallgame.We are As along-termcommitted,situated,andself-critical processofknowledge attention createdbymuseumsandgalleries,or governmentagencies. or provideanillusionofbeingoutside(orevenagainst)theeconomy I amconvincedthatpractice-basedPhDsshouldnotfunctionoutsideof perimenting? artistic researchthatexplicitlyandexpressivelyenjoysthepleasuresofex- touch: whatarethechancesofsurvivalforcontent-driven,practice-based culture. Ortostateitanotherway, withabitofdeliberatelymelodramatic of productionknowledgewithinthefieldscontemporaryartandvisual yet constructive.Thetaskistoarticulatethepremisesforanalternativeway nor doesitcelebratethebrightfuture.Thetoneissober, serious,andcritical during the last decade. The tone is neither nostalgic nor self-congratulary, es ofworkingintheeducationalartisticfieldNordicArtAcademies of practice-based PhDs. It is a line of thinking that is basedon the experienc- In thisessay, Iwillreflectonandrelatetothecurrentchanceschallenges Community The Quest for the the Participatory how is not seeking to be articulated, searching for a way to Common Good and Common Goodand

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take processesofcoherenceandcontinuity: to thequestforacommongood,thinkingwithingive-and- Alasdair MacIntyre,aThomistAristotelian,ontheneedforanalternative Thus, weneedsomethingelse;analternative.To quotephilosopher let ourselvesbefooled. currents arethehypesandflavorsofmonthbywhichwesoveryeasily schemes of economic or bureaucratic rationale. In this train of thought, the that arguesforandwithanideaofacommongood thatisnottherebefore we remainatthescaleofinteractionthatissmalland face-to-face.Itisasite of aone-size-fits-allmodel.Init,wereturntolocalsitesandconflicts, This alternativesenseofapracticeissomethingthatbasedontheopposite being jerkedaroundbyexternalpressures. and todeveloptheinternalchangeschallengesofapractice,ratherthan the extremedifficultyofdoingthingsslowly, soslowly. Itistogetcloser speed, volume, and price. It is tocomprehendtheinherentpotentialityand practice is.Thisisinordertodistanceusfromtheomnipotentdangersof the integrityandintensity, ofwhatapracticeisandparticipatory reclaim, notthestreetsorstreetcorners,butsenseandsensibility, the valuesandendsofknowledgeproduction—meansisthatwemust What thisAristotelianframe—thislonglegacyofthinkingdifferentlyabout of capitalismandthedepredationsstatepower. and thatthereforeneedtoprotectthemselvesfromthecorrosiveeffects ficient andindependentformofparticipatorypractice-basedcommunity for all those local societies that aspire to achieve some relatively self-suf- In thissituationwhatismosturgentlyneededapoliticsofself-defense M Hannula ika 1

89 90 The Quest for the Common Good and the Participatory Community around andstartbotharticulating andactinguponwhataspecifictypeor ing strategy of what it is not. Sooner rather than later, we have to turn it one onlygetssofar, andoneonlygainssomuchbyfollowing thelimit- And whentryingtocome closer, andstaycloser, tothishonestdilemma, It istoask,againandagain:Whatdowewhen wedowhatdo? within whichtheongoingprocessoffiguringout actsweactcontinues. not byseekingfixedformsofcategories,butinorder toconstructaframe Understood thisway, apracticebothincludesandexcludes.Itdoesthis what onedoes,butofhowdoesit. things professionally”isnotenough.Itmustbeanswered inthewaysnotof are doneandacteduponprofessionally. Admittedly, thelabelof“doing practice implies that things we do or try to do, to use a deliberate shorthand, out arenotconsideredapractice.Thiskindofdeep-seatedversion Therefore, asadirectlyinvolvedimplication,lotofthingswedoandact also allowsandencouragesustocontextualizeactivityinaself-criticalway. This typeofasetupisopen-endedandneverready. Itisapracticethat could wedoitmoremeaningfully, orhowcouldwedevelopitevenmore. we aredoing,askingwhatmakesthatactworthwhile,how Seen this way, we are not only able to start focusingon the very acts that that isthenpassionatelyshared. and thathasacollectivecharacterofproducingextendingknowledge tive, thatiscommittedtofurtheringitsinternallydefinedgoalsandaims, demanding list. We are searching for a practice that has a long-term perspec- What thiskindandtypeofapracticeneedsrequiresisthenindeed cally extended.” lence, andhumanconceptsoftheendsgoodsinvolved,aresystemati- that formofactivity, withtheresultthathumanpowerstoachieveexcel- standards ofexcellencewhichareappropriateto,andpartially, definitiveof, to thatformofactivityarerealizedinthecoursetryingachievethose cially establishedcooperativehumanactivitythroughwhichgoodsinternal on Aristotle,apracticerefersto“anycoherentandcomplexformofso- Following Alasdair MacIntyre, and consequently, the long trajectory based The Conditionsof OurConditions:Practice about consensus,butsomethingthatiscalledalovingconflict. the actionsbegin,butthatisdescribedanddefinedalongway. Itisnot 2 and of which one of the routesis prioritized (as in alternatives, for example be; andoftowhatdegree pre-fixedacademicrequirementsareaddedtoit; tions ofhowpractice-led, content-driven, andexperimentaltheactivitycan The mosteffectivewayto address thislackofclarityistohighlighttheques- and when. another, butcommontoeachsystemisthatitnotclearwhat,how, where to beanchoredvariesfromonenationalsettingand oneuniversitystageto lenged. Thisveryparticularwayinwhichartisticresearch floatsandaims sits withinthewholeframeofauniversitysystem are bothnewandchal- This is,obviouslyenough,partlybecausehow ing thatstaminaandlong-termperspective theyshouldstandfor. Unfortunately, thestructuresuponwhichweoftenrelyareexactlylack- plan, andthemeanstoimplementthatplan.Orisit? tions, located in universities that haveaclearlydefined profileand long-term fact thatdoctoralprogramsinartisticresearcharetakingplaceinstitu- Continuity onastructurallevelseemstobequitesimple.Itisrecognized and ontheindividuallevels. need tobeansweredforandcontextuallyconstructedbothonthestructural and cannotbetakenforgranted.Asalreadyunderlined,allthese“threeCs” lectivity issomethingthatnotpreexistentanddoescomeforfree, This wishedforandwantedlistofContinuity, Commitment,andCol- nasty sharksandterriblecurrents. a practicewithoutsolidandcrediblestructuralframeiscertainlyleftto ongoing experimentsandproductivefailuresofdoingthings.Therefore, structure thatholdsitscourseanddoeswhatitneedstodo:protectsthe matter. Anyserious,committedactislostifitnottakingplacewithina It isofutmostimportancetostressthestructuralsidethesemattersthat its circlesoffriendswithwhomittalksandgetstogetherinacollective. fects ofconsciouslybeingawareitspast,present,andfuture;without term commitment; without its continuity that is linked to its history of ef- However, nopracticesurviveswithout thestructuresthatsustainitslong- trying toachieve. individual versionofthisspecifictypeapracticeisactuallydoingand and where artisticresearch

91 Mika Hannula 92 The Quest for the Common Good and the Participatory Community the bestresultsinprivate sector, andthatareledtobelieve itisworth tions thatareaskedtoimitate thewaysandmeansthatsometimesbringout society. Theblamesitsextremelysquarelyontheuniversities andinstitu- capitalistic modeloforganizing variedexchangesingoodsandviewsa The blamefortheshortsightednessofstructuresdoes notgototheso-called remodeling thatseatforuptotenyears. and universitieswho,infact,aresittingonthesame seatwhileconstantly we havemanyprofessionals—artists,writers,andcurators—in institutions formula ofappointmentthatexcludeslong-termplanning). Butcurrently appointment oftheprofessional,whichisbasedon a three-plus-threeyears fore andatleastthreemoreyears(thereferenceruns tothedurationof they bothareembeddedwithinthestructureformore thanthreeyearsbe- is, fromtheindividualagentprofessionallyactiveinit—istoexpectthat have negativeconsequences.To askforacommitmenttostructure—that It isthislackoflongevityinpositionswithinastructurethatturnoutto to it.Italsorequireslongevityofpresencewithinthestructure. ing atthesiteinquestionandunderstandingofrelevantissuesconnected stand tallforitrequiresacertaintypeofextensivebackcataloguework- ing forcommitmentcomes,ofcourse,easily, buttoreallystandforand competence, professionalweight,andgravitythanitactuallyadmits.Ask- The problemwithstructuralcommitmentisthatitpresupposesmuchmore ment, butthelatteralsohasotheraspectsthatmustbeaddressedwithcare. hinted atintheaboveanalysisofcontinuityarealsofoundwithcommit- structural levelisnotveryclear-cut either. Granted,manyoftheaspects When scrutinizedinnuanceanddetail,thenatureofcommitmentona of romance,wegetawallflowerboringsort. when itistoooftentreatedlikeabackseatnothing,thatinsteadofflowers happens to a practice when it is not allowed to roam and to experiment, and nature—is locatedneatlyinthebackseat.Theproblemisthatwhatreally hind thewheelwhilepractice—initsmessinessandprocedural,organic and lackofvision,theso-calledacademiccontrolpartisactivelyfoundbe- in eachindividualcase.Examplesarevastofcaseswhere,becausedoubts ways fought when finding the balance between what leads and what follows perimental, halfacademic),butthatstatementdeniesthestruggleisal- Many programscuttothechaseandstatethatitishalf-and-half(halfex- a practice-basedonethatisexperiementaland/ormoreacademicversion). (each ofthemguaranteed four yearsofaresearcher’s salary).Butinsteadof for almosttwentynewpositions ofPhDsinpractice-basedartisticresearch good. Thegovernmentwas pushedandlobbied,gaveoutnewfunds den, started in 2010. The aim of it, if we want to be charitable, was indeed way andforthewrongreasonisnationalartistic researchgroupinSwe- amples of thevery opposite? The clearest case of doing thingsinthewrong right? Butwhyisitthatrealitybitesandgivesusa growing numberofex- This, trulyandduly, seemslikeitwouldnotbeverydifficulttoachieve, we sharetheknowledgetowardwhichstrive. very specificcontextofwhatwetalkabout,how talkaboutit,andhow the responsibilityofthissetcommittedprofessionals toconstructthat endeavor, theymustalwaysbemadeandshaped.Itisalsothechance a context,andbecauseaswithalltheseelements,theydonotpreexistthe then guideandguardthenextstep,experiment.Inshort,weneed group ofaprofessionalaudiencetoprovidefeedbackforthecommentsthat achieved whenwedoitalone.We needacollectiveaspect, weneedthatfirst tionally beenorganizedsincenothingwedocanactuallybemeaningfully opinions. Regardlessofthespecificfield,thisiswayresearchhastradi- out; andthanengagingintrialreceivinggivingcriticalviews structing thatfirstcircleofanaudience,encountertryingthings challenging enoughforagroupofprofessionalstocometogether;thancon- This isnotmuchmorecomplicatedthanmakingitfruitful,possible,and of eachother. there isacontinuousandcommittedwayofbouncingviewsvisionsoff question ishow, withinapractice,thepeopledoingitarelocatedsuchthat by asinglepersonorunitofpersonswhodecidetoworktogether. The each otherinintensity. Thishasnothingtodowithwhetheraworkisdone volume ofagentsdoingit,andwhenthosearenotcloseenoughto of Aristotle is that a practiceis not a practice when thereis not a certain ward. Theargumentembodiedinthedefinitionofapracticelines On thefaceofit,partcollectiveisperhapsmoststraightfor focusing on,thecontentofpractice. which wesithavelostmoreandcontactwith,creativecravingfor ways thattypeofaplayisplayed,theinstitutionsanduniversitiesin of privateenterprise,setting the clockonquarterlylogic,and imitating the doing so.Theunfortunatefactisthattheyaresobusyputtingonthedress -

93 Mika Hannula 94 The Quest for the Common Good and the Participatory Community as abridgebetweenthe structural andtheindividuallevel,accentuating start withtwoquotesfrom MauriceMerleau-Ponty. The firstwillfunction to theindividualactofacting thingsout.Forthischangeoffocus,letus Now, Iwillswitchfromdiscussionofthestructuralside ofartisticresearch The Conditionsof OurConditions:Situated Self lovely storm. on top of the activity like a cheap sticker that is blown away after the first worst of the worst scenario: theory as an ad hoc pasted element that is stuck not anywherenearthecriteriaforqualitativeresearch. Theyembodythe luckily callingitresearch.Itisanactofname-dropping sincetheresultsare each personcontinueswiththeworkheorshedid before,nowhappy-go- research process,eitheronacollectiveoranindividual level.Consequently, theme andfocus,disappearhomewithvaluehavingbeenaddedtothe to alectureortwothathassignificantlylittlerelevancetheirspecific once ayearand,well,dowhat?Shakehands,drinkbit,eatlisten They dotheirresearchindividuallyinteninstitutionsbutcometogether twenty doctoratesaretogetherinthenationalschoolforartisticresearch. ginning justanexcuse,asuperficiallystatedact.Onpaper, allofthese Therefore, itaddedsomethingonthetop,thatwasfrombe- tique againstspreadingandscatteringallthepositionsaroundoftenenough. Certainly, intheSwedishcase,governmentalbodyhadheardcri- lost cases. of wastingthemawayandsendingintowildlydifferentlocations brings thingsandpeople,argumentsforagainst,together, instead It must be concentrated, and it must be done in a collective manner that as a structure. Research isnot to be done by everyone, and everywhere. to whataserious,committed,andembeddedresearchpracticemusthave called artisticresearch.Unfortunately, thisdecisionisdiametricallyopposite fields ofartisticproduction)wouldbeabletoclaimapiecethecake then moreinstitutionswouldgetthemoney, andmoreartists(and Not sosurprisingly, thedecisionwasbelievedtobebestonebecause two oftherecipients. positions andthemoneysothatnotonesingleinstitutiongetsmorethan to eight)inaninstitutiondothisresearch,itdecidedspreadoutthe necessary volumeandconcentrationofenoughpeople(preferablyfromsix structurally locatingthis program sothatit really creates and generates the 2. 1. 1. set thetoneforarticulationofapracticefromviewsituatedself. the necessaryintertwinedconnectednessoftwo.Thesecondwillthen come togetherintheactof perceiving? “certain,” whatisthis“point,” whatisthis“view,” and howdotheyall down, takeastepaside,and ask,holdon,whatisgoingon?Whatthis Moving to the second Merleau-Ponty quotation, this is where we slow already enoughofachallenge. made, morecomplicatedthanthat,becausedealing with theextended“I”is friends, andpeoplenexttowhomwework.Itisnot, anditshouldnotbe second, andevenperhapsthirdcircleof(professionally defined)relatives, a family—notfamilyofman,butshaped byandfromafirst, all ofthem,buttheonesthatwefeelforandtry to include.Thisisthen parts intheprocess—thatis,andparticlesthat areeffectingus.Not acting agent of “I” that expands the notion of the very “I” by including constantly onthemove,andinmaking.Itisanunderstandingof its collectiveself—athatisnotgivenandstablebutmustbe ored byitswishforandneedtobeindirecttouchinteractionwith It is a being-in-the-world within a practice that is also by its character col- for whichweare. the need and necessity to be part of and part with—the being-of-the-world seen andacteduponaspotentialities.Therearenoguarantees,butthere circumstances andoursurroundings.Itisforverygoodreasonsthatweare with andconfront.Atthesametime,wehavepotentialitytoeffectour stantly effectedbycircumstances,surroundings,thepeoplewedeal for andwanttopursuefurther. Itisasituatednessinwhichwearecon- participants inshapingandmakingthecontentofpracticethatwefeel We areinamess,anditisourmess.Itthewayswetry tobepartofand structures. We arenotoutsiders,andweinnocent. We aretainted. In thefirstquotation,Merleau-Pontyarticulatesoursituatednesswithin 

point ofview.” “Things weperceivemakesenseonlywhenperceivedfromacertain world isalreadyconstituted,butalsonevercompletelyconstituted.” “To bebornistooftheworldandintoworld.The 4

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95 Mika Hannula 96 The Quest for the Common Good and the Participatory Community a process-basedprofessionalpractice. in therain,butforallindividualstakingpartandwantingtobeof of theattitudecalledcompassion.Notforsolitaryfigurestandingalone order forustodealwithitsdemands,itmustcreateandgenerateasurplus is a site we face that is absolutely, positively very confusing, and therefore in constructed, butduetotheseverylocalizedandeffectivecomplications,this of these are indeed certain. They are contested, contextual, conflictual, and addressed withcareandstaminaineachmeaningfulsituation.None to concludeitsimmediatesurroundings,allofthequestionsabovemustbe If andwhenthe“I”thatwearedealingwithisbothsituatedenlarged It has to stand there, and struggle for its recognition and its chances to say It hastostandthere,and struggle foritsrecognitionandchancestosay made fromapositionand viewcombinedtogether, butitis notmuchmore. point, orthemostacutepoint. Itisoneofmany, andit iscertainlytheone for anddefend.weshould be verycarefultoavoidbelievingthatitistheonly point iswhatwemakeofandwithit,itsomething wemuststandup brings italltogether—inordertobemovingaway again,andagain.This tain” and“aview”arethewordspoint,”which putsthespellonand And yes,intheabovestatedMerleau-Pontyquotation, inbetween“acer sites andsituations. ously connectedtothepreviousandupcomingviews ofthesameandsimilar would bemeaningless,incomprehensible.Aviewis aviewwhenitisseri- ticulate thatcontext.Itisneveraviewfromnowhere, becausethatinitself is shapedwithinthatlocation,throughcontextandongoingstruggletoar adapt to,issituatedwithinthatpositionfromwhchwespeakandlook.It The “view”thatwechoosetotake,oroutofthehabitfollow Again, itisnotwhatwedo,buthowdoit. to provideviewsandversionsoftheverypracticethatitkeepspracticing. not thereyet.Itistheverytaskofacommittedandcontinuouspractice saying that this position and this location are not automatic, and are never perceptions. We arepositioned,welocated,anditgoes nearlywithout Merleau-Ponty describesareboththespatialandtemporalaspectsofour see orbelieveweisalwaysaperceptionofandwithsomething.What cuts outmanyotherwaysoflooking,acting,saying,andstanding.Whatwe ing, saying,andstandingfromsomewhere,towardsomethingthatitself not certainty, butratherthefactthatwhateverwedo,arelooking,act- Obviously enough, what Merleau-Ponty refers to with the word “certain” is 5

- - practice, withinone’s dailyroutines ofdoingwhatoneiswhileit. ing things,ofmakingadifference. Notforissuesatlarge,butwithinone’s hope ofanopening,thechance ofdoingthingsinanalternativeway, ofchang- If thereishope,itbecause weshapeitforourselvesandbyourselves.Itisthe can welocatesomehopethatwillsustainouractivities? keeping on,whatdoweneedtodo?Whatistheadequate strategy, where In orderfortheopen-endedpracticetosurvive,in order forustokeepon The CombinedConditionsof OurConditions:Get Something Started is nothingmoreandlessthantheartoflistening. to thepointsthataremadeorinprocessofbeingrealized.This make theirpointsandwhiledoingthat,itmustreallyconcentrateonlistening must be made in a civilized way. It is an act that should, in fact, first let others motivation tocomecloserwiththeirversionsofthepoint.Itisapointthat by waggingthefinger, andnot by shoutingsothatothershavenolustor something now and also tomorrow. It is a point that must be made, but not disaster, thealmost-already-happeneddeathoflistener. are facingahugedilemma.Itisnotthedeathof author;itisthelurking heart andperhapsabittoomuchofanappetitealways needtoreturn.We ing toandlisteningwithwhereallofusemotionalhooligansahungry of whichweareallpart.Whatlackthegive-and-takesiteslisten- concentrated fashion,butamidthecacophonyofcontemporarytimes claiming thisandthat,whilesomethingelseisobviouslythere—notina and itsheartlands.Thereismuchvolume,noise,visibilityofauthors when allthewhileactualproblemhassignificantlyshifteditslocation quences oftheideadeathauthor. Andwearesobusyatthisact It is a sign of the times that we are still haunted by and hunting the conse- from theagenda. through thatlisteningisnotonlylacking,butalsohasalmostdisappeared we are—so very well trained and accustomed to speeding up and shuffling of makingthatcontext,collectivepartthepractice?We are—oh,yes passions atplay, wearenotgettingconnected,andintheprocess fact thatunlessweknowhowtolistenandwithcarethe listening? Instead,howmanyofushaveactuallyforgottenthatveryburning ation groundedinacommittedandcontinuouspracticeareactuallygoodat Now, howmanyofusthatwanttobepartacollectivegive-and-takesitu- 6

97 Mika Hannula 98 The Quest for the Common Good and the Participatory Community next toyoudo.Itisnever anissueofunderstandingitall,oragreeing chances ofwhatyoudoand inthevalueandpossibilitiesofwhatpeople ly respected confidence. A confidence, not cockiness, in both the value and The practice-basedresearch communityisacollectivebuiltuponreciprocal- again. it, open it up, and open it up to share with others, all in order to get it back impossible tofigureouthowandevenwhyonecould andwouldquestion tablished confidenceatwhatonedoeswhen whatonedoes—itis also lostandleftbesidewithintheactsweact.But without it—withoutes- cannot buyorborrow. Itisformedandframed,gainedgenerated,but What the acts we act require and what they rely on is a matter that one the stars.We givebecausewedoreallywanttoget. breathing out.Neveralone,butneverjustbyholdinghandsandlookingat of the most crucial type of export-import. It is, in fact, like breathing in and survival ofthefittest.Itisanargumentforapractice-basedsharedcollective This isnotanargumentforasocialDarwinism.Itthemodel then remembertoputback.Otherwisetheshelvesaresoonenoughempty. ing ourdeepestself-interestsasprofessionals.Because,well,ifyoutake, responses andcomments,isbasedonthemosteffectivewayofcomprehend- give-and-take processesofsendingandreceivingcritique,callingfor is theonlymesswehave.Taking partinthecommittedandcontinuous looking thatneatorpretty. Itisahorriblemess,butitourand hope andfears—prettymucheverything—inamannerthatneverendsup we wanttodothem.We wanttoinvestourtime,energy, wantsandwishes, sure formulaforanimmediatecatastrophe.We dothethings wedobecause any versionofaltruismornotionsbeingagoodperson.Thiswouldbe The actsthatweactarenotmotivatedbyandshouldbe with, stayingclose.Itisallaboutproximity. about thesameandsimilarissues.Notbyrunningaway, butbystaying until theyaredoneincohesion,togetherastheactoflovingtodisagree never evermakesenseandreachtheirpotentialitymeaningfulness moving—agile, awake,andaware.Itistheactsweact.Andthesecan We failtoliveupourownexpectations.Butwemove,andkeepon which wehavedifficulties,andinconstantlyalwaysfallshort. Hannah Arendt calleditthehumancondition. 7 It is a site and situation with Itisasiteand situation with 7 6 Hannula, Mika 5 499. Ibid., 4 Merleau-Ponty, Maurice 3 lsar MacIntyre, Alasdair 2 lsar MacIntyre, Alasdair 1 something started. and start acting the acts. We must get ready for it—ready to start getting ways thatarenotsopleasing.Therefore,wedohavetogetup,wake Because otherwisesomeoneelsewilldefinitelybedoingit,anditin is trustthatmadeandshapedinthroughparticipatoryinteraction. in themeaningfulnessandpossibilitiesofpracticesthatwepractice.It only hurtourselves.Itistrustintheactsweactandout,it to theconceptoftrust.Neverevershoulditbeblindtrust,becausethenwe be said that commitment, continuity, confidence, and collectivity all add up for thecommongoodcreatedinandthroughparticipatorypractice,itmust As awayofconcludinginconnectionwiththeoverallframeforquest caring, andfilled withthefulfillmentofserendipity. curious, that weframewithouractsactout.Thisiswhereshouldbe and collisions,buttheymustremainwithinthepractice,frame multiple andpluralrhymesrhythms,away. We needchallenges,clashes, with itall,becausethatwoulddefinitelytakealloftheair, alloftheneeded sity Press,1958),chapterV. See HannahArendt,TheHumanCondition(Chicago:ChicagoUniver See LesBack,TheArtofListening(London:BergPublishers,2007) esis, 2009),33. In andThroughthePracticesofContemporaryArt (Utrecht:Expoth- ledge, 2002),527. (London: Duckworth,1985),187. (Cambridge: CambridgeUniversityPress,2006),155. Politics, IdentityandPublicSpace:CriticalReflections After Virtue: AStudyinMoralTheory,2nd.ed. The Tasks ofPhilosophy, SelectedEssays,vol.1 Phenomenology ofPerception(London:Rout- -

99 Mika Hannula 100 constitutes thinkingas an experience. Thinking is an experience because we articulating ofrelationships orconnectionstoknowingintheworldthat Secondly, knowledgecreationisarelationalprocess.Itthemakingand principle of“learningbydoing.” cover a connection among things. This is embodied in Dewey’s pedagogical called “undergoing,”thenecessarycomplementwhen inreflectionwedis- doing anexperimentintheworldtofindoutsomething; andthepassivehe experience hasanactiveandapassiveaspect:the hecalled“trying,” thing totheandthendoessomething tousinreturn.” reflecting, makingandthinking.Quitesimply, Deweysaid,“We dosome- First, knowledgecreationisadialecticprocess.Itmovesbetweendoingand the experientialprocessofknowledgebuilding. return tothatpointafterconsideringthecharacteristicsDeweylaidoutfor ing of art holds a special place. of experiencing.Within thisrealmofexperience,themakingandexperienc- knowing intheconventionalsenseofknownfactsorthingsisbutonemode tion isexperiential.Experiencecognitiveinawidesenseand,forDewey, experimental processofinquirywecallexperience—knowledgeproduc- For AmericanphilosopherJohnDewey, knowledgeisproducedthroughthe John Dewey —John Dewey, 1929 products ofthinking,areworksart. Thinking ispreeminentlyanart;knowledgeandpropositionswhicharethe Thinking Experience as direct andcompletemanifestationthereisofexperienceas mode ofinquiryleadingtoknowledgeproduction,because“artisthemost 2 For Dewey, art is a particularly important 1

experience.” 3 4 I’ll So

use inthinking.” an experience.And“ultimately, thevalueofknowledgeissubordinatetoits is themakingandarticulatingofrelationshipsthatconstitutesthinkingas inely intellectualoreducationalact.Hence,knowledgeexistsinrelation:it rests inthediscernmentoftheserelations,andforDeweythisisgenu- come continuous.” thing whichwedoandtheconsequencesresult,sothattwobe- is theintentionalendeavortodiscoverspecificconnectionsbetweensome- idea, andthenconsideringitsworthormeaning.“Thinking,inotherwords, move dialecticallybetweenlookingataproblem,tentativelytryingoutan Education”,Museum Curator, no.47 (October 2004). Figure 1:Aneducation cycle, based onJohnDewey. Adapted from George Hein’s E. “John Dewey and 6 5 Theimportanceofexperience to theactivity of thinking M Jacob Jane ary

101 102 Experience as Thinking been calledoneofcreativechaos. to otherthings.” produced itiscondensed;and itisnosoonerstatedthanalightradiating cessive stageofthinkingis aconclusioninwhichthemeaningofwhathas Fourthly, forDewey, creatingknowledge isacontinualprocess:“Everysuc- environment isinitiatedandmeaningformed. the process is resolved or a work of artcreated, a newrelationship to the something new. Intheattainmentofequilibrium,inDewey’s terms,when the potentialheldbytheseperiodsofnotknowingto bringtoconsciousness such creativity. Inthecreativeprocess,artistsemployunclearmomentsfor temporary artasahallmark.Art,likescience,hasalways beenpropelledby innovation. The“new,” aguidepost for themodernera,has come intocon- and tension,astheythrowopentheactofmaking to experimentationand uncertain phaseofexperience.Artistsareadeptinmomentsresistance Dewey foundthatartistscareinapeculiarwayforthisuncomfortable, recovery of union” in order to arrive at new knowledge. capacity tosustain“therhythmoflossintegrationwithenvironmentand and becauseof,thistension.Thus,inordertothinkweneedcultivatethe So knowledgecomes about not in aregular, mechanicalway, but out of, “thinking occurswhenthingsareuncertainordoubtfulproblematic.” ous, confused state. Yet it is in this very state that thinking happens. That is, unfolds, Deweyobserved,itpassesthroughadisturbed,troubled,ambigu- tain. There are murky periods on the way to true discovery. As the process As aprogressiveprocess,thepathofinquirytowardknowledgeisuncer stage itbetaken,isaworkofart.” a workofart,butalso“theprocessisartanditsproduct,nomatteratwhat ing abounds.Soifthinkingisanart,thenforDewey, notonlyisknowledge we findomnipresentintheartschool,whereprocessoftryingandmak- process ofcoming to know is as important as what comes to be known. This derstood bycontemplatingknowledgefromDewey’s perspective,isthatthis achieving agoal.Whatisperhapsmostexcitingforusinartschools,asun- be rootedinvaluesbywhichonecansteerthecourseofresearchtoward before definingthegoaloractualendresult.Itiscriticalforaimto So attheoutsetitisessentialforonetoclearlydefineaimsofaninquiry observation ofagivensituationandbeginswithhavingtherightquestion. Thirdly, knowledgecreationisaprogressiveprocess.Itproceedsfromthe 11 Hence,knowledgeinitiates newinquiries. 10 7 9 This process has - 8 of artschools,butshouldbe thewayallschoolsoperate,Deweyimagined. model. And,artasameans ofcreatingknowledge,wasnotjustthedomain looking atandreflectingupon art—alsohadauniqueplaceinDewey’s social making permeated his ideal public school system. The museum—the place for As Deweycreatedhismodelforprogressiveeducation inAmerica,creative just a knowledge-building activity for the artist, but can be so for everyone. experience, artaffordsexperiencestoothers.So,the experienceofartisnot ings thatfindrelationtothelifeexperiencesofothers: arisingfromtheartist’s in ordertocommunicateandbeexperiencedbyothers, revealingnewmean- ship betweenartistandaudience,asDeweyseesit,art crystallizesexperience art. Dewey, everyoneentersacreativeprocesswhenexperiencingworkof Not justartistsundertakecreativeprocessesinmakingart;accordingto the mostofthoseessentialprocesses. becoming (whenworksareinprogress),tobethemoment,andmake school: tohelpstudentscultivateastateofconsciousnessduringperiods references andbuildknowledge.Thatiswhatwetrytoengenderatanart more awakeweare,thecanbeattunedtolocatingexperiential about andcancontributepositivelytothehumancondition. “means ofattainingknowledgesomethingelse”bywayreflection. of art are not fixed things,but are both the “outcomes of inquires” and the here isthatheasserted:“Artexperienceaknowledge.”To Dewey, works Still, ofallDewey’s ideasonthesubjectofknowledge,what ismostrelevant but foralllearning. central toaprocessofteachingandlearning—andnotjustforlearningart, to cultivateawarenessmakesitatransformingagent.SoforDeweyartis is theidealmeansforcultivatingthisconsciousness.Moreover, art’s power while as an experience.” cause it is merged with non-intellectual elements to form an experience worth- knowledge istransformed;itbecomessomethingmorethanbe- this process,“inbothproductionandenjoyedperceptionofworksart, for meaningbeyonditself. the process—theprocessofhavinganexperiencethatholdspotential about attainingthe condition of having knowledge, but also about being in ential and existsinindividual ways. So knowledge production is not just changes withtimeandspace.Itisnotdidactic.Ratherknowledgerefer Finally, knowledgecreationisadynamicprocess.Itopen-endedand 13 Thisishowartcanleadusalltogreaterawarenessand,forDewey, art 15 Thus, art is foundational to living; it informs us 12 Sothisprocessrequiresustobeaware,andthe 16 Intherelation- 14 In In -

103 Mary Jane Jacob 104 Experience as Thinking Knowledge Management Research &Practice, 2003. Knowledge-Creating“The TheoryRevisited: Knowledge Creation as aSynthesizing Process,” in Figure SECI 2: modelof knowledge creation. Adapted from Ikujiro Nonaka andRyoko Toyama’s corporations isasynthesizingprocess. and Toyama havehypothesizedthatinnovationandcreativethinkingin ness managementscholarsIkujiroNonakaandRyoko Toyama. Nonaka tion, I will consider parallels between Dewey’s philosophy and that of busi- Turning tothecorporatesectorforanothermodelofknowledgeproduc- Ikujiro Nonaka andRyoko Toyama yond apredefinedresult. outcomes andbyproductsalongthe way whenexperimentationlooksbe- place emphasisonprocess,recognizingthevaluablepotentialformultiple tion, externalization,combination,andinternalization.LikeDewey, they 17 Theydefinefourphases:socializa-

traverses multipleviewpoints onagivensubjectofinquiryandweathersthe der andchaos,mindbody, thoughtandaction,thinking andmaking),it As thespiraltravelsupward, shiftingbetweenostensiblyopposingpoles(or and groupofparticipants. picture ofreality. Hencetheirmodelisdynamic,changingwitheachcontext and practices, welcoming these diverse viewpoints in order to gain a wider compromise; ratheritisanintegrationofdifferentaspects throughdialogue tory perspectivesoftacitandexplicitknowledge.Yet thissynthesisisnota the goalofdialecticalprocessistosynthesizethese seeminglycontradic- each havedifferentpointsofviews,issharedtoform newknowledge.So theirs isacollective gers newspirals,eachleadingtoknowledge.However, unlikeDewey, it startswithobservation.Theirmodelisacontinualprocess:onespiraltrig- Their processofknowledgebuildingisalsoprogressive;similarlytoDewey, emerges fromadialecticalinteractionbetweentacitandexplicitknowledge. Nonaka and Toyama propose that knowledge is created in a spiral that Knowledge Management Research &Practice, 2003. Knowledge-Creating“The Theory Revisited: Knowledge Creation as aSynthesizing Process,” in Figure 3:Conceptual representation ofAdapted Ba. from Ikujiro Nonaka andRyoko Toyama, model whereintheknowledgeheldbyindividuals,who

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105 Mary Jane Jacob 106 Experience as Thinking knowledge canoccur. communication and understanding can happen, and where change and new be from, andevendemands,theopenspaceofBa.Furthermore,artitselfcan space thatartismade,too,bothindividuallyandcollectively. Artbenefits can betestedandfromwhichnewknowledgearise. Itiswithinsucha to occur. CreativechaosisheldwithinthesafespaceofBa,wherethings Productively among itsparticipants. edge through the very contradictions present in its dialectical process and And likeDewey’s necessarytension,Ba tion, direction,ormission,asoccurswhenagroupundertakesproject. a time.Ba persons comeandgo,sharingaconnectionrelationtothecontextfor and spacethroughdirectexperience.Ba permeable boundary—itisanopenspace—allowingforthesharingoftime space, andorganizationalboundariestocreateknowledge.Ithasanopen, Ba participatory democracy. LikeDewey’s processofknowledgeproduction, the spaceofclassroomandinlargerframeworkasocietybasedon shared context.We mightrelatethistowhatDeweysought toengenderin Nonaka andToyama employtheJapanesewordBa ideas inrelationtothoseofothers. Toyama’s modelplacesemphasisonthesharing andinteractionofone’s new ideasareformedinthoughtfulreflectionbytheindividual,Nonakaand along andupthespiral.SoincontrasttoDewey’s relationalmodel,inwhich be exchangedandconvertedintonewknowledge,thusmovingtheprocess dering asharedcontextinwhichindividuals’tacitknowledgeassetscan ness world. What becomes critical in their model is thenecessity of engen- Toyama takeadifferentstrategytoarriveatknowledgecreationinthebusi- to havetheclearaimsandfocusedintentguidedbyvalues,Nonaka ambiguous, confused”phaseDeweyspeaksoftheneedforindividual storm ofcreativechaos.However, whileduringthis“disturbed,troubled, Ba. Itcanbecomeazone,sharedandopencontextfor anyone,where is dynamicandcontinual.Itincontinualmotion;ittranscendstime, is bestwhenitself-organizing,emanatingfromasharedinten- Ba is abletoholdspaceopenforexperimentationand change generates energytoproduceknowl- is fluid;itcanchangequickly. So to denotethisspaceof Nonaka andToyama layout. both individualthought,asDeweydescribed,andof collectivethinking,as is knowledge buildingtotheprocessofartmaking.Like bothmodelsabove,it tian artscollectiveartwayofthinking.TheirCo-Creation Circletranslates The finalmodelforcreatingknowledgepresented here isthatofthe Vene- Figure 4:Co-Creation Circle, ©2011 artway of thinking. Artway of thinking in eachquadrantofthediagram byaskingamongthegroup:Hasgoalof For artwayofthinking,the creativeprocessbuildsknowledgedialectically occur. Andinthecaseoftheirartisticpractices,theseare one andthesame. way arthappens,butalsoonhowcreativethinking innon-artsectorscan each otherandwiththeenvironment.Theyseekto instruct onnotonlythe these two modalitiesof self and group togetherand into alignmentwith dialectical, relational, progressive, 18 Artway’s emphasis,however, seeks to bring continual, anddynamic.Itisacycleof

107 Mary Jane Jacob 108 Experience as Thinking engendered bytheco-creation process.Itexistsinpracticingthediagram. business model,requiresthe presenceofBa.For“artwaythinking” here, theknowledge-building processfor“artwayofthinking,”likeinthe is knowledgebuilding,and artistransformative.Perhapsmostsignificant thinking” trusttheuniquecapabilitiesofartinthis process:forthem,art creating newknowledgeischange.ButonlyJohn Dewey and“artwayof is intheundergoingthatchangehappens.Forallthree models,theaimof an integrationofexperience,newknowledgeisapplied tolife;forhim,it which knowledgeisembodied.ForDeweythiswhen, havingundergone parallels NonakaandToyama’s fourthandfinalphaseofinternalization,in Toyama, awiderpictureofreality. Artwayofthinking’s integrationphase view (withintheselforamongpersons)toincorporate, aswithNonakaand This sequenceofprocessesbringsaboutasynthesis ofdifferentpoints only tobeginanew—thoughmostimportantly—startingatanewpoint. from observationtoco-generationaction,finallyarrivingatintegration, is demonstratedbythecyclicalnatureofdiagram:processmoves models examined,theprocessofknowledgecreationiscontinual.Herethis dynamic, notformulaicorwhatDeweycalled“didactic.”Aswiththeother sive, followingtheirownuniquecoursesandtimeframes.Sothisprocessis tices thismethodology),worksofartandsocialchangearerespon- For eachprojectundertakenasacollective(orforanindividualwhoprac- moves witheachquarterturn. sciousness orcollectiveunderstanding.Sotheprocessisprogressiveasit tacit knowledgeaboutarealsituationandbecomesintegratedintoourcon- tainable innovation.Thisknowledgemadeexplicitaltersthebaselineof from there,thenewknowledgegainedcanbeconvertedintoformsofsus- tion ofreality. With artwayofthinkingthisleadstoaninspiredgesture; between tacitandexplicitknowledgegatheredthroughasystemicobserva- vation ofthegivensituationathand.LikeNonakaandToyama, itmoves The processatartwayofthinkingalwaysbegins,asforDewey, withobser the commongood? the waythingsrelatetorealitychanged?Howmightbechangedfor art schoolassessments.Therelationalaspectcomesintoplay, too.Howhas joins withself-critiqueandcritiqueofthework,apracticewellknownfrom does itaffecthowtomoveforward?Herestrategic,business-likeanalysis that phasebeenattained?Whathaslearned?doesitmean?How is - to thesharedcontext—Ba —and undertakenasadeep investigationofthe and fedoffofeachother. Itwassustainedbytheparticipants’ commitment the projectsandprograms thatcomprised“LearningModern”astheyledto The processwastheproduct.Thislearning processthreadedthroughallof The art-makingandexhibition-makingexperience was athinkingprocess. Chicago, anditspublicembracethedynamicimpulse ofmodernism? How ismodernismaliveintheirpractices?could school,thecityof in thethoughtandactionofcontemporaryartists,architects, anddesigners? questions throughasharedexperience:Whydoesmodernism remainalive in learning-by-doing, thinking-in-making. Those engaged investigated core (2008–11). Thiswasaprogramofart-as-a-thinking-process, anexercise school is“LearningModern”attheSchoolofArt InstituteofChicago An example of a collective process of knowledge production within the art about cultivatingthespaceofBa. art’s processesthanaboutselectingartworks.Thecurating processisalso tuned anartschool.Formecuratinghasbecomemoreabouttakingcareof exhibitions. ThisisamodeofcuratorialprocessIhavefoundespeciallyat- practice ofcollaborationwithartistsandaudiences,howImake For me,asacurator, Ba tively intothefuture. this process,makingithabit-forming,sothatthecyclescanoccurproduc- project, eachsemester, andeachyear, soitiscontinual.Practicereinforces an artworkorprojectiscompleted,itprogressive.Thisoccurswitheach ferent ways,theprocessisdynamic.Ultimatelyreachingresolutionwhen way, soitisrelational,andasideasgetdisconnectedorreconnectedindif- dialectic process,asDewey already noted. Connections are made along the Art practiceintheartschoolincorporatesmakingandreflecting;itisa gaged processoflearning-by-creating. where potentialitycanbeenacteduponbystudentsandfacultyinanen- also considertheexperimentalspaceofartmakingasBa.Itis Ba Curatorial Reflections School onanArt representing theprocessandonwhichtofocusattention. The Co-CreationCircleisaroadmap,safetynetandtether, amandala can alsobringaboutaspaceofpotentialityinanartschool.We might also describes the process of contemporary curatorial also describestheprocessofcontemporarycuratorial

109 Mary Jane Jacob 110 Experience as Thinking new possibilities for the use of facilitiesand finances, either unprecedented for the artists and others to be able to imagine what could be, along with insecurity, interpersonaltension,andinstitutionalfears. Itwasnecessary ing whichspeculativepropositions canraiseself-doubtalongwithcollective comfortable withthediscomfortthatcomesaproject-in-progress, dur space fornotknowingtoexist.Itincludedenablingthoseinvolvedbe then tokeepalivethespaceofBa.Thecuratingprocessmeantcreatinga My curatorialtaskwastocultivatethishybridcreative-thinking spaceand ing andreflecting,tacitexplicitformsofknowledge. creative chaos,wecycledmanytimesbetweentrying andundergoing,mak- the public.Sharingthisopen,generativeprocess,being togetherinastateof artists, scholars,colleaguesfromotherculturalinstitutions inChicago,and process tookus—individuallyandcollectively—asfaculty, students,visiting a progressivepaththatincludeddefininggoals. We listened towherethe that theendeavorwouldnotbeanexhibition),andinsteadmovedalong resisted definingoutcomesattheoutset(evenleavingopenpossibility subject withopennesstoothers.Inthisopenprocessof“notknowing,”we Figure Learning 5: Modern©2009 The Schoolof Institute theArt of Chicago. - 2 1 results.” ing isanactualpartofthecourseeventsanddesigned toinfluencethe Dewey said,“Thinkingoriginatesinsituationswhere thecourseofthink- new knowledge. perience. Itisawaytointegrateexistingtypesofknowledge andtogenerate exhibitions are a means to create and to understand, practice and to ex- faculty, betweentheschoolcommunityandcommunity-at-large.Here direct artistic collaborations; it incorporates dialogue among students and modality inourartschool.Ittakestheformofclasses,workshops,and practice ofindividualandcollectivework.Infact,collectivityisaprimary ual knowledge,andenablingknowledge building tobecarried out in the and backgroundsofthoseinvolved,valuingboththeirintuitivefact- exhibition tobeasharedsetofinquiries,drawingfromthediverseideas It istheirwayofworking.Unlikethemuseum,artschoolallowsforan ploring andresearching,whoarecomfortableintheprocessofbecoming. maybe theonlyplace.Theartschoolisacollectivecultureofmakers,ex- The artschoolwastherightplaceforthisopen-endedresearchprocess— benefited fromallthatunfoldedintheprogram. opens, thisvolumeusedtheexhibitionaspartofresearchprocessand logue thatrecordswhatisknownatthepointintimewhenanexhibition Modern: HowCreativeMindsShapedSociety.Unlikeanexhibitioncata- architects. A book emerged, too,fromthisevolvedprocess: student projects,andnewlycommissionedworksbyartists,designers, The outcomesof“LearningModern”tooktheformexhibitions,lectures, as muchpotentialpossible. desires. Buttheaimofprocessallowedustoplayoutideasandrealize course, alwaysbecomesadialecticalprocess,too,betweenresourcesand expectations, orthewayartistsandothershadworkedbefore.This,of attempt to fill an existing box—be it the gallery, the budget, institutional research agenda,andwasaffectedbytheideasthatemerged.Itnotan or asadaptedorganizationalsystems.Itwasaprocessdrivenbyourshared Ibid., 240–41. Dewey wrote that art is “A strain of experience rather Ibid., 240–41.Deweywrote thatartis“Astrainofexperiencerather University ofChicagoPress, 1981),316. Structure ofExperience,and John J.McDermott,ThePhilosophyof Dewey, Volume I:The 19 Soitisintheartschool. Volume II:TheLivedExperience(Chicago: Chicago Makes

111 Mary Jane Jacob 112 Experience as Thinking 18  17 16  Dewey, 15 14 13 181. Ibid., 12 McDermott, 11 10 Dewey, 9 McDermott, 8 Dewey, 7 505. Ibid., 6 5 McDermott, 4 Dewey, 3

Dewey, Even thoughDeweylocated hismodelintheindividual,concern www.palgrave-journals.com/kmrp/journal/v1/n1/pdf/8500001a.pdf. Management Research& Practice1,no.1(July2003):2–10, http:// Revisited: KnowledgeCreation asaSynthesizingProcess,”Knowledge See IkujiroNonakaandRyoko Toyama, “TheKnowledge-CreatingTheory Philosophy ofJohnDewey,301. ing whichcharacterizesthehumanendeavoroverall.” McDermott,The microcosm ofthepatternrelationsatworkin doingandreflect- As McDermottwrites,“Deweyseesananalysisof artasprovidinga Ibid., 182,223. ence IntoArt(Berkeley:UniversityofCaliforniaPress,2009),217–29. Jacquelynn Baas,“UnframingExperience,”inLearningMind:Experi - of thespectator, thoughthishasoftenbeenmisunderstood.Seealso ered his1957speech“TheCreativeAct”inwhichhespokeoftherole This ismorethantwentyyearsbeforeMarcelDuchampfamouslydeliv- tion, and,bybringingittopass,ourownexperienceisreoriented.” some degreewebecomeartistsourselvesasundertakethisintegra- information concerningconditionsunderwhichitwasproduced…To in whichwemakeitpartofourownattitudes,notjustbycollective Mary JaneJacob(Berkeley:UniversityofCaliforniaPress,2004),167. Art,” inBuddhaMindContemporaryArt,eds.JacquelynnBaasand For adiscussionofthisconcept,seeMaryJaneJacob,“IntheSpace from ‘premises,’inthestrict,formalsense.”Ibid.,316. cause: “While a conclusionfollows from antecedents, itdoes not follow Ibid., 495,500. 223–39. also “ThePatternofInquiry”writtenbyDeweyin1938McDermott, Dewey, than anentity[forexampleapaintingorsculpture]initself.”John Art asExperience,302. Art asExperience,14. Experience andNature,373. Art asExperience,309. Art asExperience(1934;NewYork: Penguin,2005),344.See Art asExperience,348.“We understandit[art]inthedegree The PhilosophyofJohnDewey,316. The PhilosophyofJohnDewey,495. The PhilosophyofJohnDewey,502.Thisis,inpart,be- McDermott, 19 these threemodelssharemorethantheydoonfirstsight. self-transcendence, whichisnecessaryforthegrouptofunction.Thus, vidual intheinitialsocializationstageoftheirprocesswheregoalis Nonaka andToyama speakofgroupinteraction,theyaddresstheindi- became thecornerstoneofparticipatorydemocracy. Meanwhile,though was always with the individual in relation to society. Hence his ideas The PhilosophyofJohnDewey,50.

113 Mary Jane Jacob 114 fine art,mostartuniversities havehadnochoicebuttolinktheiractivities versity, endowedwithartisticfreedomandtherighttoconfer doctoratesin the FinnishAcademyofFine Artsenjoysthestatusofanindependentuni- tried to remain aware of the limits of the addressed arguments. Although doctoral programsandartisticresearch.WhileIwas writingthispaper, I cal issuesofartisticresearch,Iwillmainlyfocuson thepracticalaspectsof I willtouchuponsomeofthefundamentalontological andepistemologi- within thedoctoralprogramatFinnishAcademy ofFineArts.Although to 2002),andasaprofessorofartisticresearch(from 2004tothepresent) The followingtextisbasedonmyownexperienceas astudent(from1997 Introduction artistic research. scribe theessentialfeaturesofFinnish(doctoral)trainingwithinfield The process,however, isnotasimpleoneandinthispaperIwilltrytode- search: artisticresearch. Finnish artuniversitiesaredevelopinganewparadigmwithinacademicre- of Finland—insteadlookingatart’s complicatedrelation toscience,the tion anduniversitiesare,inacertainway, turnedupsidedowninthecase Therefore thecommonquestionsconcerningrelationbetweenarteduca- and postgraduate(includingdoctoral)levelsaccordingtoartisticstandards. are small,autonomousinstitutionswiththerighttoexaminestudentsonpre- and theFinnishAcademyofFineArtsallbelongtothisnew“category”:they has beenestablishedinFinland.TheTheatreAcademy, theSibeliusAcademy, Finnish situationthatanewtypeofuniversity, namelythe“ArtUniversity,” It isimportanttoremindthosereaderswhoarenotfamiliarwiththecurrent Artistic Research Formalized into Doctoral Programs

ing adimensionofsubjectivityandrelativity. Inessence,thecriticsask: The artisticaspectofresearchhasoftenbeen criticizedforcontain- and whosemeaningmaybequitecomplexambiguous. verbalizations, butalsoofworksartintendedforsensoryappreciation, onstration ofscholarshipandskill)consistnotonlytextorothertypes the processandresult(whetherinformofathesisorsomeotherdem- tion—just as universities have always done—whereas, in artistic research, which newknowledgeiscommunicatedtextuallyintheformofadisserta- the world).Artsresearchinscribesinatraditionalacademicresearch, endeavor undertakenwiththemeansofart(itisdirectedfromtoward words, itisdirectedtowardart),whereasartisticresearchaninvestigative of art that are separate from the person conducting the research (in other two termsisquitefundamental. Arts researchistheinvestigationofobjects Rather thanbeinginsignificantorideological,thedifferencebetweenthese tinction isthatbetweenartsresearchandartisticresearch. conceptualresearch.Amuchmoreimportantdis- purely theoreticaland/or to research in which practice plays a more central rolethan in the so-called between thesetermsarenotrelevant,however. Theyallseektoputaname and otherhighereducationinstitutions.Thenuancesslightdifferences is no shortageofnomenclature for research conducted in art universities Practice-based research,practice-ledstudio-basedresearch—there The Concepts of Artistic Research andPrejudices Against Them for doctoraldegrees. in ordertofittherequirementsofscienceuniversityanditsstandards to science-orienteduniversitiesandforceartisticresearchintoamodule J Kaila an

115 116 Artistic Research Formalized into Doctoral Programs tion—undertaken inwriting—of anartist’s practicehaveonthatartist’s lated tothequestionofwhat kindsofeffectsreflectionandcontextualiza- Another aspectofartistic researchthathaslargelybeenoverlookedisre- a processofconstantcontextualization,whichissometimes eventoomuch. world ofcontemporaryartdemandsthatpractitioners engagethemselvesin big egoendlesslygeneratingitself”haslostitsprevalence. Operatinginthe of theselfmayberelatedtofactthatnotion oftheartistwith“a humanistic andsocial-scientificresearchfields.One reasonforsuchneglect er surprising,consideringtheincreasingprominence ofauto-ethnographyin competences. The“self”seemstohave become almosttaboo,whichisrath- es, inwhichcasetheyrunthedangerofdriftingtoo far fromtheirowncore artists may betoo careful not to focus on themselves and their own practic- only writeaboutthemselvesortheirownwork.Inactualpractice,however, There isageneralmisconceptionthatartistsengagedinartisticresearch at bestalsoserveotherswhoareinterestedinart. and academic,butitdoeshavetoproduceknowledgeinitsownfield, or othertypesofverbalization.Itdoesnotnecessarilyhavetobescientific It shouldalsobeborneinmindthatartisticresearchincludeswriting (supervisors), bynumerousvisitingcritics,andfinallyexternalopponents. place withinacircleofothersengagedinresearch.Itisevaluatedbyexperts as wellthroughseminarsandcritiquesthat,moreoftenthannot,take gogy, thatistosay, throughprofessional and competent artistic supervision work ofstudentsispromotedinallbrancheseducation—throughpeda- promoted inpractice,andhowisitevaluated?Itpromoted—justasthe ditions ofan“ordinary”artisticpractice.Howcansuchdevelopmentbe their studiesinadirectionthatwouldnothavebeenpossibleunderthecon- the practicesandworksofdoctoralstudentsmayhavedevelopedduring However, only a few critics of artistic research have discussed the fact that where they are exhibited are traditional spaces, art galleries, and museums. fer inanywayfromartmade“elsewhere”theworld,andvenues Works completedundertherubricofartisticresearchdonotnecessarilydif- to thiscriticism. of artjustastheyhavealwaysdone?Inwhatfollows,Iwilltrytorespond is theneed for so-calledresearch?Isit not enough that artistsmake works How doesthiskindofpracticedifferfromotherartisticpractice,andwhat the MAlevel,postgraduate educationdoesnotseekto“shape”students, toral research program. One key factor in this is that, unlike the BA or even Student admission is one of themost difficult andcomplex issues in anydoc- much moredemandingthanstudiesforamaster’s degree. in theprofession. This is a soundprinciple—afterall,doctoralstudiesare ing insteadthattheirstudentshavehadthepractical experienceofoperating Many doctoral programs do not like to take on recent graduates, demand- The Artist andDoctoral Education “knowledge” aredifficulttodefineandshare. colleagues andaudience,buttheunderlyingmethodology andassociated greatest benefitthatartisticresearchconfersonthe artistandonhisorher bodily andsensoryaspectsofthecraft.Itisthisgreyareathatcomprises theorizing/contextualizing), inthemeetingbetweencognitiveand fect is that whichtakesplace in betweenpracticeandthinking(orwriting/ at theexpenseofhisorherartisticcreativity. Amuchmoreinterestingef- worth hisorhersaltiscarefulnottobecomeameremechanicalproducer is nodoubtaboutit.Butthesearefairlyautomaticresults,andanyartist result? Doesitimprovetheireyesfortheartisticgame?Yes, certainly—there writing affectartistsandtheirpractices?Arethemoreconsciousasa To returntothemainquestion:Howdotheorizing,contextualizing,and in Europe or America: there is a new category known as “Artists’ Writings.” this shiftoneonlyneedtakealookattheshelvesofanymajorartbookshop and ’60sdidactuallywrite,butneverpublishedtheirtexts.Andtoverify been discoveredthatmanyartistswhowereconsidered“mute”inthe1950s in the1990s:manycontemporaryartistsareexcellentwriters,andithas ally. Thishaschangedoverthepastcoupleofdecades,however, especially compensation fornotbeingabletoexpressoneselfinwritingorconceptu- curiosity; somehaveevenadvancedthenotionthatartmakingisakindof Through mostofhistory, awritingartistwasconsideredmoreorless that a“consciousartist”wouldonlyillustratetheories. ization hasadetrimentaleffectontheartist’s freshnessanduniqueness 1940s and’50s)itwasactuallythought,rathersimplistically, thatverbal- artist’s intellectualcapacity. Inthegoldenageofmodernism(mostlyin been rathersuperficialand,insomecases,haseveninvolvedunderratingthe works. Thishasobviouslybeendiscussed,butthediscussionmostly

117 Jan Kaila 118 Artistic Research Formalized into Doctoral Programs ered along-termandgenerally solitaryendeavorforartistswhoalready Studying tobecomeadoctor is,atleastinFinland,traditionallyconsid- The HiddenPotential of Postgraduate Programs andResearch Schools runs theriskofendinginaghettouninterestingarts research. tantly, artistically interesting work. If this is not the case,artistic research not onlyaninterestingtextualresearchtopic,but also, andmoreimpor good applicationtoanartisticdoctoralresearchprogram shouldinclude givable, considering the nature of artistic research. My contention is that a which inpracticemeansdoctorsofacademicdisciplines—which isunfor tence issolved by delegating evaluation to people with formal qualifications, lines. Inartuniversitieslinkedtoscienceuniversities, thislackofcompe- which simply lack the required traditions, experience, and structured guide- This lackofexpertiseisquitecommonininstitutionsartisticresearch, theoretical knowledge. most artistsdonotpossessthiscombination,tomentiontherequired calls forexperienceintraditionalartisticpracticeaswellresearch,and criteria. Thismaysoundlikeatruism,butitisnot.Portfolioevaluation of the prospective students’ portfolios themselves as partof the admission it isatleastasimportant,ifnotmoretoconsidertheevaluation we findout?Perhapsbyreadingtheirresearchplans?Undoubtedlyso,but prospective doctoralstudentshere)moresuitedthanothers,andhowcan ness andtheinterest?Aresomeofthem(Iamspecificallythinkingabout question, andresearchplan.Butwhataboutthosewhohavethewilling- it difficulttomakealong-termcommitmentspecifictheme,research many arequitesatisfiedwithjustthepractice.Moreover, manyartistsfind It isclearthatthisnoteveryartist’s cupoftea,ifonly forthereasonthat engage criticallyintheinteractionbetweenconceptualizationandpractice. Artistic researchrequiresthatastudenthavethedesireandabilityto artistic researchonthedoctorallevel? more provocatively:Areallartists(withanMFA intheirpocket)suitedto “elements” be?Thequestioncould also be reformulated more broadly and they mighteventuallyconstituteartisticresearch?Andwhatwouldsuch research planoftheprospectivestudentincludesuchelementsthat or skills,butsuitability. Consequently, wemustask,dotheportfolioand main criterioninpostgraduatestudentadmissionisthereforenottalentand/ but is insteadconcerned with steering their interests toward research. The - - and radical,playerintheworldofart. and otheractivitiesforresearchingartiststhat entails, isatbestanew, for doctoralresearchinanartuniversity, withalltheseminars,symposia, disciplinary andartisticresearchschools:acarefullydrawn-upcurriculum tions areamoreinterestingoptionthannationalorinternationalcross- programs establishedwithinartuniversitiesaspartoftheirregularopera- For thepurposesoffuturedevelopmentartisticresearch,doctoral artists, iftheywantmoney, are,onceagain,turnedintopseudo-scientists. This involvestheriskthatart,asanon-scientificdiscipline,isexcluded,and the worldofscience(inFinlandrepresentedbyAcademyFinland). common, withgoodreason,tobeconcernedaboutgettingfundingfrom and doctoralprogramsforartists:inFinlandatleast,ithasbeenrather That said,wemustneverthelessbecarefulwhensettingupresearchschools with theirpenchantforthetraditionalideaofartisthood. in theartworld,onethatisviewedwithsuspicionbycommercialcircles experimental. We mustrememberthatartisticresearch is anewinstitution independent oftheartmarketandalsopotentiallycross-disciplinary nities to engage in artistic practice and reflection in a way that is relatively Research schoolsanddoctoralprogramsinartisticresearchofferopportu- institutions isanexcellentthingforartisticresearch.Why? networking and sense of community created by research schools and similar toral studies.Tighter schedulesarealwaysaproblem,ofcourse,butthe funded researchschoolsandotherprogramstospeedupdiversifydoc- the demandsforefficiencymadeonpublicsector, thegovernmenthas of decades,however, thesituation haschangeddramatically:asaresultof have acareerandwhoareoftenratheradvancedinage.Inthepastcouple

119 Jan Kaila 120 call for orientation in time—offering guiding ideas of progress, modernity, help of all theotherinvolvedprofessionalsandengaged laity. Thisdoesnot duced byartistsandphilosophers alike,withtheadditionalandabundant is anastonishingcrowdand afrighteningmassofartandaesthetics,pro- because itdescribesthatwhichisassembledtogether. Thereisalot. We? WhereAreWe Going?Contemporaneityisaboutorientationinspace to PaulGauguin’s findesiècletitle:WhereDoWe ComeFrom?WhatAre of timeanddoesnotappearonthescale,coordinated asananswer Contemporaneity, atleastasitisoftenunderstoodtoday, isnotacategory art and aesthetics is not a step from one idea or concept of time to another. The first obstacleis that astep aside fromprogressivehistoryof mankindin do. Butthereareobstacles. forefathers cometrue.So,sincetheywanttostartwithnow, thatiswhatwe that is, to become a young generation that will make the dreams of their yet another negation, they do not want to become successors to the crown, believe neitherinhumanity’s progressnorinGod’s providence.And,toadd neity (or contemporarity, as it is called in some other circles) because they progress andofGod’s providence.Studentswanttostart withcontempora- usum Delphini—for the successor of the crown—as a proof ofhumanity’s were inventedintheseventeenthcenturybyJacques-BénigneBossuetad ready tooexposedtospecificallyhistoricisteducationalapproaches,which contemporaneity notbecausetheylikeitmost,butwereal- not quite)atcontemporaneitytheendofcourse.Theywanttostartwith approach, starting with twentyor 500 yearsago and arriving(or, usually they, onaverage,haveincommon,isthattheydonotwant“thehistoryof” all havedifferentinterestsinartandaesthetics;someevendon’t. Butwhat I teachaestheticsto philosophers, to designers, and toart historians. They TeachingContemporary Art (andArt Aesthetics) 1 put undersuspicionthepossibilityoffindingreasons andcausesforsucha has it)thebestofallpossibleworlds.Massiveappearances ofdifferences place of human certainty and freedom, and (as Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz was stillmeanttobe,inthepost-Copernicanphilosophicalturn,aprivileged as aconsistentplacetolivein.OneofmanyplanetscirclingaroundtheSun around andacrosstheworld,itwasnotpossibletothinkaboutearth tion, becausewithoutit,inspiteofallthewaysfoundandmappedtotravel and humanartifactsphenomenacalledforanapparatusoforienta- humans andtheircultures,arts,customs.Thisabundanceofnatural and abundancesofspeciesallkindswerediscovered,includingdifferent planet-ball. Duringafewcenturies,unforeseenandunprecedentedvarieties of theworldafter1492,whencametobeacceptedasaglobe: fronted withasituationsimilartoconsequencesoftheWestern conquest lar situation,wecannotnametheCopernicanturn(1543).We arecon- In needofahistoricalexample(Imyselfcannotputhistoryaside)simi- among theactorsonstageratherthanfromaudience. they wouldliketooccupythebestplaceforseeingproductionfrom he orshewasputonthebacksideofaconstruction’s pillar. Saiddifferently: where everybodyinvolvedthinksthattheothersgotabetterplace,while sight aboutitaspossible—apositionthatweallwanttogetaspectacle, occupy thebestpointbothtogetafeelingforitandcollectasmuchin- They wouldliketotakeapositionfromwhichitispossibleseeall, if itispossibletomakeamapoutofsuchchaoticdis-cyclopaediaatall. historians, studentsneedatleastahintwheretoputthemselvesonmap, tion inandthroughthisabundance.Beingphilosophersordesignersart ultimate end,causafinalis—butratheritcallsforanapparatusoforienta- avant-gardism, retro-gardism,decline,ordecadence,eachofwhichincludes L Kreft ev

121 122 Teaching Contemporary Art (and Aesthetics) of artworks,movements, and institutionsthat,takenalltogether, maynot they offersomebetterideas abouttheastonishingvarietyandmultitude start. Thisorderingcanuse anykindofconceptsandtheories,aslong thing goes!”meansthatany kindofputtingarttoorderisanappropriate freedom ofartistic possibilities and the end of art history, while now “Any- because inpostmodernismthephrase“Anythinggoes!” meantanewfound put in a menu order before digestion. This is not postmodernism anymore, so ithastobediscoveredbytaxonomicenumeration ofcasesandinstances, somewhere, butwecouldmissitbecausehave so muchinfrontofus, a declineandfall,perhapsevenascatastrophe). “New” isalreadyhere toward afuture(understoodastemporalmovement toperfection,oras “the new” will arise as a consequence of historical movement of modernity of a chaotic crowd into manageable order. It is not expected anymore that as theyare,insteadputtingsomesenseintothemthroughanarrangement knowledge thatdetestthem.Taxonomy meanstoavoidacceptingthings omy dependsondefinitions,incontrasttopresentconditionsofacademic difference betweensupposedlyChineseandWestern encyclopedia. and callingfortaxonomy, mapping,andacompass.Taxonomy showsa Contemporaneity isanameforspacesimilarilycrowdedwithartifacts, could testifytothat. we liveinunbelievablechaoswithoutanyhintoforder. Somebaroqueideas our world is,ultimately, not really the best of all possibleworlds,and that were otherwaystried,amongthemculturalpessimism,maintainingthat this abundantmassofcollecteddatacouldbeconstructed.Ofcourse,there to produceorientationfromthefirststepon,beforeanyideaofanend innovations wereusedintaxonomy. Theimageofthewholewasnecessary used in traditionalmuseums before interactive media, video,and similar age, andintoadepartmentalizedideaofthewhole.Thebasicconceptwas animals, people,customs,cultures,etc.,intoacertainandcontrollableim- Taxonomy wasinventedtoarrangeaseeminglyinfinitevarietyofminerals, probably becauseitsprominentpositionhasbeentakennowbystatistics. tioned onlyasasideauxiliarytomorefundamentalscientificfields,very an independentscienceinitself,butwhichisnownearlyforgotten,ormen- tude offoundobjects,aneedwhichgavebirthtotaxonomy,became The first need, therefore, was for some discernibility of a plan in that multi- end initself,aconclusionthatoffersthefinalcauseofwholenarrative. rative: itsend.Endisnotjustafinalcomaofstorytellingbuthastobean state, and—moreimportantly—itquestionedtheessenceofprivilegednar 2 Taxon- - art species.Thataninfinity of infiniteprogressis bad infinity(schlechte or atleast,envisage,acontemporary artworldofaninfinitenumber worlds. Thesecondobstacle isnotthequestionofhowwecanunderstand, which startsfromanon-Leibnizian world—notthebestofallpossible The secondobstacle,however, isnotthistaxonomicapproach,anapproach analogue toCharlesDarwin. rather a well and acceptably arranged collection. We are still in need of an contemporary art,andevenwhenwedogetthere,it willnotbeatheorybut At thismoment,westillhavenotarrivedataparallel toCarlvonLinnéin make asmanytaxonomicimagesofcontemporary artasmaterialallows. that isobviouslydifferentfromoftheneighboring museum.Onecan it isapreferredmodeofexistencetohavetaxonomy ofcontemporaneity in it. Contemporary art museums each have a taxonomy of their own, and potential enrichmentofthecollectionthatalreadyhassometaxonomybuilt past, andtoexhibitnewmodernartworksnotascontemporaryartbut presupposed future,inordertocollecttheirpermanentexhibitionsfromthe ern art appeared when modern art already had some past, but also some ern art,whichmoreorlessfollowedonecommonmodel.Museumsofmod- This ismuchdifferentthanwhathappenedinthecaseofmuseumsmod- as therearecountrysides,fromonecontemporaryartinstitutiontoanother. tion. Untilithappens,thereareasmanywaystodescribethecountryside Taxonomy hastobegenerallyacceptedbecomeagoodtoolfororienta- “This ismineral!AAnotherAgainamineral,”andsoon. the worldtoanother, hilariouslypointingatrocksandrepeatedlyyelling of akinddescribedbyKarlMarx:mineralogistjumpingfromoneside popular anymore.Themethodisliketheconstantmovementofascientist is preferred,becauseoptimismaboutaharmoniouswholeofartnotthat worth mentioning.Thesecondideologicalpositionaboutcontemporaryart an ideologyofcommonfamilyorigin,or, inpessimisticcases,ofnoorigin It isanempiricaltaskbuiltonideologyofpreexistingorderand distances, altitudes,anddepressionsalongwithsimilaritiesdifferences. point of an end. It has to be able to move around the countryside, measuring trol, but,asintheexamplementionedabove,itdoesnotneedafixedview- hellish origin?Thetaxonomicgirdlehastoplacethefieldundersomecon- come fromAdamandEve,ordosomeofthemhaveamoredivine porary arttheonlymarkoffamilyresemblanceleft?And,doworksall when youdonotshareafamilyresemblance.Iscontemporarityofcontem- even fallintothesamefamily, becauseinfamilyyouhavetoberelated,even

123 Lev Kreft 124 Teaching Contemporary Art (and Aesthetics) art thatglamorizeseverydayrealitywhilepretendingtoanalyizeit.” unmistakably everydayart,neitherkitschnorhighbutanin-between through Donald Kuspit’s diagnosis that “postart is completely banal art— which hemeans“acombinationofdisinterestanddistrustinart,” Michael Kelly’s conclusionthat all aesthetictheoriesareiconoclastic,by temporary artisdisliked.We canseethewholefieldin combination through Once again,art’s fateincontemporaneityisdeploredor criticized,andcon- causa finalis—or, theviewofanend. of Kant’s thirdcritiqueisirreparablybroken:theviewof hope—oftelosor specifically human horizon, fall outof thepicture,and thefollowing view action andtranscendence,whicharetightlyconnectedwiththefutureasa book ofthesametitle,which appearedattheendofnineteenthcentury, Entartung wasnotaNaziinvention. TheyadpoteditfromMaxNordau’s slogan against post-classical music, for instance, would not do anymore. But familiar Entartung(“degeneracy”),embraced byNazi Kunst politicsas a his termEntkunstung,however, becausethemorefamiliarorperhapstoo misunderstanding betweenartanditspublicisincreasing. Adornocoined anymore, andanotheristhatbecauseofsuchnecessity thedistanceand because the world is not harmonious and even its prespectives aren’t bright resent truthwithoutdestroyingitsownmaterialand meansofexpression, Entkunstung, whichhastwosides:oneisthatartcannotcontinue torep- The wordDesartizaciónisaSpanishtranslationofTheodorW. Adorno’s look foranexplanationthebestapproachistotake it fromthetitleonward. art’s end,andofartaftertheenditsend.Thissoundscomplicated,butto “the endofart”theoriesthathavenowbecomeaboutthe realization of human existence. tivity startswithabreakthroughtomoveinthedirectionoffreedomas Unendlichkeit) isoneofHegel’s mostinsistentpoints. for remembrance,thatis,history,” for our lives? Art used to be important as action that “creates the condition is it possible to like contemporary art, or tosee it as an action important able schemaforcontemporaryartbutalsoageneraltheoryofit.Buthow conclude thatinduetime,wewillbeabletoconstructnotonlyanaccept- with itsfinity. Thatmuchisunderstandableandreasonable. We canstill in contemporaryart,andhavenotreachedthepointofsynthesisinfinity taxonomy ofartshowsthatweareatapre-theoreticalstageexamination Paradojas delartesin fin nally, wearriveatculturalpessimism.GerardVilar’s studyDesartización: 8 speaksabouttraditionand centemporaneity of 5 With contemporaneity as approach, both 4 or, wheretranscendentalsubjec- 3 Badinfinityinthe 6 and 7 Fi- contemporaneity isitsnew stageorform—thenintermsofaesthetics persistent steadiness.When wespeakaboutartascontemporaryart—that neity, and it does not hope to develop into something new but to develop It doesnothopeforfuture progressbutforanextensionofcontempora- even alotofsenseandperhapstoomuchsense,but ithasnoendinitself. Contemporaneity asaplacewithoutprogressivetemporality makessense, and philosophical debate,discussion, and polemicsarenotreallypossible. clusion: concerningcontemporaryart,fundamentaland substantialaesthetic withmanysimilarcasesfromothercultures)leadstoanother con- (together which all participants of the general debate did not necessarilyshare. This were quitebanalarguments,asalloftheother argumentsonthelist, it isseparatedfromitspublic,whichcouldnolonger understandit. more, thatcontemporaryartisnothingbutaproductofmarket,and all agreedthatnoaestheticcriteriashouldapplytocontemporaryartany cratic or authoritarian,general publicor intellectual specialist. Thesegroups enter thedebate,withoutanydifferentiationbetweenleftandright,demo- three mainargumentsagainstconteporaryartbelongtoallofthosewho porary artwereanalysedbyYves Michaud.Hegavethefirstlistonwhich in Francejustalittlebitlater. Frenchpolemicsaboutandagainstcontem- questioning happenedintheUnitedStatesatbeginningof1990sand of publicquestioninghighart’s elitisminthenameof democracy. Such end ofartfromthemetaphysicalintophysicalworld,andbeginning This includestheendofavant-gardesasmovementsthattransported with anendtosatisfyanybody’s historicalappetite? it. Shouldwereallyblame art fornotbeing “Hello telos!” home delivery, possesss anyendinitself,butitrepeatedlydemandsthatartshoulddeliver for art’s contemporaryexistenceshould be given.Contemporaritydoes not pessimism isataxpaidfortaxonomyinplacewhereanautotelicreason and totheconsequenceshishealthyZionistideologyofarthad.Cultural art, andoftheabsenceanyendinbycomparingittoMaxNordau, Adorno butarealneedtorereadthecontemporaryaestheticsofend American Negromusic.WhatIhaveinmind,however, isnotcriticismof if wetakeintoaccountthatAdorno’s mostsophisticatedcriticismisthatof Nordau andTheodorW. Adorno,butnotaninsurmontableone,especially should be in asylumsandnotart.There is agreat difference between Max were decadentandevenmentallyorotherwisesickabnormaltypeswho and, foundedinCesareLombroso’s views,claimedthatcontemporaryartists 9 These

125 Lev Kreft 126 Teaching Contemporary Art (and Aesthetics) with. Butcontinuityasamovement ismuchmorethanaresultofrivalry. It relatives, quiteoftenalso having togiveupwhattheyhadalreadystarted of modernart,whichfound themselvesovernightinthepositionofdead This comesoutalsoasaresult ofrivalrybetween“outfashioned”museums period beforeWorld War IIuntouchedbytheinvasionofcontemporaneity. of twentiethcenturyas“contemporary,” andleavingmoreorlessjustthe with the1960sandevenbeforethat,declaringnearly thewholeterritory trary to some of Terry Smith’s views, they do not start with the 1980s, but art institutions, now spread around the world inan epidemic tsunami. Con- is continuity. Thismovementofcontinutyisquitevisibleincontemporary not representhistoricmovement.Theonlymovement ofcontemporaneity manageable, but it is not autotelic; it does not contain an end because it does any end.Theimagewegetistaxonomicallyacceptable andpossible,even least makesense,evenifthistaxonomycannotassurethataestheticshas thetic approachesandtheirrespectiveculturalturnsinthe1960s,whichat to AbstractExpressionism,butwhichprovideduswithatableoffiveaes- Clement Greenberg’s insistenceoncontinuityinpainting fromRenaissance Baumgarten toKantHegelandon,whichgavearesultquitesimilar aesthetics tionary compartments?MarioPerniolatoldthestoryoftwentieth-century ria), achronologicalcronicle,ortaxonomicalredistributionintoevolu- the storytoldaboutit.Isitawithanendinitself(ahistory—histo- century thathasalreadypassedaway. Whatcouldbedoneandredoneis can beaddedtothestory, andnonewaestheticviewcouldemergeina Tate ModerntotherenovatedBeaubourgandelsewhere.Nonewartwork and fillupallbuildingsdevotedtoartofthetwentiethcentury, fromthe nomena as contemporary, which is amuchbetterwayif you have to fillin adapts pastforpresentuse,taxonomyisused,whichtreatsallofitsphe- but notnecessarilyasthepast.Insteadofhistoricization,amethodthat tieth century, alreadyoverandcomplete,arerepresentednowasbeingover, that has always alreadybeen there: aesthetics,aswelltheart of thetwen- To giveanotherexample,morerecentthandiscoveryoftherestworld because whatapplieshereismoraltasteforartamongthemajority. issue ofautonomyartdoesnotapplywhenpublicfundsareconcerned, gal issue.And,aspoliticaldebatesoncontemporaryartshow, eventhelegal has notelos,whileautonomyofart,depriveditsend,becomejustale- more. Notbecauseitwouldnotpossessautonomyanymore,but contemporaneity, wehavetoadmitthatartisnotanautotelicworldany- 11 toprovethatitshistoryisconsistent,fromAlexanderGottlieb 10 end andpluralityofcauses isart’s problem.Itismuchmorethanthat. cause forart-making.But wecannotsaythatthisdeficiencyorabsenceof or evenmostofthetime, the mainphaseofartisticactivityistodiscovera cal usesforartworksdifferentcausesasincontemporaneity. Sometimes, was justoneofthearts—thatis,technicalskills—were thereasmanypracti- tive therapy. Notevenintimesbeforetheautotelicviewonart,whenart engaged, preachingecologyormorality, orofferingstresscontrolnarra- scientific, cultural,civil,public,intimate,community oriented,humanrights this causecannotbeautotelicanymore.Anywould do,beitpolitical, to proveitsrightexistencebydiscoveringacause foritsexistence,and work wassubjectedtothoseruleslongbeforeanyway); itmeansthathas not meanthatartisnowsubjectedtomarketand commodityrules(art- to existbeyonditspositionofpost-industryandcreativeindustry. Thisdoes without endinitselfandpracticaluseassuch,hastoproveitsright tently witheconomyastheprevailingimageofcontemporaneity, art,being trace ofartisticreligionleftincontemporaryart.Whatisleft,then?Consis- tin Heidegger, TheodorW. Adorno, andHans-GeorgGadamer),thereisno final effortsputintosuchanunderstandingofart’s end (asinthoseofMar end, whichwasaredemptionofhumanitybythereligionart.After much aswewant,butcannotawakenthedeadbodyofart’s modernist out practicalorusefuluse.We candiscussmodernityand postmodernityas or part of the so-called creative industry, it kept its looks as something with- ing andopposedviews.Evenafterartbecameanotherkindofpost-industry, tific andnaturalworld(Lebenswelt),addingathirdtotwoalreadycompet- notion ofart.Thisturnsartintoanotherworld,asidefromthescien- autotelic. Contemporaneity complicatesthingsifwe stick tothe autotelic The thirdobstacle,therefore,isatraditionalandpersistentnotionofartas not comefromthesamefamily, familywoulddisapear. Without changingallthetimebecauseofinclusionnewmemberswhodo proud narrationofcontinuitywithoutanyotherendbutitself. at all.Butfamilyresemblanceisalwaysquitealotmorethanthat:it share familymembershipwithoutanysharedresemblancebetweenthem the enumerationiscompleteandcomprehensive,atleasttwomemberswho rather afamilytreeasanopenandinclusivenotion,wherewecanfind,if claim thatwhatthecomponentsbelongtoisnotaparticularessencexbut tions. AfamilynotionisanenumerationofA,B,C,D,…toX,Y, Z,anda opens another aspect of Ludwig Wittgenstein’s introduction of family no- -

127 Lev Kreft 128 Teaching Contemporary Art (and Aesthetics) time produces food for thought and spectacular experiences for and the senses. thought for food produces time nowadays means“critical” and“engaged”)approachwhichatthesame logo-motional activityina scientific,artistic,andpoliticallycorrect(which to understandthatitisa resultofgreatcollectiveefforttodressBMW’s to getusintheneighborhoodofDonaldKuspit’s post-art,butwehave This phenomenologicallycoloredtaxonomicstatement couldbe(ab)used we asindividualsnavigateinaworlddefinedbyplurality andpolyphony.” able energyisthefactthatitenhancesoursenseof responsibilityinhow so interestingintheresearchonmovementandenvironmentally sustain- one obviouslyalsonegotiatesthewaytime-spaceisconstructed. WhatIfind self-perception andthewayweengagewithworld […].Indrivingacar, cial, physical,andpoliticalfriction.Thus,movement hasconsequencesfor movement inspaceimpliesfriction:notonlywind resistance,butalsoso- strong willtokeepthespecialBMWimageintact.Eliassoncomments:“Our exemplifies thecarindustry’s concernaboutglobalwarming alongwitha aesthetic one.”Thismetal-and-ice-covered,hydrogene-poweredautomobile as “anexperimentreally, asmuchasocialandpoliticalinterventionan being “areminderoftheprofoundeffectdesigncanhaveonourlives,”and global warmingandtheautomotiveindustry.” a workofartthatcriticallyandpoeticallyreferstotherelationshipbetween “Eliasson’s projecttransformsanobjectofadvancedindustrial designinto creative processandresultinterwovenwithcausespurposes: of thecar’s presentationon,weobserveapictureof contemporaryart’s ing.” ForEliasson’s project,ontheBMWhomepage,from thefirstsentence as JeffKoons,whocontinuedwiththeprevioustraditionof“carpaint- in 2007.Hisspecialtouchwasmorethanconfirmedbylaterartistssuch of thedecisiveinspirationsforVenice Biennale’s “MakingWorlds” title these artists didwas design—including Eliasson, who is very probably one to RobertRauschenberg(1986)andOlafurEliasson(2007).Whatallof exander Calder(1975),RoyLichtenstein(1977),andAndyWarhol (1979) tion withgreatartistsinvitedtodesignnewraceandsportscars,fromAl- artistic designsforaBMWArtCar. BMWhasalonghistoryofcoopera- Jennifer McMahon,whoturnedmyattentiontoanexcellentexampleof bon-vivant of life,whichsupported,forinstance,aPlayboyfiguresinglemale it wasstillthereasoneofthemostimportantsymbolsa“macho”way car becameasymbolofprogressalmostimmediately. Duringthe1960s, chines, especiallytherailway, andtheslightlyyoungerflyingmachines, Let us take the caseofcarvelocityandprogress.As with previousma- 12 , analyized by Beatrix Preciado in her study. I have to thank 13 Hisworkispresentedas strategy, whichmust,againstthecompany’s imageasaproducer ofex- ness doesnotextendbeyond thelimitsofBMWcompany’s marketing other awarenessinvested in thisspace,butthecriticalrangeofthataware- artistic intervention.There isanetworkofsocial,political,cultural,and of amodernistendartwegetpurposethatwas alreadytherebefore project andresultexceptfortheproductionofsuch cars—thatis,instead a carasanartwork,cannotgiveusany other endfor this veryelaborated Brillo boxeswereintheStableGallery. Itisaresultthat,whilerepresenting polar spaceinwhichacarissituatedsimulation ofanartworldasonce developed fromstrangebodyimpressionsweexperience whenweentera about generalcircumstancesofcar-making critically, withsocialawarness a numberofcauses.Theresultisnotonlyanartwork thatmakesusthink than itneedstoproduceartisticdesignmastery. Inshort,itneedsacauseor produce animpressionofsocialandenvironmentalawarenessevenmore the otherside,artistictouch,ifitwantstokeepitscredibilityalive,has ucts ofdesignandmarketingstrategies,notengineeringitself.On especially wayoflifeitpromisestoitsowner. Nowadays,carsareprod- carossery ascomponentschangedinfavorofacar’s image, trademark,and by anoilcrisis.Upuntilnow, however, therelationshipbetweenchassisand just foradvertisingissues,asapartofmarketingwhichwasputindanger but reallyproducedbytechnology. Thecarneededsomehighbrowtouch car appearedasanothersortofcanvasscoveredwithpaintingbyanartist, by engineers, following theirideas and plans, so that in the final product the The ArtCarmeanttoputartisticallydesignedcarosseryonachassismade the worldwasprogressingtoitsendonpathpavedbyenlightenment. result ofadvancedtechnologywithsymbolicaestheticappeal,aproofthat At thebeginningof1970s,caritselfwasstillanartworkinitself,a a carisstillstatussymbol.Whatchangedaswelltheofartwork. ter isnowmuchlesspopularwiththeartworldpublic,buttopossesssuch were symbolsofscientificprogress,butalsounleashedmanhood:thelat- temporary art in perspective. During the 1970s, sport cars of high velocity with itsArtCarprojectinthe1970s,itispossibletoputthisworkofcon- of social,political,environmental,andothercauses.BecauseBMWstarted other issues.Theresultisanartworkwithsupportingarchitecturalelements other expertsmettodiscussartistic,social,political,environmental,and studio, wheremorethanfortyscholars,artists,architects,scientists,and and abook,butwhatisreallytypicalarethepreparationsinEliasson’s technology comparabletothatofacaritself.Theprojectincludesfilm develop to had Toexperts of buildthisstructureofice,Eliasson’s group

129 Lev Kreft 130 Teaching Contemporary Art (and Aesthetics) takes overonceagain? problem. Theproblemishowlongcancontemporaneity lastbeforehistory normal, asanangelusnovusreposinginaviary. Contemporaneityisnota of ashelterplacewherewecanavoiddecisivemoment andcontinueas poraneity isnotsuchamoment,momentofcrisis—it istheproduction ment whenwearewithoutanycertaingroundsof itsoutcome.Contem- already beentaken,sothatthebodyjusthastolive ordie:adecisivemo- ment in time when disease iswell developed and allavailable medicine has and itsaestheticsarenotartofincrisis.Crisisisamo- possible toavoidmakingachoicebetweenfinalends.Contemporaryart for isnotunendingprogresstowardperfection;ithopesthatwillremain Contemporaneity isaplace-spaceunabletoproduceanend.Whatithopes misleading anddangerous. out fromart’s magichat:thereisnoanymorebecause itprovedtobe contemporary artcannotcreateanendbecausethereisnowaytobringit involved withitanymore.Itmeansthatcontemporaneityhasnoend,and art doesnotmeanthatthere still isone but thatartdoesnotwantto get and coulddomorethanthat.Theabsenceoftheendfromcontemporary not agreewiththiskindofcriticismifitinvolvesanideathatartshould of rawsocialmaterialismistakenforanimaginativetriumph.” its rawmaterialhasbecomeblurred,sothatthemechanicalreproduction difference betweencreativeimagination and the banal reality that itusesas reality butinfactisunwittinglycollusivewithit.Postartartwhichthe ity whilepretendingtoanalyzeit.Postartclaimsbecriticalofeveryday kitsch norhighart, but an in-betweenart that glamorizeseverydayreal- apply: “Postartiscompletelybanalart—unmistakablyeverydayart,neither these polemicalstatementsonpost-artbeforeEliasson’s project,buttheydo what thecompanyneeds,andthatisitgotfromart.Kuspitwrote the earth.Acarbecomesavehicleofpoliticalcorrectness,andthatisexactly they, bydrivingBMW, supportalltherightcauses,includinghealingof environmental issues,givingitsrichclientsenoughexcuseforafeelingthat another image: that of a company aware of social, political, economic, and pensive, wasteful,andenvironmentallyunacceptablemachines,construct 14 Still,Ido ihe Kelly, Michael 6 Patocˇka, Jan 5 Arendt, Hannah 4 3 2 1 versity Press,2003),xi. human conditionbetween labor, work,andaction. Aristotle’s theoryofthesoul, but alsofromArendt’s descriptionofthe through (onatimescale:thefuture).Hisideashere arederivedfrom production (onatimescale:thepresent),andmovement ofbreak- in theworld(onatimescale:past),movement ofself-expansion/ three movements, but in descripiton,they are: a movement of anchoring his owndifferentformulations,andtranslations forPatocˇka’s enologische SchriftenI(Stuttgart:Klett-Cotta,1990),248–67.Thereare cago Press,1970),9. Giovanni (Cambridge:CambridgeUniversityPress,2010),753. Georg Wilhelm FriedrichHegel,ScienceofLogic,trans.Georgedi Sciences (NewYork: Vintage, 1994),xv. See MichelFoucault,TheOrderofThings:AnArchaeologyHuman it isaddressedinEnlightenment’s A-B-Cregulationof allknowledge. as arealplaceandculturebutrathertheChinaof“Orientalism,”where Foucault’s famousquotefromJorgeLuisBorgesdoesnot concernChina originated fromnature. necessity, or, asKanthasit,forhumanstobecomesupranaturalbeings but rathertoourhopeforperfectionoffreedombuiltintotheworld (“final cause”),something thatdoesnotbelongtothingsofthisworld sibility thishopehastocometrue)isinmyviewanend,acausafinalis purpose, asinpracticalphilosophy, butratherabouthopeandthepos- sometimes howKant’s “telos”istranslated,butteleology isnotabout that itispartofhistoricalnarrative.Second,purposiveness(which tween past andfuture,thus part ofhistoricalnarrative which knows different. First,contemporaneityisnotpresent,becausepresentinbe- meaning, thusmakingthemseemfated.”Myapproachisjustslightly them bygivingsomesortofpurposiveness,appropriatenessand events inasystemorpatternthatsimultaneuslyqualifiesandtranscends cious presentratherthanaconsistentnarraviteintegratingsomeofthese that is,thecontemporaryisaquantityofeventsassociatedinspe- “The ‘contemporary’bydefinitionisnotnecessarilythe‘historical,’ http://www.artnet.com/magazine/features/kuspit/kuspit4-14-05.asp. See DonaldKuspit,“TheContemporaryandtheHistorical,”ArtNet, Donald KuspitlecturedonthisissueinMexicoCityJanuary2005. Die natürlicheWelt alsphilosophischesProblem:Phänom- Iconoclasm inAesthetics(Cambridge:Cambridge Uni- The HumanCondition(Chicago:UniversityofChi -

131 Lev Kreft 132 Teaching Contemporary Art (and Aesthetics) Kuspit, 14 13  12 Perniola, Mario 11 10 9 ead Vilar, Gerard 8 Kuspit, Donald 7 vs Michaud, Yves drives.com/artcars/bmw-artcars-eliasson.php. All quotesonEliasson’s ArtCarareavailablefromhttp://www.bmw lona: EditorialAnagrama,2010),8,9,10,17,41,120. needs apropervehicleaswell.SeeBeatrixPreciado, Pornotopía(Barce- well, andPlayboydidfollowtheideathatsuchliberated men’s pleasure space, sexuality, pleasure,andtechnology. Alloftheseapplytocarsas open andsecludedmen’s worldof“pornotopía”with fourelements: tions asapleasuremachinemeanttocreatespecialandsimultaneously for adults.Thisisrepresentedinanactivebachelor’s home thatfunc- mesticity, andthatthePlayboywayoflifecreatesakindDisneyland that thePlayboystyleoflifemeansmen’s liberationfrom ideologicaldo- Hefner’s—Playboy’s—launch of architecture and sexuality. Her thesis is azul” atthePlayboymansionof1962,becauseshedealswithHugh importance ofsportcarsspecifically, withtheexceptionof“Porsche In herstudyof“pornotopía,”BeatrixPreciadodoesnottouchonthe Arts andHumanities(Boulder, CO:Westview Press,1992). ture andDemocracy:SocialEthicalIssuesinPublicSupportforthe indecent, andpoliticallyincorrectart.SeeAndrewBuchwalter, ed.,Cul- dom, butratherabouttheuseofpublicfundsforsupportobscene, The argumentwasnotabouttheautonomyofart,orart’s free- for July1989inWashington, andcanceledonemonthbeforeopening. plethorpe’s retrospective “ThePerfectMoment,”whichwasscheduled of 1989andthatcontinuedwithcontroversyoverRobertMap- spring controversial artthatbeganwithPissChristbyAndresSerranointhe As provedinthedebateUnitedStatesonmorallyorpolitically ciones UniversidadSalamanca,2010). Press, 2004),91. The EndofArt,91. Desartización: Paradojasdelartesinfin(Salamanca:Edi- La crisedel’artcontemporaine(Paris:PUF, 2005),16–17. L’estetica delNovecento(Bologna:IlMulino,1997). The EndofArt(Cambridge:CambridgeUniversity 133 Lev Kreft 134 and 1990s in New York and that entails a look at the mechanisms that philosophy thatisanoutgrowth ofamomentIlivedthroughinthe1980s the panorama,andIcount myselfamongthem.Iteacharatherhome-baked nials (FrancescoBonami),andso on.Therearelessobviouscontributorsto temporary arts spaces (Marta Kuzma), and visitors who have directed bien- Ulrich Obrist,CarlosBasualdo,AngelaVettese), directorsofvanguardcon- There areprofessionalswhorundepartmentsorentiremuseums(Hans ed. The teachingmodelstaughtintherealmofart of displayarevariegat- sive go, dispatchwhattheyknow, andthenrecedeagain,totheirfarfrompas- blissful atmospherefor the most part prevails, whereby teachers come and ments, letalonecaughtupininter-departmental oruniversitypolitics,a professors intheartsarmarebarelyembryonicfluidofdepart- academic in-fightingthatcharacterizesmuchofuniversitylife.Sincemost This approach,oddly, liberatestheartsarmofuniversityfrom but notlife-sustainingprofession. preach, butwhomustsucceedinthis,aspart-timeteachingisawonderful This exposesstudentstoindividualswhomustnotonlypracticewhatthey university isthattheyemployalargenumberofpracticingprofessionals. The uniquecharacteroftheart,theater, design,andfashionsectionsofthe Michelangelo. artist,” whichhasbeenthemodelforartmakingatleastsincetimeof deliberate stepawayfromthetraditionofartiststhinking“Iambest the FacultyofDesignandArtsatIuavUniversityVenice. This shortessaydescribessomeofthecharacteristicsarteducationat Concepts Concrete studiolos.

1 Itisa face ofwhatiscommonlydeemedanartisticcareer. There’s aludicspirit Venice, areundertheradarasfarartisticsignaturegoes,andflyin These projects,manyofthemsocialinnature,orrootedthereality others), andacompetitionentrywithKenLumbyValerio delBaglivo. made in Venice for Haim Steinbach by Kathrin Tschurtschenthaler (among zine about artists’books by Laura Longarini, the realization of a multiple others), ecologicalprojectsbyAlessandraSaviotti(amongamaga- by RiccardoPerella,recyclingprojectsRobertaBruzzechesse(among and AlessandraLandi,amongothers),alessononthefontsofJosephBeuys Blauer Hase(includingmembersMarioCiaramitaro,RiccardoGiacconi, neo-Memphis chandelierofTiziana Bolfe,amagazinecollectiveknownas of paradigmaticchicken-in-a-bunimage),abookworkbyDiegoTonus, the visiting artist,andothers),theprintedcataloguesofRyts Monet(andchoice cation ofanaritsts’studio(incollaborationwithHinrichSachs,invited self-promotion asanartist),theworkofMichelangeloCorsaroinfabri- up inmytimeincludetheworkofJacopoSeri(launchanartmagazine, made andfall.SomeoftheIuavUniversitystudentprojectsthathavegrown enough timeinthenightclubsandgalleriesofNewYork Citytoseecareers Marcel Broodthaers,severaldecadesspentwithartistJosephKosuth,and is probablyaresultofearlyresearchintotheworkHansHaackeand and invirtualmedia,aswellthestagingofexhibitions.Thisinterest themselves andtheirwork.Isearchforthesedescriptionsbothinprint Recently, I’vefounditveryinterestingtolookatthewaysartistsdescribe the historyofcollecting,andsoon. tutional framingcreateanartist’s work,thecreationofartist’s brand, constitute thestagingofart,andatwaysinwhichcataloguesinsti- C Lauf ornelia

135 136 Concrete Concepts 1 of artthatgobeyondtechniqueandstyle. periment flourishes,dedicated to structures, and ideas, andfaith in models rent stateofItalianuniversitiesandthecountry’s government, thatanex- school’s directors.Itisinthisenvironment,oddlyresilient despitethecur portive becauseoftheselectionandwinnowingthathastakenplaceby The panoramaofteachersassembledisoddlypeacefulandmutuallysup- ideas havenotyetturnedtoconcrete. today andepitomizethedreamsaspirationsofyoungpeoplewhose projects beingcreatedareintheforefrontofthinkingaboutvisualculture of anyinternalwarfare.Itisbecausewebelieveandhopethatthekinds theater departmentthatplotsthefutureofschool.Thisisnotbecause it isthegossamerwingsofsmallandoftenrenegadeart/design/fashion/ which propagatesanidentitythatoftenseemsdominantattheuniversity, Though IuavUniversityisknownprimarilyforitsarchitectureschool, is uniquetotheVeneto, nomatterhowinternationalthestudents. involved, alightness,andanabilitytoweavetogethercraftconceptthat

2001–2011 (Milan:MoussePublishing,2011). Angela Vettese andChiaraVecchiarelli, eds.,Visual ArtsatIUAV, Venezia: - 137 Cornelia Lauf 138 for interpretingandanalyzing individualworksofart: the experimentalschoolof Gestalt,forexample,whichprovidesguidelines And itisimportanttonotehowthemodernistmoment wasinfluencedby times: include commentsonhowpsychoanalysiswasacatalystfortheartof Modernism, Antimodernism,Postmodernism—isacaseinpoint;itspages Krauss, Yve-Alain Bois,andBenjaminH.D.Buchloh—ArtSince1900: art are based on this paradigm. The classic work by Hal Foster, Rosalind be ameanstounderstandingthecultureoftimes;almostallhistories tural approach.Theartisticoutputofaparticularperiodisconsideredto Usually theanswertothisquestiontakesformofahistoricalandcul- at all.Forastart:Isartreallyformofknowledge? that thereareanumberofdifferentanswers,somebanal,othersnotsobanal If weweretoturnthetitleofthispaperintoquestionform,wouldfind from Trieste. To LeoCastelliandGaetanoKanizsa,twofriendsofHungariandescent Creative Process asArt aForm of against ahorizontalground, butthisfigure-groundrelationisunder The crossatthecenterrepeats themostbasicformofaverticalfigure imagined bytheSwisspsychiatristCarlJung. the focusfellonredemptivearchetypesofa“collective unconscious” than thedifficultmechanismofindividualpsyche exploredbyFreud, artists associatedwithartinformel,abstractexpressionism […].Rather with psychoanalysis[…].Aninterestintheunconscious persistedamong with “primitives”,children,andtheinsanewasset, aswasitsaffinity Nevertheless, bytheearlythirtiesassociationof somemodernistart Knowledge andas a

1 - ing aboutagivenworkofart? Casati posedforphilosophy:Whatcanwelearnfrom studyingandreason- which canbeformulatedinmuchthesamewayasquerythatRoberto a moreabstractapproachtothequestionwithwhichweopenedthispaper, taken, isconstructedonthesediverseformsofmirroring.However, thereis The entireworkbyFosteretal.,fromwhichtheaboveexcerptshavebeen has producednewformsofartefacts. strongly influencedbytechnologicaltransformations,aninfluencewhich twining of zeitgeistand art. Overthe last fewdecadesartistshavealsobeen These areexamplesofthemostimportantinstancesreciprocalinter of thelastcentury, andthatofanartistorartmovement: of LudwigWittgenstein, whowasprobablythemostimportantphilosopher As wellas,finally, mirror-imaging betweenasystemofthoughtsuchasthat you seeiswhatsee”inStella. fact, Stellaispositivistic;whereall“changingfocus”inJohns,“what “the ground”underneath[…].WhereJohnsmightbeplayfulaboutthis between them,linesthatappeartobethe“figure”ontop,areinfact sive elaborationoftheblackstripes,butalsobecausewhitishlines scored here, only to be undone. This occurs not only through the exces- cially Conceptualartists). 1961, aninterestsoonsharedbyotherartistsofhisgeneration,espe- Johns wroteinasketchbooknote(hebegantoreadWittgenstein around guage appealedtohissenseof“physicalandmetaphysicalobstinacy,” as is trueforthephilosopherLudwigWittgenstein, whosecritiquesoflan- Duchamp wouldremainacrucialpointofreferenceforJohns.Thesame P A 3 & aolo Legrenzi Jacomuzzi lessandra 2 4 -

139 140 Art as a Form of Knowledge and as a Creative Process The passagebelowisanexample ofareflectionontheso-calledCubistgrid: world orisitjustamental reality?Andifitisboth,wheretheborderline? a workofartstimulatesreflectiononthequestion: Is artpartoftheoutside Just as reflecting on numbers leads us to understand them, our comprehensionofthestructureidealobjects inventedbyman. sition thatthecontemplationofaworkart,asin mathematics, facilitates There isalsothepossibilityofamorearticulatedanswer, sustainingthepo- they interact. work ofarthelpsusbetterunderstandthedifferent typesofsignsandhow blend oficonsandindexes.Andsowecansaythat theexaminationofa nation ofthethreetypologies—takephotography, forexample,whichisa discover that theydonotfall into just onesigncategorybutareacombi- If weapplythistripartitioninourcontemplationofworksart,will chanical waves,andtheperceptionofmusic. movements of a pianist’s fingers over piano keys, the production of me- icons sharesomeinvariants,asinWittgenstein’s famousexampleofthe forest aretracesofahumanbeingorbeastthatpassedway);and relationship (forexample,footprintsinthesandorbrokenbranches the nameiPhoneandcorrespondingsmartphone);indexeshaveacausal its referent.Symbolshaveapurelyconventionalrelationship(forexample, bol, icon,andindex.Eachexampleofthistypehasadifferentrelationto ject byCharlesSandersPeirce,whoidentifiedthreemaincategories:sym- functions ofsigns.Thisrequiresareferencetotheoriginalworkonsub- process. Forexample,examiningaworkofarthelpsustounderstandthe above, is that the workof art shows us thepreconditions for a knowledge Another possibility, whichisalittlelessfeeblethantheoptionillustrated its influenceontheoutsideworld,inwidestsense. tion toourunderstandingofourselves,mentalreality, ratherthanto sis. Inotherwords,ourconceptionoftheeffectworkartisinrela- sensations ittriggersinourminds,facilitatingamorein-depthauto-analy- example). Theworkofartisconsideredasafunctiontheemotionsand tions andhowourcognitiveprocesseswork(forexample,thefigure-ground assert that reflecting on awork of art helps us to betterunderstand our emo- There aremanywaysofansweringthisquestion.Thefeeblestoptionisto composition that would later in the twentieth century come to comprise composition thatwouldlater inthetwentiethcenturycometocomprise The Cubistgridis,perhaps, thefirstinstanceofkindpictorial 5 6 contemplating to be looking upward—houses ascending a hill toward the top of a mountain, to belookingupward—houses ascendingahilltowardthetopofmountain, As HalFosterstatesinArtSince1900 , “Forintheseworks,where weseem - - sive demonstrationthat: Likewise thecreationofartisticartefactscanbeconsideredasprogres- - - - important resultsobtainedbyadoptingformalismsandcomputation: In thisperspective,Stella’s “deductivestructure”canbe comparedwiththe constraints, sothatworksofartcanbecreatedfloutprecedingrules. by constraints.Thehistoryofartevolvesprogressivelybreakingdown This stepleadsustoconsiderartasacognitive(thought)processbound -

chael Friedcalledthisprocedure“deductivestructure.” space intothesurface[…].Writing aboutStella’s work,thecriticMi- represented, butalsonopossibilityofreading“depth”orillusionistic There wasnotonlynoquestionofanythingbuttheshapeitselfbeing roring” moreemphaticbycastinghispaintingsintoeccentricshapes[…]. “represents” nothingbutthatsurfaceitself.Stellawouldmakethis“mir representational object,but,mirroringthesurfaceonwhichitisdrawn, lines, thegridisaninstanceofdrawingthatdoesnotseemtodelimita vas andrepeatingitsverticalhorizontaledgesinaseriesofparallel the wholeofFrankStella’s paintings.Derivedfromtheshapeofcan- landscapes paintedbyPicasso inSpainatHortadeEbro1909. It isnotnecessarytohavejustonesingleviewpoint, as canbeseeninthe voting systemcannotsatisfythetransitivityofpreferences Arrow’s Paradox,whichillustratestheconditionsunder whichagiven Gödel’s incompletenesstheorems of knowledgeareconsistent The combinatorialexplosionthatthwartsattemptstoverifyareas a plainsurfaceisinitselfcoloristicprocedure. color canbemodulatedbyamerechangeofproportion, anydivisionof the traditionaloppositionbetweencoloranddrawing. Sinceanysingle coloring: HenriMatisseunderstoodwhyPaulCézanne hadtoannul Lines arenotnecessarytodelimitboundaries,nor iscolorneededfor jects; anaerialperspectivebasedonthegrainofsurfaces cansuffice. dimensional representation of a tridimensional spatialdistribution of ob- It isnotnecessarytolayerimagesoneontopofanother toobtainabi- 8 9 7 -

141 Paolo Legrenzi and Alessandra Jacomuzzi 142 Art as a Form of Knowledge and as a Creative Process And finally, there is no need for an ontology, Picasso picture.” strokes that hecouldmake,allofwhichwouldyieldaperfectlyrecognizable ing aparticularpicture.Atanymoment,thereare probably severalbrush is controlled by invariants: “Consider, for example, Picasso as he is paint- this progressivebreakingdownofconstraintsisnotarandomprocess;it ideas andsometoselectviableonesfromamongstthem.Ontheonehand, multi-stage architecturedescribedbelow, usessomeconstraintstogenerate all theavailableconstraintsgoverngenerativestage.Thethirdone, fined byanalogywithLamarck’s theoryofevolution.In thisoppositecase, tial generationofideas.Thesecondpossiblearchitectureforcreativityisde- only mechanismavailableiftherearenoconstraintsthatcanguidetheini- Darwinian architecturebyanalogytothetheoryofevolution,anditis creativity proposedbyPhilipJohnson-Laird.Thefirstistheso-calledneo- definition isreachedperfectlyalignedwiththethreementalmodelsof of increasinglyabstractandgeneralinvariantsuntilthecriterionmere This progressivebreakingdownofthepreviousconstraintsthroughaseries would beimposedbythe first. Johnson-Lairddefinesthiscombinationasa style; iftheyweretotallydeterministic theentiresequenceofbrushstrokes the processeswereentirely randomitwouldnotbepossibletorecognizea random anddeterministic processesintertwineincreatingaworkofart.If being abletoarticulatethecuestheyuse.These skills demonstratehow a Moneteveniftheyhaveneverseenitbefore,and theycandosowithout number of invariants.Experts are able to identify a picture as a Picasso or So whilepaintingis,piecebypiece,arandomprocess, therearealsoa plunging downward.” frontal picturesurface—andyet,intotalcontradiction,tobeprecipitously for example,theirsplayed-apartroofandwallplanesallyingthemwiththe the work.” turn ontowhatonecouldcalltheadministrativeorlegalisticdefinitionof a workofartcanbecreatedmerelybynamingitso—whichcouldopenin pure epistemology:“With Morris’s earlyworkitalsobecameevidentthat perceptual manifold.” to howseparatepiecesofsensoryinformationcouldbeunifiedintoasingle experience, theproblemwhichobsessednineteenth-centurypsychologyas by Picasso,thereisnoneedforthecoherencebetweenvisualandtactile 13

14 11 10

And later in the text he continues “ In these works 12 as the work of art becomes 8 7 Casati, Roberto 6 5 4 3 Ibid. 2 1 art? Shadow usedbyFernandoBoterotogodinneraftertheshowapieceof belongs totheartworld,dowenotgenerallyconsiderRollsRoyceSilver he posedthequestion: Why, if everythingthatishousedinsidethisgallery When MaurizioFerrarisvisitedtheMarlboroughGalleryinOctober1996, of artandestablishestheboundariesbetweenwhatisnot. until justoneremains:theauthorpronouncesanartefactasbeingawork be seenasthenarrationofprogressivebreakingdownconstraints The historyofartthetwentiethcenturyproposedbyFosteretal.can multi-stage procedurewhendescribinghisthreementalmodels: 12 11 10 9

the nondeterminismofcreativityentersintothisprocess. have, achoiceamongtheoptionsmustbearbitrary. Thechoiceiswhere one possiblenextstep.But,becausewehaveusedalltheconstraints there maybemorethanoneoption,becauseconstraintsseldomyieldjust other constraintsexisttoevaluateit.Atvariouspointsintheprocedure, constraints areviable,theoutputneedsnorevision.Bydefinition, All the constraints that have governed the generation of ideas. So, if the The thirdsortofprocesstakesthemulti-stageproceduretoanextreme. Foster et.al.,ArtSince1900,682. Ibid., 685. Ibid., 676. Ibid., 409. Thames &Hudson,2004),17. Art Since 1900:Modernism, Antimodernism,Postmodernism(London: Hal Foster, RosalindKrauss,Yve-Alain Bois,BenjaminH.D.Buchloh, Antonio Danieli,Giuseppe O. Longo(NewYork: Springer, 2009),265–85. in See MaurizioFerraris,“The ArtworldandtheWorld ofWorks ofArt,” Exploration,” Neuropsychologia 45,no.3(2007):469–75. veals Temporal Constraints on Intersensory Merging during Perceptual Ibid. SeealsoNicolaBrunoetal.,“AVisual-Haptic: NeckerCubeRe- Ibid., 110. Foster etal.,ArtSince1900,75. of Consistency,” PsychologicalScience,no.14(July2003):131–37. Paolo Legrenzi, Vittorio P. Girotto, and Philip N. Johnson-Laird, “Models The Two Cultures:SharedProblems,eds.ErnestoCarafoli,Gian Prima lezionedifilosofia(Rome:Laterza,2011),114. 15

143 Paolo Legrenzi and Alessandra Jacomuzzi 144 Art as a Form of Knowledge and as a Creative Process 15 14  13 Press), 52–53. Philip N.Johnson-Laird,HowWe Reason(Oxford:OxfordUniversity MA: HarvardUniversityPress,1988),256. Philip N.Johnson-Laird,TheComputerandtheMind(Cambridge, Foster etal.,ArtSince1900,528–29. 145 Paolo Legrenzi and Alessandra Jacomuzzi 146 that arepopularnowadays. Butwhentheterm“artisticresearch”comesto tory, aesthetics,etc.,althoughitcanparallelthediscourse ofcriticaltheories correspond totheresearchonart-relatedsubjects , suchasarttheory, arthis- academization ofartpractice. Artisticresearch,bydefinition,doesnotquite the primary site of artistic research should be academia, and henceforth the parallel totheinsertionofMFA programsintotheartacademies.Therefore, ten statementindisclosingthework.Onecanalso seethatthispracticeis an artpracticealongwithadiscursivemannerand oftenincludedawrit- development ofartinthelate1960s,whenconceptualists startedtodevelop that needtobesoughtsystematically. Onecanobservesuchatrendinthe ing andwork,whichisboundedbyacertain format withlimitations cursive content,whichisformulatedinanacademic methodthroughwrit- Artistic research,insteadofjust“research,”isbydefinition aworkwithdis- research inestablishing“aoftheresearch.” the questionsIattempttoaddressfromgrapplingwithsiteofartistic the researchimaginationthatartisticcanbringforth?Theseare artistic researchmuchfollowmethodsofconventionalresearch?Whatis As we know, there is a research imagination for every type of research. Does of productionknowledgebeeffectedfromthespecificityartisticresearch? tribute tothefieldofknowledge?Thatissay, canthetopologicalrelation son toartwork?Whatwillthisresearch,specifically, targetwithandcon- art research,thenwhatdifferencesdoesresearchstandfor, incompari- causes for such nomenclature to emerge. If an artwork can bereplaced by air, andthereisasite,beitsocio-geopolitical,thatcancontributetothe for artpractices.Theveryterm“artisticresearch”doesnotarisefromthe “artwork” and“artprojects”toserveasthedescriptionforendproduct Over recentyears,theumbrellaterm“artisticresearch”hasbeentakenover From Work to Research: Sites of Artistic Research

concept-oriented artworks. Conceptual art continued through postmodernist concept-oriented artworks.Conceptualartcontinued throughpostmodernist a differentphraseofproductionthatcanbeseenas distinct fromtheearlier tice intheacademicinstitution,whichturninternalizesartpractice and writtenthesesequallyastheirresults.Thisistheoccasionforartprac- Most practicingartistswithanMFA degreemustpresent theirartisticworks discourse andcreativeproductiontogether. one oftheterminaldegreesforpracticingart,aimedtocombinetheoretical discursive contentareemployed.TheincreasinglypopularMFA program, of art have been played by linguistics and semiotics such that dialogical and proaches, but also of transformationto a creativemodel in which disciplines contrary tothepracticeofmodernists’representationsandformalisticap- then notonlywerecapableofdeliveringthediscursivecontent,whichis be basedonthetrainingofMFA programs.Many works producedsince art becameamajortrendandcoincidentallyhighereducationcameto factors meet,oneoftheprimarysceneswouldbetimewhenConceptual the precedents of artistic research. But rather, in seeking where these two ian algebraorKazimirMalevich’s philosophicalquestof abstractformsas That istheprecisereasonthatwedonotneedtogoforMarcelDuchamp- be whatweknowasartisticresearchtoday. and theaestheticfactorneedtobecombinedinconsideringwhatcomes the “artistic”side,nototherwayaround.Indeed,institutionalfactor is that when we use the term “artistic research,” the emphasis is always on conceptualization ofart-makingimpliedintheword“research.”Thetruth be simply equated to the research-based art practice, but rather a structural ceptualization operating within the making of it. Artistic research cannot describe anartwork,itapparentlydemandsaparticularmechanismofcon- H Lin ongjohn

147 148 From Work to Research supplement fortheoldterminal degreeinart,theMasterofFineArts.In seen astheincreasingdemand andsupplyforhighereducationtocreatethe ings thaninMFA programs. ThefoundingofthePhDinartpracticecanbe pect incurriculaisvaried, there shouldbemorecreditsandtheoreticalwrit- knowledge economygoesglobal.Althoughtheweight onthecreationas- Asia, manyschoolshavefoundedthePhDprograms astheproductionof ments. Not only in the United States and Europebut also in Australia and to foundpracticed-basedPhDprograms,ratherthan MFAs, intheirdepart- heated thaneverbeforebecauseinthepastdecade art schoolshavebegun In recentyears,thedebateonartisticresearch hasbeenmuchmore “work” to“research.” academization ofartpractice,whichcanbenoted asthetransitionfrom subjects areemployedtocreateanexhibitionthatsignificantlyreflectsthe is necessary. With biennialexhibitions,differentresearchapproachesand conceptualism” reflectingtheMFA trainingthatthe discursive partofwork temological, orconceptual.Theseartworkscanbelooselytermed“global more concernedwiththenotionofterritory, whethersocio-cultural,epis- artistic practice/research, being held in the international exhibitions, is much sioned artworksareproducedfromthereferencetolocal.Thissortof proaches from artists’ preexisting works have been adopted, newly commis- a fieldstudyincross-culturalcontext.Eventhoughcertainstylesandap- as aresearcher, whoismuchlikeananthropologistinprobingthelocalfor engaged infieldresearchandworksarerevised.Theartistthenfunctions ennials, areplayingamuchmoresignificantrolethanbefore—artists for the local. Contextual art exhibitions, especially on the occasions of bi- realize site-specific projects whose contents and subjects aim for relevancy ects. Especiallyduringrecentyears,artistshavebeenaskedbycuratorsto everywhere, so that the artists are traveling somewhere to realize their proj- endeavor. Ithastodowiththenumerousexhibitionsthataretakingplace world sincethe1990s,artworkhasbecomemoreofaresearch-oriented more dialogical,andwiththeproliferationofbiennialsflourishingaround tion, andpartlybecauseofthetendencyartpracticetobecomemore Partly becauseofthetransformationinstitutionhigherarteduca- times cannotbeeasilyresolved. nant practiceincontemporaryart,thoughtheresearchandworkssome- and visualworksasacreativeconceptualmechanismbecamethepredomi- practice untilnow, andthedispositionofcombiningtheoreticalresearch 1 cannot easily collide together and be resolved, precisely because there are two two are there cannot easily collide together and be resolved, precisely because tical andthetheoreticalsides areshiftingandcanbeblurry, thesetwosides and thediscursiveside(writing). Althoughoftenthelineseparatingprac- meaning: artisticresearch must containthecreativepracticeside(artwork) theoretical practice.Moreover, thispluralisticnaturehasasecondlayerof artistic researchmakestheproductionofartknowledge becomeapluralistic ical toolboxforartisticresearch.Onecanassumethat theeclecticnatureof even economy (as in all humanities in general) have becomethemethodolog- cultural studies,literarycriticism,sociology, philosophy, psychoanalysis,and dimensions, andsothecriticalmethodsforarthave become moreeclectic— can be accountedforby the factthat art todayis moving toward polysemic The differences in the interpretive framework between the PhD and the DA training relied,therelationbetweenartandresearch remainthesame. ent interpretativemethodsthatexceedthoseofarthistoryuponwhichDA concern forart.AlthoughtodaythePhD’s researchemploys vastlydiffer the applicationofartworks,whichneverthelessleanstowardstylistic take themotifofapastartstyle“mannerism”fornewmeaningand of DAresearchcanbe“themannerisminthepostmodernera,”whichisto to positiontheir creative works inresearch contexts. For example,thetopic motif, subject, material, and expression as their entry points for investigation dominant subjectsininteroperatingarts,andwhichtaketheissuesofstyle, research washeavilyinfluencedbymethodsfromarthistory, whichwere and conclude the findingsin theoretical writings and dissertations. Most DA cal workandtheartworktogether, i.e.byusingartworktodemonstrate The DAtrainingalsoreflectedonepossiblewayofcombiningthetheoreti- graduate studentswithMFAs wentontogetDAs. PhD programswerecreatedassupplementstotheMFA degree,andmany distinguished referencefortoday’s academicartisticresearch. BothDAand closed theirDAprogramsinthelate1990s,programprovidesa the work and dissertation have to be presented. Although many universities Art), whichnolongerexistsintheUnitedStates.InordertoobtainaDA, tory totheterminaldegreeinartsfrompast,namelyDA(Doctorof Today practiced-basedPhDprogramsarefollowingaverysimilartrajec- above theMFAs . opportunity andteachingposition,thePhDsinfineartswerecreatedtorise as prestigeandentitlement,butalsointermsofsocialcapitalsuchjob order towinovertheaverage,MFAs, intermsofsymboliccapitalsuch -

149 Hongjohn Lin 150 From Work to Research a systematicinterrogationofthenot-yet-known.” from conventionalresearch?AsArjunAppaduraionce said,“aresearchis erogeneous artacademia,andhowcanartisticresearch differentiateitself Therefore, itwouldbemeaningfultoaskwhatcan beresearchinthehet- activity canbemuchvariedbychallengingtheolddisciplines. habitus, istocreateasituationofknowledgeproduction whose scholarly such productionofknowledge,whichcannotaccord withtheconventional tions madeinaccordancetocertaincriteria,andtheimmeasurablenatureof democratic inessence.Nolongeraretheselections,exclusions,andrejec- which isnotasimplerepetitionoffixedbodyknowledge,and academia. The production of art knowledge can only take the plural form, of differentdisciplinesand subjects in the productionofknowledgeinart speculations, argumentations,andrationalizationsaremadeonthebases of thefacultiesinartacademiaworldwide.Differentaccounts,reflections, ties anddisciplinescanbecomeitsplayers,aswehavewitnessedinmost art academiaisheterogeneous—scholarsfromdifferentfieldsofhumani- tions, whichdefinewhatthescholarlyactivitymeans,compositionof an academiawhoseparticipantsinternalizethemselvesforsharedpercep- Although PierreBourdieuhasraisedthenotionofhabitusthatinsistson final stanceofwork. by stressingthe“artistic”side,whileresearchsideistobejustifiedin art-making shiftstheepistemologicalbaseofartisticresearch,sotosay, seen asoneexample.Theinstrumentalizationofknowledgeintheservice which employslinguisticsandsemioticsaspartoftheartisticmodel,canbe that knowledgeisdefied,andsotherationalismbehindit.Conceptualart, to anydomainofthosebranchesknowledge.Thereforethediscipline a newobjectandlanguage,neitherofwhichcaneffectivelybelong of knowledgeanddiscourses—whichcanbedeemedacreativeaspect—for various specializedbranchesofknowledge.Itbreaksdowntheold artistic research an interdisciplinary approachthatdoes notsolelyvalue words. Theintrinsicdifferencebetweenthelinguisticandformalmake different systemsofdiscursivemodes:onewiththeformandother “re-search,” where certain repetitions and transformations are taking place enced, and methods to be complied with. Conventional academic research is a claim,thedelimitation of aresearchfield,relatedliteraturetoberefer rules thatneedtobefollowed. Researchispossiblethroughastatementof always involvestheinstitution.Inwritingresearch, thereareformatsand 2 Thenormofresearch - different subjectsandcrosses theboundarybetweenworkanddiscourse, artistic researchistrans-disciplinary inasensethatitnotjustcrossesover and thuscannotberepeated, accumulated,and“re-searched.”Therefore, of artisticresearch,inessence, cannotbereplicable—anartworkisunique, aspect ofartisticresearchoperatesinadifferentmanner, becausetheresult duce furtherresearchthatperpetuatesinacademia. Yet thecreativepractice duction. Itisbasedontheprincipleofaccumulation thatknowledgecanin- replicable onceitisdonetocontributethefield of knowledgeforrepro- consensus followingafixedformat;thatis,theresult ofresearchcanbe cisely thereasonthatresearchhastobemadeinaccordance withacademic ventional research,thenotionof“replicability”isimportant, whichispre- the makingofart,andotherwithwriting art.Moreover, forcon- that crossesbetweentwoseeminglyunparallelsystems—one hastodowith art writingsaregauged.Mostartisticresearchoperatesonadiscursivespace gap wherethetranslatability(andun-translatability)betweenartworksand PhD. The discursive space of artistic research requires an epistemological work andtheoreticalwritings,beitinthetrainingsofMFA, DA,or there is a tendency for artistic research to cross the boundary between art- tion ofart,artisticresearchisdifferentfromconventionalbecause Aside fromtheheterogeneousanddemocraticnatureofknowledgeproduc- its repetitionasdifferencewherewefindtheresultofartisticresearch. inter-textual levelthatartisticknowledgeweavesthrough, andcanonlyfind rality doesnotdependontheambiguityofitscontents,butrather always aliberalcourseinvolvedfordisseminationofmeanings.Thisplu- knowledge doesnotrespondtoajudgmentoraninterpretation—thereis different combinationsofprocessesandagendas.Thespecificityartistic subject—not justcoexistingbuttraversingfromonetotheotherthrough sions, butratheralwaysattemptingtoachievethestatusofpluralityin sence, whichdoesnotmeanjusthavingmultiplemeaningsandcomprehen- The knowledge that contributes toartistic research is thepluralityines- tutionalized methodologythatisformedbygivenmethodsanddisciplines. search an anomaly in the field of knowledge, which much relies on an insti- The uniqueandpluralisticnatureoftheknowledgeartmakesartisticre- of knowledge,simplybecauseartpracticeneedstobeuniqueanddifferent. sure. Artisticresearchcannotbe“re-search”inthesenseofreproduction feasibility cannotbedecidedbecausethereisnosingleknowledgetomea- academia itself.Yet whenitcomestoartisticresearch,itsverificationand and thereforecanbeverifiedfalsified,whichisintheunwrittenruleof

151 Hongjohn Lin 152 From Work to Research for itsdemocraticnature. erated ontheprincipleofconsensus,latterdissensus, methods: the social method and the emancipatory method. The former op- In imagination. its politics on art and knowledge, which creates a totally different research an in-betweenstatusofsubjectsanddisciplines,artisticresearchimposes it isphilosophy, aesthetics,arthistory, sociology, andsoforth.Existingin but alsotransgressestheverydefinitionoftheoreticaldisciplines—whether such traits of the emancipatory method that always involve an indecisiveness such traitsoftheemancipatory methodthatalwaysinvolveanindecisiveness Artistic research,whenwe investigateitsprimarysite—academia—carries search, asmostartPhDprograms emphasizetheirexperimentaleclecticism. ing anotherwayofartpracticefueledinacademiathrough theformatofre- supplemental versionoftheartsystemthatwehave already hadbymobiliz- commonality inthecourseofdoctoralstudyshowing thattherecanbea principles ofdemocracyandquality:theprinciple self-determinationand demand, andonlyself-organizationdetermination. Itisbasedonthe as such,itmeanspreciselythattherecanbenoconcrete expectationor nation—autonomy inproducingaknowledgefrom workandwords, captured byinstitutionalformationthroughindeterminate researchimagi- ate instabilitywithintheproductionofknowledge toseekavoidbeing politics ofartaswelleducation.Inparticular, artisticresearchcancre- research canleadtoareorientationinartPhDeducationnowadaysthe Considering theseassumptionsabouttheemancipatoryaspectsofartistic serted canbeattainedthoughintervention. to thehierarchicalformsofinstitutionsandknowledgewherepowersas- principle of equality to questionauthority—thatis to say, as an alternative the inequalityandclassificationofknowledgepersetoopenuppossible artistic researchproducesaspecificmodeofproductionthatescapesfrom and conformity. Multipledisciplinescanbeofusefortheresearch.Assuch, come totermascriticalartandcontemporarychallengeconventions pand ontheopenends.Muchartisticresearchcancoincidewithwhatwe of artisticresearchalwayskeepsitsborderlinesinordertoshiftandex- with discursivepractice.Asartisunteachableandunlearnable,thepractice established institutionandauthoritytoshowitsuniqueoutcomes:artworks search imaginationthroughinnovationwithintheframeworkofanalready The IgnorantSchoolmaster, JacquesRancièredifferentiatestwotypesof 3 Theemancipatorymethodmustrealizeitsre- aqe Rancière, Jacques 3 2 1 that istosay, anyguaranteedsuccessoutofit. crossed overwithoutaprescribedandgivensolution;therecanneverbe, the ambitiousprojectthatartisticresearchsetsforth,andmanygapscanbe also ininstitutionswhichithasbeenimplemented.Alloftheseindicate a changeinthewayweseeartistsandtheirworkscontemporaryart,but set withintheproductionofknowledge.Itisartisticresearchthatcaneffect inducing autonomy through the principle of democracy and equality that is research hascreatedapoliticaleffectincanalizingitseclecticpracticeby nized byexternalfactorsandculturalagenciesintheartsystem,artistic situation ofartintheproductionknowledge.Asweknowisorga- atic thatartisticresearchfinallyneedstoconfront,andthusmarkaspecial or formsandthoughts.Gapsbetweenthesepairingsaretheveryproblem- between worksandwords,researchdiscourse,methodun-method, (Stanford, CA: StanfordUniversityPress,1991),102. (Stanford, tion,” PublicCulture12,no.1(Winter 2000):9. Arjun Appadurai,“GrassrootsGlobalizationandtheResearchImagina- States, varyingfromfiftytosixtycredits. The requirementforanMFA orPhDgraduationissimilar intheUnited The IgnorantSchoolmaster,trans.KristinRoss

153 Hongjohn Lin 154 Report on“Art as a thick ofshadowingmatters astheytickoverattheirinnards. combing through,astretched-out inspectionandscouring,weareinthe procedures, standsbackto watchitselfplyingitstrade.Asweundergothis experience duringwhich art practicetakesstockofitsownprocessesand sage through,”thedurationofstep-by-stepself-scrutiny—an introspective “given” andgoingbeyondit.Ontheother, itevokesthesenseof“apas- packing representationalisminvisualartandthinking, forqueryingthe as an“agriculturalimplement”forbreakingnew ground, atoolforun- This is perhaps not unlike the way Marcel Duchamp saw his of” orviaartinthesensethatisan“investigativevehicle orprobe.” about catchitsdoubledrift:ontheonehand,itsignifies thinking“bymeans If wegiveeartothephrase“ThinkingThroughArt Practice,”wecanjust (I) Hominidization standby forfutureelaboration. only asentriesinarudimentarychartimmediatelybelow. Theyareon This istheprologuetoSection(I).Sections(II)and(III)areincludedhere three items;and(III)Hamletization,consistingoffournotes. ings: (I)Hominidization,madeupoftwonotes;(II)Humanization,with that havecaughtmyeye.Ilookattheminthisstudyunderthreemainhead- These jottingstouchonelementsofthisjostlemodes—atleast,those at loggerheads. paradoxically bothatonewithandoddseachother—ifnotentirely throng of diverse modes of expression in which“art”and“thinking” are mode thatissingle-trackandmonolithic.Thephrase,however, coversa At firstblush,“artasathinkingprocess”seemstosignalsee-feel-know What theThunder Said Toward aScouting Thinking Process”

Large Glass 1

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I callthepolesof“Know-How”and“No-How.” latter coversacongeriesofformsandoperationsthatteeterbetweenwhat This double drift pervades visual art practice as knowledge production: the up newexperientialandepistemicintensities,objects anddimensionsthat mushrooming force,inthesenseofDuchamp’s épanouissement,itthrows “given”—a self-raising,self-erasingdrivethattranscendsit.Anexpanding, terances. We faceaneruptive,self-spawningcapacitythat goesbeyondthe ation” when neither “art” nor “thinking” are utterly separate, distinct ut- state—an emergingcreativesplurge,sotospeak—isthephaseof“ur-utter piece,” so “at one” as to be indistinguishable. Thisamorphous pre-process cesses of“art”and “thinking” are so merged and melded thattheyare“of a of “art”and“thinking.”Inthisprior“indeterminateflux,”thetwopro- we comeinhindsighttosplitup,define,andlabelastheseparateprocesses The secondissuedevolvesonthat“unnameableprocess”anteriortowhat the abstractcategoriessidesteporironout. their teemingdiversityandvagaries—with“phenomenaldensity”that thinking,” wearebetterequippedtograpplewiththeirinnerdifferences, of thinking. By focusing on actual one-off, standalone occasions of “art and singularity ofthisorthatartworkevent,inparticularepisode trary formsinwhichtheymanifestthemselvesconcreteinstances—inthe This involves tackling “art” and “thinking” in all the varied, erratic, con- means theprudentmoveoftakingupsomethinglikeanominalistapproach. itself—we havetoworkbothwiththemandagainsttheirgrain.Italso generalizing sweep—thathastodowiththeinescapablecoilsoflanguage ens, asfixed,immutableentities. To circumventtheirsomewhatreductive, stract categories.We needtobewaryoftreatingthemashardandfastgiv- away. Thefirst,apointofmethod:“art”and“thinking”areblankets,ab- S Maharaj arat 2 Two issuescropupright -

155 156 What the Thunder Said stippling, hand silhouetting by mouth-blown pigment to artifacts, rock and stippling, handsilhouetting bymouth-blownpigmenttoartifacts,rockand has tendedlargelytoclassify thewelterofPaleolithicdata—marking,scoring, What is the “Stone-Age mind” in the cave up to? Art History as a discipline The MindintheCave respectively—serve tosignpostthisforcethatIcall the “obscuresurge.” poses, twomoments—drawnfromthePaleolithicand fromtoday’s worlds we cannothaveanticipatedorknownscriptedbeforehand. Forourpur overshoot the“given.”Itbringsintobeingunforeseeable possibilities—that Figure 1:Hominidisation, Humanisation, Hamletisation, ©2012 Sarat Maharaj. 3 - narratives notwithoutaEurocentrictinge. the human”sprungfrompaleo-archivesofLascauxandrelatedplaces— about the“makingofmodernman,”“birthart,”and to putaspokeinthewheel of somewhat speculative, rhapsodic theorizing the one nor theother, ifnotbothat one stroke.Aconditionofoscillating any process that gets delimited and defined as “art” or “thinking,” it is neither The stateof“idling”doggedly remainsanundecidablecondition.Anteriorto dlings” not morelikelythatthemarkings,scorings,crosshatchingswere“justdoo- activity atBlomboswasonparwithafull-fledgedcognitivesystem. Was it limited samples made it less plausible to extrapolate conclusively that the Details oftheexchangedonotconcernushere.Thepointmootedwasthat An earlierresponsetoaversionofthisaccountsoughtdampenitsscope. ca” which,inthissense,shouldcountas“thecradleofmodernity.” up theviewthatHomosapienswerealready“modernbeforetheyleftAfri- and segments, “proto-sentences,” of thought-processing. Thistends to back the paleo-residuesandochreblocksfromsiteseemtorecordarescraps budding ifnotfull-blownsignsofa“symbolicorcognitiveactivity”:what world’s earliestpaleo-tracesatBlombosCave,SouthAfricaseesinthedata to the other. The body of argument and evidence advanced for some of the or tussle betweenwhetherthemindincaveischurningaestheticutterance bolic expression,shamanisticexperience,cognitive-stuff,andthelike.The and ethnographicstudies,thepaleo-archivetendstoaddupformsofsym- as PrehistoricArt.Ontheotherhand,fordisciplinestappingarcheological cave paintings,anddrawings,amongothermaterial—toinstallinitscanon Monkeydoodling. To mirroritsfeel,Ihavechosendescribe itas,touseJamesJoyce’s word, or communicationcircuittickingoverbutnotengaged byanyprogram. bing away at idle” or, to update, likeaself-sustaining computer processor meaningless, “mindless”state—notentirelydissimilar toan“enginethrob- were, poisedforimminent“purposeful”expression. Thisisanapparently minate flux—themindperhapscrouchingtotestits bearingsbutnot,asit the “given.”Itevokedsomethingofadirectionless scattering,anindeter “art” or“thinking”—anall-over, runawayactivity, theurgetopressbeyond it highlightedaspeciesofactivitythatdoesnotostensiblycountaseither struck achord.Ifounditbotharrestingandresonant.Perhapsunwittingly think-stuff 6 ? Thephraseusedtocouchthisapparentdownscalingandcaveat rumbles onwithperiodicswingsofemphasisfromoneside 7 5 4 Ittends -

157 Sarat Maharaj 158 What the Thunder Said Christoph Winkler’s Baader:AChoreography of Radicalization. to itthroughalookatWerner Herzog’s CaveofForgottenDreamsand plored intermsofthePaleolithic abovetocontemporaryexpressionsakin The nextsetofnoteswill trytorelatethedriftof“obscuresurge”ex- poser: Howtomakeaworkofartthatisnotart? “givens” of “art” and “thinking” by falling short of either. Its gist is in his a kindofthe“oscillatingdensities”thatDuchampsaw asgoingbeyondthe to aconventionalnotionofthethinkingprocess,nor toArt.Ittoucheson With “idling”wehavean activity thatisreducibleneithertocognitive-stuff, fueled byit. studies ofprehistoricart,andinhisartresearch practicesthatwere its own—somethingthatdidnotescapetheartistWalter Battiss’s eyeinhis harbors a sense ofthe free ranging and exploratory, with a momentum of of idling”isquiteanotherkettlefishfromthenotion“idlehours.”It does notendupsomewhatelbowingout“art”fromthestory. The“state pelling versions of the “idle hours” view, his serious analytical perspective deavour. However, itishardnottogettheslightimpressionthatindis- exemplified inDavisLewis-Williams’ meticulouslyattentive,rigorousen- a “symbolic,thinkingsystem,”vastcultural-cognitivestructure.Thisis appreciation,” wehavestudiesofthepaleo-datathatshowthemaspart with thissortofviewthatseemedtotrivializethematerialinagush“art a time-fillerandtime-killer, assomeaestheticresponseshaveheld?Atodds off” intotheBlombosandbeyond?Was itactivitytowileaway“idlehours,” How dowereadthepaleo-archiveacrossDrakensbergrangethat“tails little morethan“simplyidling”—goingnowhereinparticular. human orleavingthenonhumananimalfold.”Theprocessappearstobe tial movements,andoscillatingdensitiesacrossthespectrumof“becoming more ofanunevenshuffle—trialruns,draftversions,pilottests,nonsequen- animal world to the “other” side. It seems to involve less of a decisive break, amount toanunwavering,“asthecrowflies”trajectoryfromnonhuman to becomeaversionofthemodernhuman.The“passagethrough”doesnot primates undergoingdevelopmenttothepointthattheycrossthreshold process. Thelatterisnotsomuchaboutsomemembersofthefamily minate flux,”itroughlyparallelsthebackandforthofHominidization it stopsshortoflendingitselftothatkindclassification.Asan“indeter density, itteetersonthebrinkof“becomingart,”thinking,”but 8 - 4 3 2 1 Mayers, Chauvet, Chamberof Lions. Figure Drawing 2: adapted from Werner Herzog’s Cave of Forgotten Dreams (2010), ©2012 Peter John the Present: Archeological Perspectives onSociety,eds. Nils Anfinse, Exploring the AfricanEvidence,”inCombiningPastand Behaviour: Human See alsoChristopherHenshilwood, “TheOriginsofModern evidence-of-san-material-culture-in-south-africa-44-000-year.html. bols Project2010,availableathttp://tracsymbols.eu/news/2012/8/1/ See ChristopherHenshilwoodandFrancesco d’Errico, Tracsym- Origins ofArt(London:Thames&Hudson,2002). David LewisWilliams, TheMindintheCave:Consciousnessand 127–37. Visual ArtsasKnowledgeProduction,” Geist,no.11-12-14(2007/08): Sarat Maharaj,“KnowHowandNoHow:Stopgap Notes onMethodin W. B.Yeats (London:Faber, 1975),119–58. sion seealsotheTen Principal Upanishads,trans.ShreePurohitSwami, Deussen (Charleston,SC:NabuPress,2011),489.ForanEnglishver leitungen und Anmerkungen versehenvonDr. PaulDeussen , ed.Paul Sechzig Upanishad’s desVeda, ausdemSanskritübersetztundmitEin- the “thunder”isfoundin“Brihadaranyaka-Upanishad,”part5, vam, damyata”(give,sympathize,control):thefableofmeaning 5, availableathttp://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1321. “Datta,dayadh- T. S.Eliot,“WhattheThunderSaid,”inTheWaste Land(1922),part -

159 Sarat Maharaj 160 6 Bataille, Georges 5 atr Battiss, Walter 8 7

Skira, 1955). 2010), 95–106. ToreOestigaard, Terje Saetersdal(Oxford:BARInternationalSeries, 1997): 65–71. Art Journal:JournaloftheCollegeArtsAssociation56,no.1(Spring ing theAnti-essay‘AfterHistory’(AestheticsandBodyPolitics),” sign, no.43(1994–95)andSaratMaharaj,“Monkeydoodle:Annotat- during theacademicyears1985–2000.InreferencetoitseeArt&De- versity of London (“The Hamilton Joyce Duchamp” class), and occured “Monkeydoodle 01”wasaprojectatGoldsmith’s CollegeoftheUni- findings areavailableathttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/1753326.stm. Steve KuhnisaprofessoratArizonaStateUniversity. Hiscommentsonthe The AmazingBushman(Pretoria:RedFawnPress,1939). (Milan: Prehistoric Painting:LascauxortheBirthofArt(Milan: 161 Sarat Maharaj 162 both socialsciencesandhumanities. for women byusing quantitative and/or qualitative methods known from deal with the questions of how to change this and how to achieve liberation in societyandculture.Thus,likeanyotherfeminists, feministartistsalso and menexistswithinvestigatingthemainreasons formaledomination art: theyareconcernedwithunderstandingwhyinequality betweenwomen The politicalconcernsoffeministartistsarecourse notuniquetofeminist in additiontoalreadyexistingresearchothermore academicdisciplines. precisely toinvestigatewhyfeministartissocially relevantandnecessary is toinvestigatewhatmakesthespecificityoffeminist artresearch,ormore and humanistresearchcontext.However, oneofthemainaimsthistext outset actuallyborrowedthealreadyexistingmethodologyfromsocial over, onecouldeasilyagreewiththestatementthatfeministartfromits is consideredamethodologyinbothhumanitiesandsocialsciences.More- cific tofeministresearch.Itisimportantstressthatresearchitself I alreadymentionedthatonecannotdistinguishanyresearchmethodsspe- intended purposeoftheproducedknowledge. of theresearcherwithinprocesscreationandargumentation, discussed consideringthecommonquestionsfeministsask,positioning feminist methodologyandresearchpracticeinartscancertainlybe cepted thattherearenospecificfeministresearchmethodsinanydiscipline, on artisticresearchinthefieldofvisualartsgeneral.Whileitiswidelyac- various feministartresearchersandfocusesontheireventualimplications This paperaddresses the diverse methodsandmethodologiesappliedby Feminist Research in VisualArts * projects byfeministartistsfromtheBalkansin order tochallengethe unified project,Iwillultimatelyproposetolookat several feministresearch some culturallyspecificfeministartprojects.Becausefeminismisnotone Ultimately Iwanttoexemplifytheculturalcontextasarelevantsourcefor societies? temporary societiesthatdonotsharethesamevaluesystemasWestern feminization of poverty? How do we achieve liberation forwomen in con- do wechangeinequalityintherepresentationofwomenandsubsequent results? Aretheyalwaystransgressive?Whatplacedohaveinart?How obscenity and pornography? Where do they come from and what are their the twogendersviewworld?Andhowtheyart?Whatconstitutes ferent fromaman’s? Howdoesthatdifferenceinfluence thewaysinwhich methodology alsodealwithquestionssuchas:Howisawoman’s gazedif- Besides themainpoliticalconcernsoffeminists,artistsusingfeminist relevant basisforuniqueartisticthinking. that havebeeninstigatedthroughfeministartandIholdtheymakea I finditproductivetoexploreandappraisethespecificresearchprocesses ways exploredtherelationbetweenpersonalandpolitical.Therefore many diverseanduniqueexamplesofresearchprojectsthatindifferent research-based artbecameprevalentamongfeministartistsandcomprises more relevantbecauseeversincethefirstfeministartprojectsin1960s, search methodologyinart.Today thisprehistoryoffeministresearchiseven there hasbeennosubstantialreflectiononthespecificityoffeministre- tices, because although feminist art has been around for half a century, odology andepistemologythatisspecifictotherecentfeministartprac- I want to argue that it is urgent to look at the genealogy of feminist meth- S Milevska uzana

163 164 Feminist Research in Visual Arts reproductive functions.” actionary and‘essentialist’,thatis,itreducedwomentotheirsexual For manyyearsChicagowascriticizedforsomeoftheimagesbeing“re- form ofthetable,orpersonalfamiliarityartist. references weremade,theselectionwasarbitraryandmadeaccording However, eventhoughthefacts were double checkedandcross-abundant Count, 1989–2005,byGuerrilla Girls.Theinterdisciplinaryapproach Weeks inMay,1977,bySusanneLacy and LeslieLabowitz;Weenie tal StatisticsofaCitizen,SimplyObtained , 1977,byMarthaRosler;Three only afewthatalreadymade itintomostarthistorybooks:theprojectVi Many other feminist projects followed, but here I would like to mention provided, with hand-stitched runners setting off hand-painted china plates. floor inscribedwiththenamesof999others.Lavishandelaboratesetswere thology andsetatriangulartableforthem.Therestsonporcelain past. Chicagoselectedthirty-ninerenownedwomenfromhistoryandmy- famous, lessanduntilthencompletelyunknownwomenfromthe the firstfeministartprojectsthatbaseditsresultsonprofoundresearchof Undoubtedly JudyChicago’s TheDinnerPartyfrom1974–79wasoneof Setting theTable: Theof Beginnings Feminist Research - - - The argumentsinthepaperaredividedintothreedifferentmainparts: of knowledgeproductioninfeministart. ofuniversalityfeministmethodologyandanyunifiedtheory assumption Feminist Art. permanent homeat the fourthfloor of the ElizabethA. SacklerCenter for the exhibitionGlobalFeminismiswherethisseminalinstallationfoundits was “rehabilitated”duringtheBrooklynMuseum’s takeonfeministart: that herprojectcoveredthecompletewomen’s history. Recentlyherproject and deliberateselective use of facts, but the factis that she never claimed

emphasis onthespecificculturalcontextinBalkancontemporaryart. feminist researchers—artists or curators in the field of visual arts—with A descriptionofthemethodsandmethodologiesappliedbyvarious research ingeneral. A discussionoftheimplicationsfeministresearchagendasonartistic in visualart. A generalintroductiontothehistoryandrelevanceoffeministresearch 3 2 Theworkwasalsocriticizedforhervoluntarism - 1 owes alottosuchpioneering feministworksandlong-termprojectsthatnot Contemporary artthattoday basesitsartisticresultsonresearchprocesses in arthistory). the maintargetsasmoststereotypicalrepresentation ofthefemalebody search stuffitself(thenumbersandpercentsthe nude,whichisoneof art researchofformsandcolorsbutitsmainconcept wasmadeofthere- but alsopartoftheartmediumitself.Theposterwas notbasedontheusual method andfeministmethodologybecamenotonly thetopicandcontent one oftheseminalcasesfeministresearchartprojects wheretheresearch essay byLindaNochlin. tion offeminineaestheticsthatwassoclearlyattackedinthecrucialearly their clearpoliticalmessagesandstancesthatwerefarfromanyessentializa- actually easilydistinguishedfromwomen’s artofitstimeexactlybecause is thatalthoughtheprojectswereexecutedbywomenartists,they interviews and statistics into powerful feminist tools. Important to mention engagement, thusturningstatisticsandanalysisofdatacollectedthrough methods fromdifferentdisciplinesandfieldspursuedexplicitactivist toward artresearchappliedintheseprojectsmainlycombined Museum arewomen,but83%ofnudesfemale.” along withtheresearchresults:“Lessthan3%of theartistsinMet. tion “DowomenhavetobenakedgetintoUSmuseums?” wasprinted On theirfamousposterfromtheprojectWeenie Count , theresearchques- Metropolitan Museum. history assuch,whichintheprojectwasmetaphoricallyrepresentedby in theworld,whereGuerrillaGirlspursuedtheirresearch—butalsoart Art inNewYork—one ofthemostpowerfulandprestigiousartinstitutions The institutionalcritiquedidnottargetonlytheMetropolitanMuseumof Guerrilla Girls’s projectwasconceivedasanobviousinstitutional critique. imagining theirprojectasacritiqueofthesociety’s ignorance oftheissue), and numberofviolentattacksonwomeninLosAngelesatthetime(thus and Labowitzintheirprojectwereconcernedwiththefemalebodyissue ally usedtoprescripttheidealmeasurementsoffemalebody. WhileLacy the relevanttooltoanalyzegenderdifferencespecificitiesbecauseitisusu- this quantifyingresearchmethodusedbyrationalist“macho”scienceas very specific reason: it actually mocks statistics and subjects to questioning In thecontextofthispaperMarthaRosler’s videoproject isrelevantfora 4

5 Obviouslythiswas

165 Suzana Milevska 166 Feminist Research in Visual Arts twining withnationalism. specificity offeministandgender-focused artintheBalkansanditsinter ment, GoldsmithsCollege,UniversityofLondon,2001–06), Iaddressedthe Culture andContemporaryArtsintheBalkans(Visual CulturesDepart- Archives ofRepresentationsGenderDifferenceandAgencyinVisual For example,inmyPhDresearchproject,GenderDifferencetheBalkans: and laterasatheoristresearcherinthehistoryofcontemporaryart. ing anduncertainroletowhichIvoluntarilysubscribed,firstasacurator conundrums surroundingtheirrealizationmademesustaininthedemand- conceive andcurateseveralprojectswithrecogniziblefeministagendas,the between theoryandpractice,eventhoughtheoreticallyIdidmanageto While livingintheBalkans,mostoftimeIpersonallyfacedhugegap different genders. of artistsfromdifferentculturalandgenerationalbackgrounds,aswell beginning I tried to question the limits and potentials of the feminist agenda cal realm.Icouldnotagreelessandinmostofmyprojectssincethevery and oneshouldhaveaspiredtonewnessineitherthepersonalorpoliti- Moreover, forsome,post-feminismdidnotbringanythingradicallynew, to themallgoalsoffeministsthefirstthreewaveswerealreadyachieved. en—claimed that feminism was not necessary any longer because according many ofmycolleagues—predominantlythemalecuratorsbutalsowom- When Istartedmycareerasacuratorandwriter(backintheearly1990s), Ghosts: Local Experiences of Feminism and Gender Difference in the Balkans embedded intheideologicallyconstructedsystemofsocialhierarchies. plines, andeventriedtoovercometheirlimitswithseverecriticismofbeing tried allpossiblemethodsknownfromvariousacademicandscientificdisci- only were some of the first to focus on art for social change but that also logic ofsubjectastiedtocertain waysofspeaking: being andthegrammarofbecoming.Atfirst,sheidentifies thegrammarand itself.” ClaireColebrookdescribesadifferencebetween thegrammarof between “whoisspeaking,”whichbecomesirrelevant, and“thespeaking feminist andtheartworkthatlocatesacertainvoice—makes adifference I wasconcernedwiththeemergenceofaspecific grammarofbecoming category or representation but a movement of grammar […]. The concept category orrepresentation but amovementofgrammar[…].Theconcept rather thanbecoming.And thisisbecausethesubjectnotjustapolitical The very concept of the subject is tied to a strategy of being and essence, 6 8 - 7

correctly ‘majoritanity.’” gaps andholesinthediscourseof‘humanity’,essentially‘manity’ormore variety ofdiscourses.Mosttheseaimtoopendiscussion,investigatingthe feminists know, eachdiscourseoffeminismisamultipleproliferation and mediaimageryisIvekovic´’s videoPersonalCuts (1982)linkingimage, Perhaps evenmoreintriguing fromtheperspectiveofinfluencepopular ist’s ownarchivebecametokens offeministartinex-Yugoslavia. series fromthesameperiodbasedonIvekovic´’s personalresearchintoaart- and After(1975–76),EightTiers (1976),TheBlackFileandother Tragedy ofaVenus (1975),SweetLife(1975–76),Diary albums ofphotographsandnewspapercutoutssuch asDoubleLife(1975), something thatintheacademicworldoneisusually advisedtoavoid.Her in herresearchandsheisoftenboththesubject objectoftheresearch, ever, Ivekovic´’s positionandroleofresearcher isalwaysboldlyembedded concrete researchofhistory, politicalevents,andsocietalrelations.How- Sanja Ivekovic´, provehowfeministart,sinceitsverybeginning, relieson the mostrecognizedandlong-termdeterminedfeministartistfromCroatia, toward researchinfeministartthisregion.Forexample,theworksof sonal artists’archives,butthatarestillrelevantforthecontemporaryturn and unknownexamplesthatarescatteredisolatedinthepastper very diversifiedorinformedby Western feminism,Iresearched manyknown Even thoughthehistoryoffeministartinBalkansisshorterandnot Guattari meantintheirinsistenceofbecoming-woman.” coming hereisameanstoget‘outside’,whichperhapswhatDeleuzeand and theserestraintsaremainlysuspecteddisavowedinbecoming.“Be- restraints thatcultureimposesonnormalsubjectivityinaformofbiopower sibilities ofbecoming-minoritarianshapemajoritarianism.Therearemany Majoritarianism isaffectedbybecoming-minoritarianandthemerepos- the bodywearenowmustberecognised.” order fortheretoeverbeapotentialactualbecoming,theof culture without andfrom self-regulation oridentification within[…].In “because weareenfleshedversionsofthespeechthatconstitutesusfrom stitution ofsubject,butitshouldnotbeforgottenthatdiscourseiscorporeal recognition, andbeing(ratherthanbecoming). of thought,aspecifictemporalityand,ultimately, astrategyofreactivism, and logic of the subject as such, then, demands or provokes a movement 11 Becoming is about negotiating the discursive con Becomingisaboutnegotiatingthediscursive 12 9 (1975–76), 10 “However, as 13 Before - -

167 Suzana Milevska 168 Feminist Research in Visual Arts predictable andnotenough toconveytheideaofgendertroublesin inclusion andexclusionfrom theteachingormanagerialteamsseemtobe faculty), althoughthestudents aremainlywomen.Iftheargumentsabout Fine Arts(currentlythere areonlythree,whichisabout10percentofall recently therewasnosinglefemaleartistteaching atthelocalFacultyof This isdifficulttounderstandwhentakingintoaccount thefactthatuntil projects aboutawoman’s bodyanditsrepresentation. power structures and division of labor within society and end up as naive of themoftenhavedifficultiesinconveyinganycritical messageaboutthe ferent fromthefinalresultsofsuchprojectssothat attheendofdayall lem thatrepeatsalloveristhefacttheseinitiatives oftensoundverydif- publications realizedaroundtheissuesofgenderdifference, themainprob- even thoughtherehavealreadybeenseveralgroupandsoloprojects concepts basedonlong-termfeministresearch. the problemsofbeingawomaninprofessionartorwhodeveloptheir ated. However, amongthewomen artists there are rarelyanywho mention ably increasedandthatsomegroundbreakingresearchprojectswereiniti- it was only recently that the number of exhibitions by women artists notice- nism theiragendainthelate1960sandsince,onMacedonianartscene ists, andartresearcherswhowerenotonlywomenbutalsodeclaredfemi- In contrastwithCroatia,wherethereweremanysocialscientists,human- Feminist Research intheMacedonianContext Art hidden historic“silkwormcocoon.” as aresultofthis“tattooing”mediaimagesthatattheendunravel body ofthesubject,awoundinpersonalthatisthereforeconstructed The titlesuggeststhateachofthehistoricaleventscutsaholethrough “diary” cannot be considered and understoodwithout the state “diary.” mentary archiveofYugoslavian stateTVexcerpts.Therefore,thepersonal the imagesthatwereresultsofartisticresearchhistoricaldocu- putting sidebythesubject—theartistwhopursuedresearch—and personal andpoliticalareinterwovenreciprocallydeterminedthrough and isthusrenderedthevisiblealongsidehistoricalpoliticalevents.The eo somehowrecallsadiaryinwhichthe“subject”isbecoming,revealed, documentary programTheHistoryofYugoslavia. Thestructureofthevid- part ofherfaceandalsoashortsequencetheYugoslavian statetelevision cutting holesintoablackstockingthatcoversherface.Each“cut”reveals face, andevent.Thevideoshowstheclose-upofawoman,artistherself 14 Ithastobementionedthat male gazes,andofcontrol ofpower, body, anddiscourse.Inthetextfor dark. TheTurkish bathmadeaperfectcontext for criticalquestioningofthe Ghosts), thatyourownimageis definedbytheircontinuousgazeinthe cut distinctions between “us” and “them” (like in the Paul Auster novel you don’t expectthemjust to remind you thatitisdifficult to makeclear- presence duringitscompletion,asghosts/guests/parasites thatappearwhen tion, buthadaffectedtheentireprojectwiththeirpositive ornegativesocial These people(mostlymen)werenotdirectlyparticipating intheexhibi- seemingly endlesstunnel. ultraviolet light.Thefluorescentnamesappearedto befloatinginthedark, written onthepaperwithgreenfluorescentpenand illuminatedwithdark the artistsandcollectedtheir“favorite”men’s namestoo),whichhadbeen names ofallmenwhohadhelpedorobstructedtheproject(I interviewed tunnel. Its title,“With Special Thanks,”referredto the inscriptionsof the very longnavelcordandranfromthemainentrancethroughdark indicating thefiguresofmoneyspentbeyondourcontrol.Itappearedasa the exhibitionthatconsistedofalong,unraveledstripaccountingpaper, reflect on this issue with a three-dimensional display within the space of abandoned, half-ruinedareaofaTurkish bath,wasnotveryfriendly)to the fundingandadministrationevenvenueofexhibition,adark, provoked measappointedcuratorinsuchdifficultcircumstances(besides public ofMacedoniaandtheDeputyMinistry).Thisspecificsituation men involvedinfundingandorganization(MinistryofCulturetheRe- chauvinistic, bureaucratic tactics of the director of thefestivaland other As mighthavebeenexpected,theprojectwasgreatlyaffectedbymale, tion ofafeministcurator. first timethatIexperienceddirectlythecomplexityofcuratorialposi- as a metaphor for the relation between the mother and the child), it was the general. Duetothesizeofprojectanditsfeministtheme(amnioticfluid nia, eachofthemhavingdifferentviewsonthetopicandfeminismin Macedonia andincludedfivewomenfromBostonMacedo- Amam inSkopje.Itwasthefirstcollaborativewomen’s groupexhibitionin In 1996Iwasinvitedtocurate“LiquorAmnii1”intheTurkish BathCifte social, economic,andpoliticalissuesastheyarerelatedtoartproduction. problems ofgenderintheartsandcuratorship,butalsoitswiderreaching art andcuratorialworldintheBalkans,thistextemphasizesnotonly

169 Suzana Milevska 170 Feminist Research in Visual Arts a shifting toward conservatism and right-wing and neoliberal politics. The The a shiftingtowardconservatism andright-wingneoliberalpolitics. by a kind of strong revival of patriarchy in the recent transitional years— munist projectforclaiming equalitybetweengendersthatwasemphasized The impetusfortheproject “CapitalandGender”wasthefailureofcom- relations between thegenders in the transitional period. the mosturgentissuesinBalkans:socialandeconomicchanges rists and curators,hoping to initiate a critical and fruitful debate about twelve female artists, four male artists,andtwocouples,aswell ten theo- Gender” (2001,MuseumoftheCity, ShoppingMall,Skopje)Iinvited In thecontextofinternationalprojectforartandtheory“Capital any feministagenda. and feministthemes,theMacedonianartistshardlyboreanyreferencesto sues: while theworks of theAmericanartistsemphasized boththe feminine terms of the self-awareness and readiness to address gender and feminist is- the Bostonartist-runspaceMobiusandMacedonianartistsexactlyin catalogue Ialsoaddressedthedifferencebetweenwomenartistsfrom confining models. division, thisclassificationisdevelopedthroughmanyculturalandsocietal by theircultureandsociety. Althoughinitiallybasedonthebiologicalsex upon sexbutgender, aclassificationthatisattachedtoindividuals theory. “general theoryofexchange,”inanthropologybetter knownasalliance litical Economy’ofSex.”Rubinbasedheranalysison ClaudeLévi-Strauss’s le Rubinpublishedinherarticle“TheTraffic in Women: Notesonthe‘Po- tive becauseofitsresonancewiththefamousanalysismarriagethatGay- the greatmergingbetweencapital,gender, andartwasevenmoreprovoca- private partytookplaceinapublicmuseumandthusmarkednewerafor Contemporary ArtinSkopje(1998).Thefactthatforthefirsttimesucha typical nouveau-richeweddingspectaclethattookplaceintheMuseumof spring ofthefamiliestwolocalentrepreneurs,whichwascrownedwitha One ofthedirectprovocationsforprojectwasmarriageoff- gies ofconsumerismongenderrelations. profound criticalinquiryintotheeffectsofneoliberalcapitalisticstrate- sized billboardswithobjectifiedfemalebodies,madeaperfectvenuefor almost completeabsenceofpublicadvertisementstogreatsurfacesover- rapid changesinthevisuallookofmainshoppingmall,goingfrom 17 Rubin concluded that such systems of oppression are not based 18 15 16 The complex but framework whenitcomes tothequestionsofethnicityandgender, andthat and curatedbyforeigncurators, areusuallyputinanobsoletetheoretical A verywellknownphenomenon isthatBalkanfemaleartists,whenselected event ofbecomingwomanandtheirfemalesubjectivity. fights iftheyaretoarrivethestagewhere will beabletodiscussthe backgrounds, have a long road ahead of them and a great deal of other Women in Macedonia, betheyartists, curators, or from other professional attempts forconsciousdiscourseofwomenwithin thelocalenvironment. and interpreted as typically male power games, still suppress any serious The issuesofpolitics,war, andglobalization,whichgenerallyareattributed the factthatlocalresearchanddebateonfeminismwas necessaryandurgent. Such a superficial communistic misconception offeminismonly emphasized nism becausefeminismwasinterpretedasacapitalisticimportedproduct. sounded asifitwereaclaimthattheBalkanpatriarchydidnotneedfemi- nomenon as an import of Western feminist theory and art practice that to me of thelocalcriticismfeminismandfeministartiststhattreatedthisphe- In fact,rightaftermyprojecttherewasaverystrangeretortinthecontext and mostofthemaleparticipantsdidnotshowuptotheoreticalsessions. its theoretical part, the three-day conference, was attended mostly by women agers, andtheorists)turnedsuccessfulintermsoftheexhibitionattendance, project thatgatheredmorethanthirtyparticipants(artists,curators,artman- the localartandculturalcirclesafterprojectended.Eventhoughthis ists, thediscussionsignitedby“CapitalandGender”hardlycontinuedin Aside fromafewincidentalandsuperficialprovocationsbysomelocalsex- the dissolutionofYugoslavia. structures theveryfirstmomentwhencommunismwasdissolvedthrough ang returnedtosocietyandsocietalstructuresthroughtheneweconomic substantially, thattheoldhierarchywashauntingandinaformofboomer not butconcludethattherelationsamongmenandwomenneverchanged be includedinEU,itwassoeasytosacrificehard-wonrightsthatonecan- EU CommitteesasconditionsforthefutureinclusioninEU.Inorderto the lawsofhealthinsurance,childcare,andpregnancyleavepushedby cutting offthepreexistingpositivesocialandeconomicpoliciesrelatedto taking intoaccounttheeasyridegivenwithrespecttoallrequirementsfor more constructivedistributionoftheofficialgenderpoliticstimewhen forty-five yearsofcommunismobviouslydidnotsucceedinthewiderand 19 19 -

171 Suzana Milevska 172 Feminist Research in Visual Arts 1 * research hasmanifoldaimsandprospects. thus becametimeandagainanurgentissuethatin artbasedonfeminist equality basedonanambivalent,evenbiasedandfragileagenda.Feminism economies intoneoliberalcapitalistsystemssoquicklysweptoutgender it isnosurprisethatthetransformationofformersocialistsocietiesand perpetuated theoldpatriarchalvisualregimesofrepresentation.Therefore While socialistruleadvocatedequalitybetweengenders,artandculture women. the alreadyknownfact:thatsocialismhadanambivalentapproachtoward agenda. Theabundanceoffemalenudespaintedbymaleartistsconfirmed tation ofgenderrolesinartratherthanonworkswithanexplicitfeminist that theemphasisofthisexhibitionwasputratheronanalysisrepresen- However, itisimportanttomentionthatwithinthisprojectwasobvious curated byBojanaPejic´ (aSerbiancuratorwholivesandworksinBerlin). in EasternEuropeandtheBalkanswasexhibition“GenderCheck,” One oftherareexamplesanartexhibitiondealingwithgenderissues agenda. related togenderdifferenceandtheurgentneedforrefurbishingfeminist through rigorousresearch,awareandcriticallyengagedwiththequestions the Balkansisdefinitelytolocatedifferencebetweenfemaleartand I wanttoarguethatoneoftheroleswomenartistsandcuratorsfrom existing voicesdiscussingtheseissueswithinthedomesticartscenes.Infact, issues butontheotherhandwithWest notbeingreadytoheareventhe the onehandpartlywithBalkansnotbeingreadytodealgender did notwanttogoagainstthegrainbydiscussingthistopic.Thishasdoon the femalewritersandcuratorswereeithernotconsultedorwheninvited

the lawisstillineffect. Saudi governmenttorelease Manalandtheotherarrestedwomen,but month, thepetitioncollected over75,000signaturesandpushedthe change.org/petitions/free-saudi-women-drivers-immediately. Injusta Driving aCar,” startedtobecirculatedonJune1,2011,athttp://www. and forherrelease,“DropChargesAgainstSaudiWoman Arrestedfor that forbidtowomenfromdriving.Theglobalpetition insolidarity driving acaraccordingtothestillexistingharshlaws inSaudiArabia I dedicatedthispapertoManal,theSaudiwomanwho wasarrestedfor Marcy Sheiner, “Review of Sexual Politics: Judy Chicago’s Dinner Party,” 20 9 rsia Ivanoska’s Naming oftheBridge“RosaPlavevaandNakie Hristina 14 13  Ibid. 12 11 Ibid. 10 uaa Milevska, Suzana 8 7 6 5 4 3 Ibid. 2

Contemporary ArtsintheBalkans(Saarbrücken:VDMVerlag, 2010). resentations ofGenderDifferenceandAgencyinVisual Cultureand Personal Cuts(Vienna: Triton, 2001). texts by SilviaEiblmayr, Bojana Pejic´, and Nataša Ilic´ in For more comprehensive insight into Sanja Ivekovic´’s works, see the thirdspace.ca/articles/pr_3_2_maccormack.htm. ing-Monster,” Patricia MacCormack,“Perversion:Transgressive SexualityandBecom- Elizabeth Grosz(Ithaca,NY: CornellUniversityPress,1999),117–18. Style,” inBecomings:ExplorationsTime, Memory, andFutures , ed. Claire Colebrook,“AGrammarofBecoming:Strategy, Subjectivism,and “dirty” (thefirstsyllable,“kur,” istheslangwordfor“penis”). because inmymothertongue,Macedonian,thewordsoundsvulgarand private andinpublicwasduetotheuseofword“curator”itself donia andinotherSlaviccountries.Thesniggeringaddressedtome fected thereceptionofprofessioncuratoramongwomeninMace- I mainlyrefertoaveryspecificlanguagecoincidencethatdirectlyaf- London. (2006), exhibitionattheFoundationofWomen Artists/CityUniversity, at City Shopping Mall, Skopje,Macedonia;“Art Under Construction” Gallery, Skopje,Macedonia;“CapitalandGender”(2001),exhibition Providence, RhodeIsland;“BodilyFluids”(1997),exhibitionatCIX tre, Istanbul;“LiquorAmniiI-II”(1996–97),ConvergenceXFestival, “Self andOther”(1994),exhibitionatYildiz SabanciCulturalCen- See GuerrillaGirls’s website,http://www.guerrillagirls.com. ta.edu/home/gfloren/nochlin.htm. Press, 1988), 147–58.The text isalsoavailable at http://www.miracos- in Linda Nochlin,“WhyHaveThereBeenNoGreatWomen Artists?” brooklynmuseum.org/exhibitions/global_feminisms/. Nochlin, Brooklyn Museum, March 23–July 1, 2007. See http://www. “Global Feminisms,”exhibitionco-curatedbyMauraReillyandLinda ed. AmeliaJones(Berkeley:UniversityofCaliforniaPress,1996),264. in SexualPolitics:JudyChicago’s DinnerPartyinFeministArtHistory, Women, ArtandPowerOtherEssays(Boulder, CO:Westview thirdspace 3,no.2(March2004):27–40,http://www. Gender DifferenceintheBalkans:ArchivesofRep- Sanja Ivekovic´:

173 Suzana Milevska 174 Feminist Research in Visual Arts 19 18 17 16  15 are notofanyimportance for me,asasubjectoftheMacedonianreality, my factualsurrounding.And IsaidthatthethesisofGablikandLippard tivism tobeengagedaccording tothereality(includingsocial)thatis discovery ofrelativism.But Iactuallythenhaveonlyaskedforsuchrela- hubris tocontributeandconfirmthecreditsofpostfeminism withthis Bratislava inhabitantsstillremembermycrucifixion asaresultofmy guage) ofthefemaleresistanceagainstmasculinismand machismo)[…]. or whatwasthenameofthatmagazine,andgoddess (mindthelan- two yearsagowhentoKatyDeepwell,theeditorof (N)Paradoxa[sic] “One ofthereasonsisthatIrepeatedmistake madeinBratislava 1990). Trouble: Feminismand the Subversion of Identity(London: Routledge, tation in psychoanalytic terms. In that respect see Judith Butler, Gender on similarassumptionsbutthatwasfollowedbymorecomplexargumen- Later JudithButlerdevelopedagenderconstructivisttheorythatwasbased pling. link inthechainthatisformedbasedoneconomicoffer/demandcou- ance theory,” nomatterwhatthechoice,womanbecomesapassive between fathersandhusbands.AccordingtoClaudeLévi-Strauss’s “alli- sexual oppressioninsocietythroughmarriageandcirculationofwomen ly thoseofkinshipsystemsandMarxism)toexplainthedevelopment uses the established anthropological and socioeconomic theories (name- (New York: MonthlyReviewPress,1975),157–210.InherarticleRubin of Sex,”inToward anAnthropologyofWomen, ed.RaynaR.Reiter Gayle Rubin,“TheTraffic in Women: Notes onthe‘PoliticalEconomy’ Igor Toševski, andTatjana Vujinovic´. Jelena Jocic´, Tanja Ostojic´, RASSIM,DejanSpasovik, AnaStojkovic´, C Ivanoska/Yane Danica Dakic´/Sandra Sterle, Marina Gržinic´/Aina Smid, Hristina Luchezar Boyadjiev, MajaBajevic´, ZdenkoBužek,Violeta C installations, digitalworks,andperformancesbyHuseyinB.Alptekin, html. TheprojectincludedasoloexhibitionofMarinaAbramovic´ and Shopping Centre,Skopje)visithttp://www.scca.org.mk/capital/projects. For moreinfoon“CapitalandGender”(January26–30,2001,City Aren’t They?,”inLiquorAmnii(Skopje:Skopskoleto,1998),5–6. SuzanaMilevska,“Womenno. 7(July 1998): 38–42; AreDifferent, Suzana Milevska,“FemaleArtthroughtheLookingGlass,”n.paradoxa, the archivesfromOttomanperiodinMacedonia. Bajram” isoneoftherareclearlyfeministprojectsbasedonresearch ˇ alovski, Slavica Janešlieva, Kai Kaljo, Zoran Naskovski/ alovski, SlavicaJanešlieva,KaiKaljo,ZoranNaskovski/ ˇ apovska, 20 der BuchhandlungWalther König,2010). Femininity andMasculinityintheArtofEasternEurope(Cologne:Verlag ska, BorisMarte,ChristineBöhler, andBojanaPejicinGenderCheck: art seethetextsbyEdelbertKöbb,RainerFuchs,AgnieszkaMorawin- sis ofthedifferencesbetweenWestern feminismandEastern feministsin moderner KunstStiftungLudwigWien. Formorecomprehensiveanaly- exhibition curated by Bojana Pejic´ in2009–10 at the mumok: Museum “Gender Check: Femininity and Masculinity in the Art of Eastern Europe,” the issues108,109,110,111,112ofsameweeklymagazine. 2011): 111.Thedebatecontinuedduringthefollowingthreemonthsin Nebojša Vilic´, “Isthereanoutcastbehindanythong?,”Forum gue about(‘takeoureyes’forishismorbidexpression).”Quoted from reality insomeestablishedworldmagazineforwhichwefallofandar in cafesandthenpublishastudy(forbighonoraria)aboutMacedonian about my reality—as many ofthe foreigners that come and talk at little didn’t convinceher[…].Ithought‘aforeigner,’ whatdoessheknow I realizethefunctionandmeaningofmyculturalcontext.Forgetit. argument, they do not live my reality, but if I act catachrestically than those authorities. Here it is, I said, because they are not my discursive in thecontext.Howcanyoudare,shetoldme,destroyand‘unblock’ they havenomeaningifIdon’t questionthemcriticallyandput (July 27, -

175 Suzana Milevska 176 San Diego.Iwashiredto conductaseminaronsociologyofart.Ifound I almostgotfiredafterteaching myfirstcourseattheUniversityofCalifornia, fessor isnottheonlyproblem: thestudentmightbeaproblemtoo. when Idiscoveredintheprocessofdisseminatingknowledge thatthepro- good artists.SoIhadproblemswithprofessorship until Istartedtoteach, and bad artists and good artists were those whom he would decide were that workedwastheoneinstitutedbyprofessor. Thereweregoodartists allowed toexpressanypersonalideas,andtheonly definitionofgoodness who conceivedofhisjobasatotalitarianexercise. Hisstudentswerenot what shouldbeavoided,Ihavethememoryofanold teacherinCameroon tion regardingwhattheymightbeabletocomeup with. Asanexampleof be onlyoneofmanytoolsthatareofferedtostudents, withoutpreconcep- Experimentation isprobablythekeyhere.Anditimpliesthattheoryshould mentation. GillesDeleuzeremindsusthatmayapplytoartschools: mulas thatwerecreatedoutsideofthedynamicinteractionandexperi- students arenotreallyaskedtoacquireknowledgebutratherdigestfor has beenimplementedbyacademia.Thereisanongoingprocesswhich cess because,likeSocrates,Idon’t reallybelieveinthescholarsystemthat I havealwayshadaproblemwithprofessorsandtheteachingpro- Faculties Fictional case, theworkofartwouldreallyappearasexperimentation. experience in general must becomeconditionsof real experience; in this experience. Forthesetwomeaningstobetiedtogether, theconditionsof the otherhand,itdesignatestheoryofartasreflectionreal ignates thetheoryofsensibilityasformpossibleexperience;on Aesthetics suffersfromawrenchingduality. Ontheonehand,itdes-

1 - in thesametime—becausesomepeoplewhoareliving rightnowgiveme poraneity hastodowithsharingthesametime,not just inthatweareliving Moreover, Iamnotinterestedinallofthem.guessthenotioncontem- are somanycontemporaryexpressionsthatIcouldnotdescribethemall. personal notions of the contemporary, especially as applied to art. There our time,whichdoesnotmeanthatjustanythingwouldsatisfyown is justabigbasketintowhichwecanthrowwhateverconceivedduring heart ofwhateverconceptsweweretodealwith.Contemporaneity, assuch, for acoupleofsessions,becausetheyunderstoodthatdrinkwasatthe moment of stupefaction, we were able to deconstruct thatsimplesentence to describethereactionsthatIhadface.Still,afterwepassed select artistswith whom I can have a drink after theshow.” There is no need asked togivemydefinitionofacontemporaryartist.Myanswerwas:“I After we passed that first step, another hurdle was awaiting us, when I was was whohadneverheardofBarthesandPanofsky. couple ofmystudentscomplainedtothedean,askingwhothatprofessor obvious jokeandthateveryonewouldburstoutlaughing,butnotatall.A Coming fromParisandaFrencheducation,Ithoughtthiswasan definition ofart;instead,theyweredroppingnamesIhadneverheardof. them thattheremighthavebeenamisunderstanding,butIdidn’t heartheir solely fromthem.Inordertounderlinethesituationwewerefacing,Itold Barthes, etc.,andafterthefirstround,Ididn’t hearanythingthatcame them cameupwithquotesfromErwinPanofsky, ErnstGombrich,Roland describe theirdefinitionsofart,whichseemedtomequitenatural.Most three monthsspenttogether:art.Iaskedtothestudents—PhDstudents—to and studentsaboutthesubjectweweresupposedtodealwithduring it logical,forastart,toestablishmutualunderstandingamongteacher S Njami imon

177 178 Fictional Faculties we aretryingdisseminate isjustaformoffiction.Thismightbeoneway fictions. We shouldbehumble enoughtoadmitthatwhateverknowledge able inthesciences,such asLeonardodaVinci, was atfirstaforgerof as farhumansciences are concerned.Evensomebodyveryknowledge- just buildingfictions,andthatmaybethegreatest form ofrealityisfiction, know thatthereisnosuchthing.Thereforeweshould assumethatweare dents arecomingtoclassesinordergetsometruth whenofcoursewe disputable truthwebecomeliars.Theproblemwith universitiesisthatstu- Therefore Ithinkthatwhenwewanttotransform subjectivityintoanin- French artpractices.” and somethingcompletelylinkedtoEuropeanart historyandnamelyto aesthetic thatwasdisplayedinParissomething completelysociological and Irealizedthatit’s allaboutculturalsubjectivity. Andthatthenotionof bors andallthenotionsofbeauty, offorms,aestheticshiftedinmyhead she wasnotthin—shekindofanAfricanMama.Ilookedattheneigh- teach me,hadnothingtodowithwhatIknew. Ilookedatmymother, and of beauty, orthecanonoflinesandformsthatBeaux-Artswantedto master. And then when I went back home, I just discovered that the canon not drawthem.TherewassomethingabouttheiraestheticsthatIcould For twoyears,Ihavebeenworkingonmodels—livemodels—andcould schooling wastheproblem.Hesaid:“Ihavefoundwhatmyproblemwas. thing hetoldmewasthatunderstoodnottheproblem.The quite differentcomparedwiththelasttimewehadseeneachother. Thefirst again. HewascomingbackfromvacationinDakarandhisexpression Iforgotaboutthatproblemuntilbumpedintotheyoungartist Picassos. artist isnotsomethingonecanlearn;ifitwere,wecouldallbecome when fulfillingitstask,givestools—itdoesn’t makeartists.Becomingan simple: noartschoolintheworldisproducinggoodartists.Theacademy, learning. MaybeIamnotgoodenoughforthatschool.”Myanswerwas blocked inmypractices,thereissomethingthatIdon’t getinwhatIam Arts inParis.Hecametomeonedaywithasadfaceandsaid:“Sir, Iam recall ayoungSenegaleseartistwhowasattendingtheAcademyofBeaux- But let’s gobacktomyproblemwithuniversitiesbeforeweheadfurther. I standing ofwhatisgoingon. discuss, andhaveissues,withwhomIshareakindofcommonunder my contemporaries.Icallcontemporariesthosewithwhomcanexchange, the feelingthatthey belong toother times andspaces.I wouldnot call them - believing, butaboutmakingsenseofwhatwasgivenwith acriticalgaze. believing, lieve?” Whatwas I supposed to answer? Itwas not about believing or not contrary, andthenthisothertoldmesomethingelse,so whatshouldIbe- But thenthisothergreat curator fromthisGermanmuseumtoldmethe to thinkaboutitandevensawstuffthatIcould change inmypractice. rator fromthisDutchmuseumhadreadingon my images,soIstarted one ofthemcametome:“MisterNjami,Iamabitconfused. Thisgreatcu- sionals who,theythought,couldchangetheircareers. Aftertwosessions, course, werereallyimpressedtobeconfrontedwith suchhigh-levelprofes- photographers, curators, and museum directors. The photographers, of phers whowerenotfamiliarwiththiskindofexercise. Thegroupincluded for theprofessionalsIinvitedtoreviewworks andforthephotogra- “portfolio reading.”Thisportfolioreadingwasaninteresting exerciseboth I haveengagedinanexperienceacoupleofcountriesAfrica,called be contradicted,oratleastpresented,accordingtoanotherpointofview. kinds offormats,andtorealizethatwhatevertheprofessorissayingmight also practitioners.Thatgivesanopportunitytoastudenthavedifferent And furthermore,thosevisitingprofessorsarenotonlytheoreticiansbut outsiders withwhomthemaster/pupilrelationshipisnotyetconstructed. have adifferentkindofrelationshipwiththeso-calledteachers,byinviting Iuav Universitysystemisthefactthatinstitutionenablesstudentto infinite truthsthatareoutthere.OneofthethingsIfoundinterestingin ing whatwethinkcouldbethetruth,mustbearinmindthoseother can be contradicted by anyother one. Therefore, anytime we are express- have themeanstoachieve. What weareleftwithisanincomplete“we”that The lyricalillusionofaglobaloruniversal“we”ischallengewedonot and thatthosemany“I’s” wouldleadtoamultiplicityof different“we’s”? we dealwithus-ness,orknowingthatthereisno“we”withoutan“I,” unconstructible question,”whichistheveryquestionof“us”:Howdo teaching, is something with which we should be very careful.The very question of So thiskindofpowerrelationshipthatyoucannotavoidintheuniversity experience ofhismentor. the wrong.Thestudentisapassivebeingwhotheretobenefitfrom supposed toknow, andtherefore,whoholdsthepowertotellrightfrom with thetricky hierarchy that it supposes. The professoris the onewhois to balance that strange relationship between the student and the professor, I guess,istotrygiveananswerwhatErnstBlochcalled“the

179 Simon Njami 180 Fictional Faculties or anartist?Dowehavea magicformulatoproducegeniuses? la? Arewetryingtosetstandards availabletoeveryonebecomeawriter room, butitsimplywasnotworking.Whatistheaim ofthosenewcurricu- what was going on. I tried to imagine James Joyce or Samuel Beckett in the creative writingcourses.Iwent,ofcourse.Butcould notquiteunderstand teaching inSanDiego,acolleagueofmineinvited me toattendoneofhis the subtletiesimpliedinthesenewprograms.Iremember thatwhenIwas set ofPhDsofferedbyacademiatoartists.MaybeI amtoostupidtograsp seem tomecontradictorythenotionofuselessness intheformofanew Still, we have seen a lot of new merchandise flourishing in recent years that scenarios thatwouldallowustothinktheunthinkable. ways tobeadaptedfurther. Iamtalkingaboutcollectivefictions,impossible experimentation, justlikeinsomelaboratorywherethefinalproductisal- whatever isproducedwouldnotbeforsale,butrepresentaunique talking aboutart)dictatingthetrendsandfashions.Becauseinthatutopia, that allowsonetogobeyondoneselfandanymarket(sincewe’re that arenotdisplayedintherealworld.ThatutopiadeartoErnstBloch mean hereisthatstudentsshouldbeabletoexperiencethingsandthoughts space whereoneisconfrontedwithwhatIwouldcall“uselessness.”What The universityIdreamofisaspacethatcontradictsreality, becauseitisthe other toconstructafictionofhisorherown. of subjectivity?Anindividualfiction? To shareafictionmeanstohelpthe will comeupwithdifferentresults.Forwhatisthesensitiveifnotaform sor andtheslavebeingstudent,willbeabitbalancedmaybewe relationship betweenthemasterandslave,beingprofes- the sensitive”—Idon’t knowiftheuniversitywillbebetter, butatleastthe long asweareabletodothis—whatJacquesRancièrecalled“sharingof that whatyouaresayingmakesnosense,hasvalidity.” Ithinkthatas use them,sothattheymightevencontradictusandsay:“Listen,Ithink use therubber. Butwehavetoprovide thosetoolsandthenhelpthemto given, toknowwhentheyshouldusethehammerand toolbox, andthenit’s uptothemmanagethedifferentelementstheywere the teachingprocessonlythingwecandoisprovidestudentswitha found—cannot beacquiredwithoutwhatDeleuzecalledthe“toolbox.”In And thatcriticalgaze—whichisprobablywhereAcademia’s jobistobe rs Bloch, Ernst 2 Deleuze, Gilles 1 unlearned howtodabble.” poor, wehaveunlearnedhowtoplay. We haveforgottenit,ourhands have we mightfindourselvesinthattrapsaddened ErnstBloch:“We are rich Nietzsche used the expressionThe Joyful Wisdom. If we forgetthat, remember thatthelearningprocessshouldbeplayful andjoyful,asFried- fictional spaceistolastjustoneminute.Butthemost importantthingisto then Iamnotsureweshouldclosethemforever. Maybetheaimofthat university shouldbeonlyatheoreticalspace,which means pureabstraction, experimentation. IseethatIuavUniversityiskindofstrivingforthat.Ifthe a discussionthatwouldbeproductive.Theuniversityshouldspaceof contemporaneity asme—whichmeansthesametimeandspace—canIhave ing thesamesensitivity. Thereforeonlywithmyfellow, sharingthesame play withmisunderstanding,becauseagainitisaspacewhereweareshar the spacewherediscussioncantake place,andwherewecan is between no-man’s-land intowhicheveryonecaninsertagenuine expression.Thein- a spaceofcreativityandimagination.Itfiguresinthein-between,neutral I dobelievethataspaceofwhatwouldcallpositivemisunderstandingis standings, andrepresents,infact,themainmodeofhumanrelationships. contradictions comprisedintheexercise.Fictionisaspaceofmisunder to creation of all sorts of fictions all the time, we have to admit the inherent manent reality, thenmyfictionwouldn’t work,butsinceweareallsubject and asifanyrealitycouldbechangedbyanotherone.Iftherewereaper whatever isperformedreferredtoasafiction.Asiftherewerenoreality ties—should beafictionalspace,whichadmitsitsfictionality,andwhere of courseIamprobablymistakenfortherearenecessarilyotherpossibili- 2011 wouldbemorethanenough.SoIthinkthattheidealuniversity—and and theweatherwouldbeenough;IeventhoughtthatItalianpavilion thought thestudiowouldbeenough,streetsky be inafacultyorsomeuniversitytoablepracticethatresearch.I to beinvolvedinpermanentresearch,soIdidn’t knowthatoneneededto the illusionthatprocessofbeinganartist,acreativebeing,was the famousquoteattributedtoPicasso:“Idon’t search,Ifind.”wasunder The otherthingIhaveproblemswithisresearchinartpractice.remember Stanford UniversityPress, 2000),10. V. Boundas(NewYork: ColumbiaUniversityPress, 1990), 260. The SpiritofUtopia,trans.AnthonyA.Nassar (Stanford: The LogicofSense,trans.MarkLester, ed.Constantin 2 - - -

181 Simon Njami 182 usually thechecklistdoes evolve untiltheveryend.AndIbelieveFriedman My exhibitionshavehardly everhadachecklistuntilthedaytheyopen,and which isusuallyclosedmonths, ifnotyears,beforetheexhibitionstarts. and usuallyatop-downmasterplan goesalongsideatop-downchecklist, Usually thecuratorisstillpersonwhowritesa top-downmasterplan, tural masterplan.Curatorshavenotquestionedthat untilratherrecently. was questioningveryearlyon,eveninthe1950s, ideaofthearchitec- key inspirationformeintermsofcuratingbeyondthe masterplan.Friedman will seelaterhowthisrelatestotheexhibition.Yona Friedmanwasanother about hisownarchipelagoofHaiti,Cuba,Martinique, andGuadalupe.We called I wouldfirstrefertoadrawingheoncesentmeby e-mail, whichisactually this papertohim. an amazinginspirationforcurating,andthat’s whyIwould liketodedicate the MuseumofMartinique,whichhasremainedunrealized,wemightfind If wethinkofGlissant’s poemsandmuseumstudies and hisinventionof and Ithinkthatitisthewayweshouldgointermsofexhibitions-making. of engagingwiththeglobaldialogue,whichproducesdifferenceeveryday, “mundiality” wouldbetheliteraltranslation).Mondialitéisfindingaway mended, whichisthisideaofmondialité(therenotawordinEnglish,as tion, whichisevenworse.Andthentherethethirdway, whichherecom- option istosurrenderorsuccumbthehomogenizingforcesofglobaliza- As aresult,obviously, thepotentialforaglobaldialogueislost.Theother in asortoflocaldiscourse,andavoidthepossibilitiesglobaldialogue. rating inthetwenty-firstcentury. We cansimplyrejectglobalization,retire can actuallybemultiplewaysofcopingwithglobalizationintermscu- Édouard Glissantexplainedtomewhenwemetforthefirsttime,thatthere Curating inthe The ArchipelagoIsaPassageandIt’s NotaWall, wherehe’s talking Twenty-First Century

probably gobeyondthetime-frameofhisexhibition. Oskar Hansenandhisideaofprocess,whichhedeveloped,butthatwould much influencedbyPrice’s ideaofTheFunPalace.We couldalsotalkabout pia Station,”whichIdidwithMollyNesbitandRirkritTiravanija, wasvery with what John Cage called the musicof uncertainty. I must say that “Uto- experimental, tobeexpandableandchangeable.Anditverymuchresonates traveling stage.Hewantedtheactivitiestobedesignedforsite, Price wantedtobuiltalotofzonessilenceandcontemplationintothis look likenothingonEarthfromtheoutside(thatiswhatPricetoldme). the early 1960s, the idea was to build a mechanistic shipyard that would of hismostinfluentialprojects,thoughtitwasneverrealized.Developedin key idea,whichhasalwaysinspiredme,istheideaofTheFunPalace,one very interestingthingsinrelationtothemediumofexhibition.Price’s changes ofweather, thegrowthofintelligence,agingbody—all preoccupation wasreallytime:thepassingoftime,speedseasons, ilton andRitaDonagh.Inactuality, heisnotautopianarchitect.Price’s ence on my practice as a curator. Iwas introduced to him by Richard Ham- own utopia,”asstatesaworkofCedricPrice,anotherveryessentialinflu- “The bestoftheworldiswhenanythinghappens,youhaverighttoyour uncomfortable profession,andFriedmanhelpedmeintryingtoquestionit. years and Iwasalwayscalledcommissaire—thatis, a policeman.It is avery French iscalledcommissariatd’exposition.IhavelivedinFrancefortwelve the exhibitionandnotcontrolthem.Itisbycoincidencethatcuratingin within ashow, andabouthowwecaninvitepeopletocurateshowswithin in severalorganizations,abouthowwecanactuallyhavedifferentshows has beenagreatinspirationforthat:makingusthinkabouthowtobring H Obrist ans Ulrich

183 184 Curating in the Twenty First Century participated withasculpture, whichisamonumentforLorca.We mustalso quiero verdeisbasicallyadrawinghemade inhomagetoLorca.FranzWest with visualartagain,and hisworkVerde together quete poetry bring we with CyTwombly tellingmeinameetingRome thatitisimportant organic growthandacastoftheroominroom. Theexhibitionstarted cro-theater byBestuéandVives; ChristinaIglesiasdoubledtheroomwith bird thatwasintheparkoutsidehouse;under the bedwasalittlemi- installed a typewriter; Gilbert & George lied in bed covered by a type of this tiny house, and nothing has really changed. Rivane Neuenschwander house inGranada.Inasimilarwayto“TheKitchen,” Iinvitedartiststo The lastshowofthiskindthatIcuratedwasheldin Federico GarcíaLorca’s second yearsince“TheKitchen,”Ihavedoneahouse-museum exhibition. are nolongersmallspaces.Asacuratorialcontinuum,everyyearor more incontemporarymuseums,thereisasortofstandardizedsize—there es. TheBoijmanshasspacesthatarenobiggerthanmykitchen.Moreand and at the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen—they are veryoftentiny spac- ums—for exampletheotherdayIwaslookingatmuseuminWinterthur monumental. Itisveryinterestingthatifyougoto nineteenth-century muse- seums haveexpanded,andmuseumarchitecturehasbecomemore for which all curators are being proposed, are bigger and bigger. So many mu- curatorial projects.ThevenuesforwhichIambeingproposedascurator, and the twenty-firstcentury, whichhasonthecontraryalottodowithverylarge ments isveryimportant,especiallyinrelationtothepracticeofcurating For me, in particular, the idea of making exhibitions in very small environ- the excitementofbeginning. hibition Idid.Formeeveryshowhastobelike“TheKitchen”show, with the fridgeofshow. Andthiskindofintimateexhibitionwasthefirstex- fridge exhibitionincludedmarbleeggsandfeatherswithvisitorsexploring to exhibitinthefridge,sowehadanexhibitionwithinexhibition: thought itwasboringtodoanexhibitiononlyinthekitchen.Hewanted Soup. We hadBoltanskiprojectingacandle,whileHans-PeterFeldmann including RichardWentworth, whodoubledthesinkandcalleditWorld success, butitbecamearumor. Lots ofartistsjoinedtheprojectovertime, tion lastedforthreemonthsandhadthirtyvisitors,soitwasnotapublic food intothekitchen.Thisepisodemarksmycuratorialdebut.Theexhibi- only booksinmykitchen—thatweshouldgetridoftheandput Peter Fischli,DavidWeiss, ChristianBoltanski,andIthought—sincehad ress, andhispartnerKatrin Messner, wedidthe“TheBillboard Project.” Then, withthelateJosefOrtner, thevisionaryfounderof museuminprog- other fragmentsof“Cities ontheMove.” to becomeahub,relaisfromwhereyoucouldgoalloverthecityandfind tions inAsia.Itwasthe100thanniversaryofbuilding, andwewantedit and architectsfromthatcontinent,aswelloncities andtheirpermuta- Vienna. Theshowwasvery muchfocusedonAsiaandtheamazingartists on theMove,”anexhibitionthattookplaceat Secessionbuildingin tried thisoutforthefirsttimewithHouHanru,on theoccasionof“Cities to thinkthatmaybethelarge-scaleexhibitioncould beanarchipelago.We had alsotoldmethatItobelessslow. SowhenIreadGlissant,started enters intotheframe:AlighieroBoettihadtoldmeto readGlissant—andhe exhibition, butinahotelroomoftensquaremeters.ThatiswhereGlissant in ParisintomyexhibitionvenueandIinvitedseventyartists.Itwasabig longer hadanapartment.Ilivedinhotels.Sotransformedahotelroom a hotelroom,becausebythattimeIhadbecomemorenomadicandno Mirror” showhadopened,IwenttoParisandrepeated“TheKitchen”in then reacted to that in a sort of dialectic of big and small. After “The Broken to workingwithaspaceofthousandsandsquaremeters.I at that moment. Suddenly, I went from the small “The Kitchen” exhibit to one oftheselarge-scaleshowsincollaborationwithhim.Iwasveryyoung many visionarylarge-scaleshows.WhenwemetheproposedthatImake curating, howtodoabook,andanexhibition.Hehasdoneso one ofthefirstmuseumprofessionalsImet.Fromhimlearnedcraft having spentagreatdealoftimeinintensedialoguewithartists,Königwas bigger exhibitionwaswithKasperKönigin“TheBrokenMirror.” After At acertainmomentIstartedtobeinviteddobiggerexhibitions.Myfirst exhibitions aresomehowarchipelagosor, rather, “kindof”oneisland. consisted ofabreathairthatisforevercastintotheglass.Sothesehouse replica inasmallersizeofLorca’s suit.PhilippeParreno’s homagetoLorca necting theLorcahousetootherbuildingsinGranada.KooJeong-Adida to Lorca,andSarahMorrispresentedapaintingoftile,verymuchcon- invited towritetheirownpoems.AnriSalarealizedaphotographichomage the word “water.” Neuenschwander providedanalphabet,andvisitorswere in thekitchen,PedroReyesgatheredallversesofLorca’s poetrythatuse near thehouse,whichisalsolasthouseheinhabited.Inhisworkplaced remember that obviously Lorca died verytragically, havingbeenassassinated

185 Hans Ulrich Obrist 186 Curating in the Twenty First Century twenty-first centurymay happen, andIalwaysfeltthatJosephBeuystalked Now obviouslythereare manydifferentwaysinwhichcuratingthe avant-garde. it becameclearthatwehadhundredsofcitiesexisting ascentersofthe garde fromParis,againinthequestforanabsolute center, inthe1990s center. IfinthetwentiethcenturyNewYork famously stoletheavant- also a“polyphonyofcities”inAsiaandnolonger a questforanabsolute ing becauseitwasnotonlyapolyphonicexhibition ofanarchipelago,but connected SeoultoTokyo, toBeijingand Shanghai.Itisobviouslyinterest- this kioskwithus,andwelinkedallofthemagazines toeachother. We connected toeachother. CedricPriceandSurasiKusolwongworkedon which includedallofthemagazinesAsia, atthetimewerenot an implicitlyparticipatoryzonewithlotsofmagazines:asortlounge, the collaborationofCedric Price andSurasiKusolwong,whichrealized city, butitbecameCity, aperformativespace.Itisimportanttoremember exhibition inpermanenttransformation;itwasnotarepresentationof Shigeru Bantodoapaper-tube pavilion.“Citieson theMove”wasan and shows.Inthe1990s,whenshowwenttoHayward,weinvited was alsothebeginningofideaarchitectureasproductionreality there were very apocalyptic moments described by artists and architects.It was averyoptimisticAsianmomentinthe1990s,andonotherhand was reallybetweenanapotheosisandapocalypse:ontheonehandit pent ofChenZhenmadeoutlotsandcars.Sotheexhibition that existsalloverAsia.Throughoutthespacetherewasaprowlingser show thisextraordinary, apocalypticaspectofthesprawlingarchitecture must beachamberoftorturearchitecture,”sotheywantedtoreally Scheeren didtheexhibitiondesign,andtheysaid,“Inmiddlethere The yearafterVienna, theshowwenttoLondon.RemKoolhaasandOle growth, oforganicity, ofchange. show thathasto go from A toB to C, but itbecameverymucha timeline of So “CitiesontheMove”wascompletelydifferenteachtime;itnota would actually shift thesystemandeach time have a verydifferentshow. the gameandenterglobaldialogue,butwecameupwithavirus,which circus. We feltthatwecouldapplyGlissant’s idea;wecouldactuallyplay Asian artistsandarchitectshadshownitbecameanincredibletraveling seum inEuropewantedtohaveanAsianexhibition.Almostnoneofthese The exhibitionbecameatravelingshow, because,really, literally, everymu- - and ifweinvitetheartists todothingsinunexpectedcircumstances—ina tions wherethereisonly one possibilitysurroundedbyotherpossibilities, video ofthemselves.Marcel Broodthaerssaidthatweusuallycreateexhibi- created hisfirstvideoinstallation, whereonecanseeanimalswatchinga tion.” HuangYong Ping, forexample,wasinspiredbythesespacesand artists and architectsfor the occasionof the exhibition “China Power Sta- art andarchitectureofthenewgeneration,soweoccupied thespacewith exhibition: therehadneverbeenashowatthattime inLondononChinese Station. We alsodecidedthatwewantedtointroduceChineseartistsatthe the biggestspaceinLondonbyhavinganexhibition atBatterseaPower space, westartedtothinkitwouldbeveryinteresting ifinsteadweused institution together:itcreatesadynamic,andsincethe Serpentineisasmall plus one is eleven!” It is incredibly interesting when two people run an art epoch tothewayofrunninganartinstitution—Juliaalwayssays:“One it wasonlylogicalthatonecouldextrapolatethecollaborationspiritof generation therehavebeenpermanentconstellationsofcollaborations.So mann, forexample—wereverymuchcuratorsontheirown,whileinour the bigchangeinourgeneration.Ithinkpioneers—likeHaraldSzee- about the1990s,promiscuityofcollaborationbetweencuratorswas We believethatitisakindofaninterestingthing,because ifonethinks Jones andIstartedourcollaborationattheSerpentineGalleryinLondon. an archipelago-esquelarge-scaleexhibition,andatthatpointJuliaPeyton- After “Cities on the Move,” I started to think a lot about what could be ings byartists—whichcoverentirebuildings. Raise theDead:large-scaleelectronicpaintings—computer-generated paint- all overtheworld.We alsoproducedDouglasGordon’s CinemaisDead, of puzzles,whichwerelikeaplanetaryexhibitionDanteAlighiericarried started, andledustoproduceforexampleapiecewithtensofthousands So that’s wherethedialoguewithmuseuminprogress withJosefOrtner same things,todoBiennaleexhibitions,galleryshows,museumshows…” new forms.Heusedtosay:“It’s veryboring,wearealwaysinvitedtodothe told methatweneededtoreallygobeyondthemuseum,artin to me that we neededan expanded notionof curating for our time.Boetti ro Boetti,ChristianBoltanski,andGilbert&George—thatitbecameclear And itwasinconversationswithartistsofBeuys’s generation—likeAlighie- expanded notion ofartnecessarilyleads to anexpanded notionof curating. lows curating;curatinghastofollowart,andiffollowsartthenan about anexpandednotionofart(dererweiterteKunstbegriff).Artneverfol-

187 Hans Ulrich Obrist 188 Curating in the Twenty First Century Festival of June 2011inPerugia,where StefanoBoerilaunchedhisamazingFestivalof on whathappensbetween the cities.Thiscanberelatedtowhathappenedin Raqs MediaCollectivesaid somethingsimilar, i.e.tofocus notoncities,but that maybetheconceptof the cityisconnectedtobigrootsofIndia.The commissioner oftheIndianpavilionatVenice Biennalein2011,said on theMove,”topicofcitywaspresent.Ranjit Hoskote,poetand Singh’s particularurbanwallpaper—thateventenyearsearlier, with“Cities Harsha, SheelaGowda’s architecturalspacewithinthespace,andDayanita to notice—ifwelookatfewexamplessuchasthe wallpaintingofN.S. tects todevelopdisplayfeaturesforexhibitions.Moreover, itisinteresting play feature,”soIhavealwayshadaninclinationto inviteartistsandarchi- who oncetoldme:“We onlyrememberexhibitionsthatalsodevelopadis- develop the exhibition’s display of but who also has an architecture practice both in Frankfurt and in Delhi—to Nikolaus Hirsch—whoisnotonlytheDeanofFrankfurtStädelschule, exhibition. We invitedM.F. Husaintoexhibithispaintingsoutside,and tion, whichwouldstartintheSerpentineandthenbecomeanever-growing Kunst, weinvitedIndianartistsandarchitectstoactuallydevelopanexhibi- been anyfocusonit.Alongwith the AstrupFearnleyMuseetforModerne from India—therehadnotbeenanyshowsofIndianart,andthere doxically aswell,thatLondonhadcompletelyneglectedcontemporaryart would grow, was “Indian Highway.” We felt very urgently, and very para- sort of spirit of “Cities on the Move” as a complex dynamic system that The nextexhibitionthatsomehowtriedtobecomeatravelingshow, inthe the shopandcaféofexhibition. pavilions ofToyo Ito,initiallycreatedfortheSerpentinePavilion,became documentary films,weexhibitedQiuAnxiong’s animation films,andthe kind ofa promenade, aspace one couldwalkthrough.Amongdifferent and, sinceartistscouldhavemanyscreens,itwaspossibletodevelopa thousands of square meters we could show long sequencesof installations Battersea Power Station; they were sort of raining through the roof. In of manyChinesefilmmakerswerepresentedinthegiganticspaces cider. Anotherimportantaspect isrelatedtothewaymovingimages which filledthespaceofBatterseaPowerStationwithsmell exhibition by using tons of apples to produce a million-apple cider wall, Chinese avant-gardeofthe1980s—didonehislastinstallationsatthis pletely new formand concept. Gu Dexin, a very fascinating artist of the kitchen, or in agiganticpowerstation—thenworksareborncom- . It was Richard Hamilton Indian Highway. It was Richard Hamilton of theEdgwareRoad. Marwan Rechmaoui,anartist fromBeirut,withhismappingsofBeirutand project, alongwithanextraordinary team.Agoodexampletocallupis is theSerpentine’s HeadofProgrammes,hasbeenverymuchdrivingthis become anexhibition.Forthemoment,itisaresidency. SallyTallant, who relation to Beirut, Cairo, and other cities, and little by little this project will Edgware Road.Theartistswouldspendtime,map theEdgwareRoadin Susan Hefuna,Waël Shawky, andotherstoactually developaresidencyin to theMiddleEastovermanydecades.Sowedecided toinviteartistslike to Beirut,alongwithmanyrestaurantsandotherspaces withconnections presence thereintheformofanEgyptiancinema,and thereweremanylinks history involving the Middle East. Egyptian film hashad avery important few hundredsmetersaway. TheEdgwareRoadhaslayersandof the EdgwareRoadinLondon,locatednearSerpentineGallery, justa ing overanentirestreet,andthatiswhywestartedthecollaborationwith After theBatterseaPowerStationproject,wecameupwithideaoftak- neologism thatdescribestheregion. artists areveryuncomfortablewiththatdescription,butalsototryfinda We decidednotonlytoquestionthatnotionoftheMiddle East,asalotof having exploredChinaandIndia,wewantedtofocusontheMiddleEast. this curatorial projectis meant to be a new town. At the Serpentine, after Carsten HöllerandIhaveaplantobuildcitytogetherinTunisia, and it isimportantthatwethinkofcuratingasaformurbanism. into theartworldandexhibitions,nowIthinkmorethat Friedman andCedricPricebytheirideaofurbanism,whichIbroughtit ing becauseatthebeginningofmypracticeIwasveryinspiredbyYona an exhibition;exhibitionscanbecomeaformofurbanism.Thatisinterest- highway, theroad,itcanbecomeinterestingthatwedeclareanentirestreet also leads us to the “Edgware Road Project.” If you think about the Indian about the Indian highway, about what is happening in between. And that of thislogicwesaidthatitisnotanexhibitionaboutIndiancities,but between thecityandcountrysideinalltheseblastsdiffusions.Soout geographies—it istheroots,song-lines,pathways,andwhathappens not the city, but rather what is interesting is what is happening in between more andofthearchitectsurbanistssaythatwhatisinteresting Knowledge, whichwasa“festivalofknowledgeproductionaboutthecity”;

189 Hans Ulrich Obrist 190 Curating in the Twenty First Century century thing,whilethetwenty-first centuryismoreaboutconversation. Tino Sehgal states that manifestos are a very masculine thing, a twentieth- questioning others’statements andmanifestosinthetwenty-firstcentury. the proximitytoHydePark Corner, freespeechinourneighborhood, and Frank Gehry pavilion, which played on the idea of the Hyde Park Corner, the poetrymarathoninSANAA’s pavilion or themanifestomarathonin marathons wereorganizedundertheproject“Experiment Marathon,”like terview marathon:aportraitofLondonwithartists andarchitects.Many With RemKoolhaas,for example, wedidatwenty-four-hour nonstopin- curring everysummerinLondon,andnowalsoother citiesoftheworld. The “MarathonFormat”soondevelopedintoavery regularactivity, oc- flooded building. Ute MetaBauerwhenwewereinundatedandsuddenlyrescuedfromthe at twoo’clockinthemorningIwasjustabouttohaveaconversationwith marathon inStuttgart,thethennewmuseumleakedtragically—somehow hours. Thisideadidnotlaunchverywell,becausewhenwethefirst a citybyhavinginterviews,events,anddiscoursenonstopfortwenty-four idea of“marathons”inStuttgartandalsoZagreb:thewastomap together waswithRemKoolhaasandCecilBalmond.Ihadinventedan in 2006,andsincethenhaveco-curatedtheproject.Thefirstonewedid a newwingeverysummer. JuliaPeyton-JonesandIstartedtocollaborate a wing.Usuallyoncearchitectureisbuiltitfrozen,butinthiscaseweadd vent, withZahaHadid,thepavilions.Theideaisthateverysummer, weadd pentine’s pavilions. Julia Peyton-Jones had a wonderful idea in 2000 to in- And lastbutnotleast,itisworthtointroducetheexperienceofSer Grcic, KlaraLidén,andNairyBaghramian,togiveafewexamples. Jeff Koons,PhilippeParreno,Inside/Outside,ItStartedtoSnow, Konstantin ous showswereorganizedwithprominentartistssuchasMatthewBarney, Gallery’s coreexhibitionscontinuednearbyinthewhite cube,wherenumer Road programwasahybridworkspace,whileobviouslytheSerpentine wanted tostresshereistheideaofhybridworkspace.TheEdgware Catherine David,wherewe invited Christoph Schlingensief. WhatIreally work spaceofthe1stBerlinBiennaleweconstructedfordocumentaX mind is the“Utopia Station,” which was a hybridwork space, or the hybrid come andworkthere,reconvertspaces.Anotherexamplethatcomesto tion. SimilarlytowhenIdoashowinhouse,liketheLorcaartists We cansaythattheaforementionedprojectsareaboutknowledgeproduc- - - volving anumberofcontemporary scientistsandbiologistslikeArmandLe and onJohnBrockman’s site for thescientificexperimentshecurated,in- Gallery, andforthoselinkedtoscience,itispublishedon theEDGEwebsite More aboutthemarathons isavailableonthewebsiteofSerpentine “Formular ofthe21stCentury.” of experiment;thecollaborationwithJohnBrockman andEDGEledtothe Jonas MekasrevisitedtheAndyWarhol Factorybyanalyzingitasazone color asanexperiment:Aretheretheoriesforthe twenty-firstcentury? experimental lecture. There was a animals, andconversationswithanimals.FiaBackström alsoperformedan Gustav Metzger’s experimentwithmetallicropes,experimentsinvolving developed alectureaskindofexperiment.There weremanyscholars, problems freeingthemselves;andThomasSaracenoTris Vonna-Michell started toliterallyropeintheentireaudience,whothenencounteredhuge just arrived,placingthecontentsontableasanexperiment;PedroReyes suitcase isanexperiment”)unpackedhissuitcase,likesomeonewhohas Black MountainCollegewithgeodesics;PeterCook(whowouldsay“my tors; SpartacusChetwyndrevisitedBuckminsterFuller’s experimentsatthe unexpected results. Marina Abramovic´ did several experiments with visi- I think,isextremelyrelevant.Someofthoseexperimentsproducedvery experiment fromoneplacetothenext.Talking aboutfailurenowadays, science experimentsandobviouslycanfailwhenyoumovean and CerithWyn Evans didachoreographicexperiment;thereweremany For example,SimoneFortididscoresthatwereperformedbyGillClarke, laboratories, invitingaboutsixtypractitionerstodoexperimentsinpublic. of Antwerpbecamealab.With Olafurwedeclaredthepavilionazoneof tion calledLaboratoriumwithBarbaraVanderlinden, wheretheentirecity that weneedlaboratoriesforthetwenty-firstcentury. We oncedidanexhibi- tory” issomethingthathasalwaysplayedabigroleinmyactivity. Ibelieve which isdesignedasalaboratory. Theideaofthe“exhibitionasalabora- was organizedin2007withOlafurEliassonKjetilThorsen’s pavilion, The marathonthathasthemosttodowithtopicofconferenceprose ence, philosophy, music,andfilm. presenting manifestosofallkinds,fromtheworldsliterature,design,sci- almost likeabrokenbicyclewheel.Attheend,therewereseventyartists the manifestoisadefiningform”itinterestingbecausewecanrevisit However, theyaresomehowmanifestoes and,asTom McCarthysays,“if séance as an experiment, and the idea of

191 Hans Ulrich Obrist 192 Curating in the Twenty First Century is agoodwaytoend... wine, andbackintoaglassofwater. Andmaybementionofthisexperiment do hiswonderfulexperiment:totransformaglassofwaterinto of thescienceexperimentsJohnBrockman,weinvitedBaldessarito Roi andSteveJones,aswellLewisWolpert. Atsomepointinthemiddle 193 Hans Ulrich Obrist 194 tions. In 2001,inOslo,Norway, Ihadanearlieroccasiontoreflectonsuchques- with orthroughart,arebeingraisedagain. questions ofartas“thinkingprocess,”andsothinking inartandthinking to helpinstituteprogramsinartisticresearch.Itisthiscontext,then,that academies: atfirstinBritainandScandinavia,notonlytodebate,butalso several European networks havegrownup,linking together oldernational side of European national art schools. In particular, starting in the 1990s, come toplayinalargerglobalizationofknowledgeandthoughtout- and inparttermsofthenewrolevisualartsartistinstitutionshave especially inEurope,partcriticalresponsetotheBolognaAccords, cussions aboutartisticresearchorresearch-basedartthathastakenshape own distinctiveintellectualtraditions,butalsofollowingalongseriesofdis- It seemsthatnowisatimeforsuchquestions,notsimplyinVenice, withits knowledge, inthesciencesandhumanities? taught orlearned?Howisititsinstructionrelatedtoinstitutedformsof should thisprocess be institutionalized inart academies—how should it In whatsenseisart,initself,a“thinkingprocess”?wayscanor asArt aThinking Process: working inmultiplehistorical sequencesandwithinparticulartechno-social it meantoseethisactivity as anactivityofthinking,inandwithotherfields, “experimenter” ratherthan asanavant-garde“transgressor”?Whatwould but ratherintermsofacertain pictureoftheactivityartistasakind medium,” “institutionalcritique,”“Conceptualart,” or“sitenon-site,” temporaneity” inthisart,notthefamiliarterms of “medium”or“post- 1990s aftertheendofColdWar. Whatwould it meantodefine“con- nature and field of “contemporary art,” which started to take shape in the 1 Ithentriedtoconnectthemasometimesbitter debateoverthe New Reflections with FélixGuattari,astowhat“thinkinginart” that Deleuzehadtriedtoworkoutanddevelopstartinginthe1970salong institutions. But it is perhaps worth recalling a few aspects of the image thus increasinglycrossingoverpreciselywith“contemporaryart”andits areas ofmediastudies,exhibitionpractices,andrenewedpoliticaldebate, this momentofstudiodiscussionandexperimentationtowardthethree in theArchitectureSchoolatColumbiaUniversityhasmigratedawayfrom research-based urbanintervention.Nodoubttodaytheoreticaldiscussion traditional axonometricdrawings,themselvesgearedtowardnewkindsof architecture”—e.g. usingnewkindsoftopographicaldiagramsratherthan the traditionalhistoricalresearchcourses,involvinghowone“thinksin there arosenewreadingsandusesofDeleuze,moreinthestudiothan at ColumbiaUniversity, thenintheprocessofinstitutingpaperlessstudios, tle about architecture.But, at this time,notablyintheArchitecturalSchool of connection,interference,andresonance.Deleuzehadhimselfwrittenlit- the preserveofanelementrebellioustoallthought),butrathermoreakind didactic (whereartjustillustratesagiventheory)norromanticis picturethatwouldbeneither tice acertainpictureof“thinkinginart”—a tried, intheworkofGillesDeleuze,atoncetoisolateandputintoprac- a ten-yearglobalitinerantarchitecturalsymposiumcalled“ANY,” I had At firstprimarilywitharchitects,inarchitecturalschoolsaswellthrough ing theoryadaptedtothenewandglobalizingsituation. moment whencontemporaryartwastakingoff—toworkoutawayofdo- I wasdrawingonanearlierattemptmypart,startinginthe1990s—the dispositifs? Butinsketchingthisportraitof“thinkingcontemporaryart,” and philosophies. its investigationsandresearch,relationswith sciences,technologies, J Rajchman ohn 2 is—thepeculiarnatureof

195 196 Art as a Thinking Process is thus at some distance from the Kantian dream equating “Knowledge” or or is thusatsomedistancefrom theKantiandreamequating“Knowledge” thought” in the1960s,updated1970s,whichquestionof“image method.” ThatwasalreadyakeythemeinDeleuze’s studyofMarcelProust research, andinthewaysitislearned,therenothinglikea“scienceof of methodormethodology. Forintheprocessofthinkingart,its or, forthatmatter, “inarchitecture”?Inthefirstplace,itisnotamatter What thenisthinkinginart?ittothink“inpainting”orcinema” of itsappeal,aswhenAntonin Artauddeclared“Iwriteforilliterates.” literacy” intheprocessesof thinkinginarts,whichturnispreciselypart anticipated relationswithothers. Thereis,inotherwords,afundamental“il- or forces one to think—or rethink—often opening up in the process new un- ness ormutenesscombinedwithasenseofaninchoate necessitythatcauses given bythingsonecannotquiteidentifyorseesay, creatingakindofblind- of thinkinginart,anditsformsresearch,issomething rawandwild, “culture,” toomuch“cultivation,”cansmotherit.Indeed, vitaltotheprocess of becomingeducated,enlightened,cultivated,gelernt —in facttoomuchsuch that wedonotnormallysee.Thewayitislearned thus notasimplematter ten tied up instead with formsof fiction ordepictionthat make visiblethings something thatmustbelearnedwithoutaMastersor Master-Discourse, of- art isasingularprocessthatcannotbereproducedorimitatedassuch;it in itsrealist,documentaryformsorarchivalinvestigations,thinking thus findasecondaspectofDeleuze’s imageofthought. Evenorespecially nevertheless isrelatedtoknowledge,technology, inthissense“media.”We Thus, althoughthinkinginartorresearchisnotorderedbymethod,it larger conditionsandinstitutionsorknowledgetechnicalapparatuses. for it;andyet,preciselythisreasonorinway, itwasconnectedto undertaken eachtimeanew, sincetherewerenopreexistingrulesorpaths where onecannotseehowtogoon.Itwasthussomethingthathadbe encounters andrelations,advancinginfitsstarts,withmanymoments spreading outindifferentdirections,forevershiftingandadjustingtofresh of thinkinginart,”Proustianorrhizomatic,wasthusthataprocess today isnodoubtthatoftherhizome. of thought”hehadthusfoundinProustmanyways—thebestknown ideas andrelatedsignsinart.Deleuzewouldgoontoelaboratethe“image ist noknowncodes,eventuallyleadinguptothepeculiarintelligenceof ways, anendlesslearningprocessofunravelingsignsforwhichthereex- unexpected encounters with thingsthatcannot be recognizedinhabitual dertaken byProust’s heroisonewhere“ideasalwayscomeafter,” through 3 was first formulated. For the search or research (for lost time) un- 4 Hispictureofthe“process 5 One One of “theviolentformthinkingthatispainting.” later present as an attempt to extract, along many lines once, a new picture images at once on the canvas and in our brains—what Alain Badiou would con, workinginhisfamouslyclutteredstudio,doing “violence”tocliché another wayinDeleuze’s studyofthe“logicsensation” India today. for example,intheworkofcertainartists,andartists groups,workingin filmmakers, butalsoformanycontemporaryartists—in aremarkableway, picture of“havingideasincinema”wasturnsuggestive notsimplyfor with newpsychologyorneurologyaswellphilosophy).Theresulting age” is(anditsroleinthisnew“massindustrialart,”growinguptandem in hisstudyofcinema, relation tothelargerquestionsof what an“im- poses. ThatispreciselywhatDeleuzehimselftriedtodoacrossmanycases try tostartelaborate,formulatingtheparticularproblemsorquestionsit cannot berecognizedintheusualways—anintuitionwhichonecanthen “ignorant” or“unlearned”ideas,suchsingularinvestigationsofthingsthat the workofagreatartistonehasstimulatingsenseproximitytosuch ways theyengageinthinkingandthroughtheirart.Oftenapproaching practice? Onewayisinrelationtotheworkofparticularartistsand How thenmightthispictureofthinkinginartbeusedorputinto one fromwhichthereisnowayback. own idiom,thinkingisalways“deterritorializing”inan“absolute”way, of thinkinginartisfundamentally“extra-territorial”—or, touseDeleuze’s could haveforeseen.Thereisasense,inotherwords,whichtheprocess those moments when people start to see things and talk in ways no expertise separable fromakindofpopular(yetnotpopulist)“ignorance,”foundin himself hadnotwrittenabout. Letmebrieflymentiontwo:RichardSerra way toextenditartists andtoartformspracticesthatDeleuze Reflecting onthisnotion and practiceof“thinkinginart,”Itriedmyown cation” publics orpublicspheres—orwhatJohannFichtewouldcall“aestheticedu- “Aesthetic Judgment”with“Emancipation”throughliterateorenlightened is missing,” ing in art it is then better tosay, with Deleuze, that “the people is notgiven, no institutedknowledgeorfixedterritorialization.Intheprocessesofthink- of emancipatory politics itselfas a zone of activity for which there preexists recently elaboratedby Jacques Rancière, is that one needs another picture 6 (andthenationalinstitutionsthatformedit).Oneconsequence, 7 8 and is created along with the search or research, and so is in- Atthesametime,wefindthisapproachtothinking inart 10 9 inFrancisBa-

197 John Rajchman 198 Art as a Thinking Process came tocall“ignoranceasakindofnourishment.” oped newforms,followinghismovetoNewYork, inalargerprocesshe “awkward relationtowriting”;wefindthatthis sense ofilliteracydevel- confronted hisgenerationofartistswithapeculiar form of“illiteracy,” an to the new situation of doxical Chan-Buddhist enligthement, regarded as a “process of thinking,” ticular inhisattemptthe1980stoadaptpracticeofsuddenorpara- and thework of thecontemporary Chineseartist,XuBing. We seeitinpar Drawing andthinkingareconnectedinanotherstrikingwaytheresearch thinking andresearchinartderives. ideas” and“livedbrains”plungedintothezonesof“illiteracy”fromwhich module of“artcognition”),closerinsteadtoDeleuze’s own pictureof“vital often focusedonrepeatablerecognitionskills(orthesearchforabrain frame oftestablelaboratoryhypothesesthatinmuchcurrentneuroscience in filmaswelldrawing—inakindofexperimentalzone,outsidethe involved “aestheticresearch”orinvestigationcarriedoutdifferentways— or mind,notjustwithone’s eyesandcognitiveobject-recognition. Itthus other us, at least for a moment, a vital sense of another body, another brain, an- Serra’s “process of thinking,” in other words, was his peculiar way of giving other kindofspaceclosertowhatonesees,notably, incertainZengardens. which hadsolongdominatedpainting,andthroughit,sculpture,inan- with “hands”and“feet”isintendedtodefeattheusual“eye-hand”gestalt, his massive steel structures. We then see that the relation between thinking of thinking,whathecametocall“thinkingwithone’s feet”imposedby one’s hands,” found in all art. But in his sculpture, we find another kind ings” or“filmicresearch”).Drawingisthenalreadyawayof“thinkingwith puts it,laterelaboratedinanotherwaythroughhisfilms(or“filmicdraw- related research,isdrawing—drawingasawayof“havingideas,”he on andaccompanyinghimthroughallthedevelopmentsinhiswork and XuBing.ForSerra,avisceralwayofthinkinginart,startingearly of “artforthepeople”and theCulturalRevolution.Whileproblemof nineteenth-century European modelsandthentransformedbyMao’s idea what shouldbetaughtnow inChineseartacademies,whichwerebasedon ticular pedagogicalquestion forXuBing,tiedupwiththelargerquestionof research, findhisorherownpeculiar“wayofthinking.” Itthusposesapar Bing holdsontohisideathateachartist,inagivensituation, must,through eration ofChineseartists,livingindifferent“globalized” circumstances,Xu field, inwhichone“thinkswithone’s body,” notjustwithone’s brain shu (books, learning, writing) after Mao, which had 11 Evenforthenextgen- - - cording to the calendar of biennial projects and panels, each compendious cording tothecalendarof biennialprojectsandpanels,eachcompendious research projectoragenda, tendstorecycleideasinventedelsewhere,ac- of akindsubstituteformation, which,intheabsenceofanysustained that wasthenstagedinBerlin twoyearslater),oneoftenhastheimpression plaza thatwasintendedtostartin2006duringManifesta 6inCyprusbut contemporary art(forexample,thefailedart-school projectunitednations- then looksinsteadattheactualpracticesofso-called pedagogicalturnin schools—a newkindofspecialization,theskillsa new“medium”?Ifone question ofissuingcertificatesanewkindexpertise withinexistingart more encompassing?Butontheotherhand,isitthen asimpleinstitutional of so-calledpost-Fordistimmateriallaborwherethe griponlifeissomuch ian CommunistPartyinthe1960s;whyshouldit work betterinaperiod mous spaces”offreelaborandthoughtoutsidethe “hegemony” oftheItal- of all institutions already proveduntenable in the failed search for“autono- to use Paolo Virno’s term? It seems that this Romantic picture of an outside in agrandwithdrawalor“exile”fromthegreat“EmpireofCapitalism,” Does it,forexample,requireretreatingoffintosanctuariesoffreethought process ofthinking”inarttranspireoutsidealreadyinstituted Knowledge? it is a problem of institutions and their “outsides.” In what sense does “the learned? Howisitrelatedtoworkdoneelsewhereoratothertimes?Inpart, make. But where and how does such thinking take place, where and how is it cess? Artistsdoresearch,undertakeinvestigations,readandtalk,look heart ofmuchthecurrentdiscussionordebateaboutartasathinkingpro- How thenshouldweformulatethispressinginstitutionalquestion,atthe globalization? extra-national waysofcross-encounteropenedupbywhatisnowcalled of thinking,outsidethedemandsstateormarket,workinginnew, face andproblem:howdoweprovideforthosevital(and“illiterate”)zones ters—yet to be written, still in the making—there is then an institutional the kindsofhistoryandhistoricalinvestigationinvolvedinsuchencoun- whose cruxwouldliepreciselyina“formalist”theoryofabstraction.For outside theoldandincreasinglyprovincialteleologicalstoryofmodernism tied upinpartwiththe“spatialization”ofZenorChanBuddhistthinking, ence or“dialogue,”akindofintersectionresonanceinpracticeandidea, ways inthe whole questionof “drawing.” Onethusfinds, withoutanyinflu- in thelargerquestionof“artasathinkingprocess,”connectedstriking nevertheless indifferenttimesandcircumstances,theyeachwereinvolved abstraction socentralforSerrahaslittleroleinXuBing’s thoughtorwork, 11

199 John Rajchman 200 Art as a Thinking Process of theidea:tosetupa space ofexchangeoutsideinstituteddisciplines, ers, artists,andfilmmakers tookpartinonewayoranother—thatwas Foucault’s group,ofcourse,was notanartists’group,evenifmanywrit- “neoliberalism,” stillwithustoday. new experimentsandhypotheses,notablysurrounding “bio-power”and aim inhisresearch,enteringasortofcrisisperiod after1976,filledwith cault himself was eventually disappointed with this creative or experimental ate ontheirown—suchwasthe“outside.”We know, however, that Fou- prisons mightbeinvented,whichneitherprisonersnor observerscouldcre- actually be“heard,”spaceswherenewwaysofseeing andspeakingabout “let the prisoners speak,” but rather to set up spaces in which they might the aimwasnottosimplycollectorofferinformation aboutprisonsnorto taking shapeindifferentinstitutions,requiringnewkindsofresearch.Thus ogy itselftoincludedispositifs,cuttingacrossdifferentformsofknowledge, was posedinanotherway, followingtheexpansionofnotiontechnol- in factratherdifferentfromOppenheimer, andthequestionofinformation industrial knowledgecomplexofwhichitwasakeypart.ButFoucault as withRobertOppenheimer, theatomicbomb,andlargermilitary- “specific intellectuals”workingwithinparticulardispositifsofknowledge, the “universalist”writerssuchasÉmileZolaandJean-PaulSartretoward of researchbelongedtoalargershiftthe“functionintellectuals”from as a toolbox forfurtheragitation or “struggle.” Foucault thought thiskind Discipline andPunish,whichthemselves,inturn,weretogetherregarded publishing smallresearchjournals,leadingtoacademicpublicationslike “transversal groups,” operating without avant-garde popes or manifestos, mation onPrisons(GIP),partofalargerattemptatthetimetosetup project Michel Foucault set up in the 1970s, called the Group for Infor What modelsdowehaveforit?Oneexampleistheshort-livedresearch- tutional questionofartasaprocessthinking. which theprocessof thinking inart can live?Thatisperhaps thentheinsti- and outside of academies, universities, museums, and exhibition practices, in pertise, aretherewaystoencourageandreinventthosespacesatonceinside at leastaspartof)theissueofspecialdegreesforresearch-basedartisticex- outside oftheinstitutionsand“disciplines”knowledge?Apartfrom(or envisaging theprocessofthinkinginartoutsideinstitutedknowledge, lysts” andtheirmomentaryresearchteams.Aretherethenotherwaysof “brainstorm” supplantedbythenextone,orchestrated“curator-cata- - those whohavenopart,” inwhichtheprocessofthinkingartlivesand rupting habitorconsensus, openingthefield,makingroomfor“partof the “partofthosewithno part.”Itisthenpreciselythroughsuchacts,dis- in openingits“field”tothe outsideofotherpossibilities,makingroomfor rule out in advance those “acts of emancipation” that interrupt its thetic education”),thereperhapsexistsnoinstitution thatcancompletely free or emancipatory institutions in artor in knowledge (and so of “aes- art. ing awayfrom“academism”thatrunsthroughtheentire historyofmodern 1970s, especiallyinNewYork—but goingbacktoalonghistoryofbreak- ideas ofart(orits“expandedfields”)thattook shapeinthe1960sand by newactsandgroups—notablywiththe“dis-identifications” ofthenew ing aclosedfieldratherthanpartage,interrupted,especiallyinthearts, maintaining that such practices or habits had, precisely, no outside, form- Rancière took exception to the presumptions of this new “sociologist king,” part ofa“field”tobeshownthroughdetailedsociologicalinvestigation. by theparticularityofanunderlyinghabitus,tiedupwithclassrelations, was presentedasrepublicanoraestheticuniversalityinfactgoverned the schoolandmuseum,ineachcase,hetriedtoshow that what shape. Bourdieu had focused on two great “public” institutions in France, of the1990s,afterColdWar, when“contemporaryart”wastaking attempt toadaptandextendFoucault’s researchmodel intothequestions Pierre Bourdieu’s sociologicalapproachinthislight,forming partoflarger It isinstructiveinthisregardtolookbackatJacquesRancière’s objectionto academies ormuseums,toartisticcuratorialresearch? ing process?How, inparticular, mightitbeextendedtoartinstitutions,like search experimentbeadaptedtotheinstitutionalquestionofartasathink- the endleadtochangesFoucaulthadhopedfor. Buthowthenmightthisre- why theexchange—ornewpartage—remained“outside,”evenifitdidn’t in of usualinstitutionalhabits,andleadingtonewinventions.Thatwasjust new questionsmightcome—newdiagramsofthewaythingswork,outside of extra-disciplinaryspacesandde-disciplinizingexperiencesfromwhich added expertise or new discipline. On the contrary, it was about the creation liberal “inter-disciplinarity” inwhichartisticresearchmightfunctionasan as Deleuze would call them. The exchange was thusnot at all like a nice practices, foundinmanydifferentinstitutions—“multi-linearensembles,” the workings of formulating largerquestionsthatbelongedtonoonedomain,focusedon 13 More generally, heargued,whilethereinfactmayexistnocompletely dispositifs of seeing and saying underlying many different habitus 12

201 John Rajchman 202 Art as a Thinking Process to findit.Atthesametime, theshiftofgeographyaffectslargerfate vital to“thinkinginart.” Even RancièreisobligedtoconstantlyleaveParis to MoscoworParisNew York, toencounter newforcesanddiscussion one citytowhichcan go,infactorone’s dreams,asoneoncewent of suchexperimentationforthe“periphery”haseroded. Today thereisno outside theoldmodernistEuro-Americanavant-garde axis,the“centrality” zones ofwealth(themselvesreflectedinauction, collecting, galleries,etc) illiterate “people”notyetenclosedinanynationality. With theriseofnew opening ontonewwaysofseeingandotherkinds images,appealingtoan with “minor languages,” foreign or untranslatable into any given language, or literatepublics(andrelatedphilosophicaltraditions), workinginstead sumed anewsenseofbeingoutsidethenational“monolinguism” oflearned one totheother. Thequestionofthe“illiteracy”thinkinginartthenas- then postwarRioandToyko, with Dada andthenFluxusevermovingfrom sionary “reterritorializaiton”—Paris,butalsoBerlin,Moscow, NewYork, thinking andpartagelived,ofwhichthenationwasonlyaviolentorexclu- tury) hadfunctionedas“laboratoriesofdeterrorialization”inwhichartistic in thewaysparticularcities(suchasParis,capitalofnineteenthcen- a givenlearnedoraestheticallyeducatednationalpublic,butfoundrather cal dimension,nolongerreducibletohigher“cosmopolitan”sensibilitiesof ed knowledgeorpracticewasthusaddedanewandterritorialgeopoliti- “national” public.To thequestionsofthinkingorresearchoutsideinstitut- that schoolsandmuseumswouldformwas,inpracticeatleast,largelya in Asia)wasanationalschool;andthe“enlightened”or“learned”public European artschool(adoptedaftertheMeijiReformationinvariousforms the searchfor“othermodernities.”Inmanyways,nineteenth-century along withattemptstoundotheEurocentrismofstorymodernartor talk intheartsabout“nomadism,”“hybridity,” andbeing“inbetween,” became somethingofaEuropeaninvention. a momentwhen“Europe”becamenewidea,and,therefore,“Asia”itself and discourses of neoliberal “globalization”; it was also, at the same time, erates were underway. 1989 was not only the takeoff point for exhibitions “contemporary art,”anumberofchangesinthelargerfieldwhichitop- But intheperiodwhichhethustookup—andstartedtobetakenupby— 1990s—a newkindofitinerant,intruding“amateur”withinit. increasingly inrelationto“contemporaryart”thatwastakingshapethe partage anditsdisruptions,Rancière would goontoputitintopractice new kindsand“ideasofart”becomepossible.Armedwiththisnotion 14 Atthetimetherewasmuch 7 6 5 Deleuze, Gilles 3 2 1 develop inpracticeastheory—partofanongoingphilosophicalresearch. In anycaseitisonethatIamnowstilltryingtobetterformulateand remains animportantandunresolvedquestionforartasathinkingprocess. new questionsitposeswithinanowincreasinglyglobalfield?Perhapsthis up networksorlaboratoriestoprovideforitandsobetterarticulatethe outside the older frame of modern or modernist histories? How can we set extra-national, ifnotde-territorialized,spaceofconnectionandexchange, is aninstitutionalquestion:Caninstitutionsnowprovideforthiskindof ing andmodelsofresearch,istakingplacewithinthissituation.Inpartit question oftheprocessthinkinginart,itsrelationtoinstitutionslearn- of theEuropeanimperialpowerthatsupportedandtransportedthem.The Antiquity throughagranduniversal“learning-process”cansurvivetheloss hermeneutic modelsofthegrandstoryWest unfoldingfromGreek their collections,rekindlingquestionsofwhethertheoldphilologicalor versities tryingto“globalize”theircurriculaatthesametimeasmuseums of research,especiallyinthe“humanities”or“liberal”education,asuni- 8 4 Schiller, Friedrich noi Artaud, Antonin  Snell (NewHaven,CT: Yale UniversityPress,1954). errun Press,1987),167. nesota Press,1989),3,374. Schizophrenia, trans. Brian Massumi (Minneapolis: University of Min- and 10below). cinema, and alsoof painting, inhis study ofFrancisBacon (see notes9 Deleuze developstheideaof“thinkinginart”twocriticalstudies, 1&author=John+Rajchman. forart.no/index.php?option=com_iarticles&Itemid=28&year=- for Research within International Contemporary Art, http://www. See JohnRajchman,“ThinkinginContemporaryArt,”Institute collectives, andinstitutions. SeeBeingPluralSingular(NewYork: Gug- we seetheroleofDeleuze, film culture,takenupinartistresearchgroups, In acurrentexhibitionofnew Indianartists,curatedbySandhiniPoddar, (Minneapolis: Universityof MinnesotaPress,1989),215. Cinema 2:TheTime-Image, trans.HughTomlinson andRobertGaleta For adevelopmentofthetheme“thepeopleismissing,” seeGillesDeleuze, Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari, University ofMinnesotaPress,2000),94. Proust andSigns,trans.RichardHoward(Minneapolis: , trans. Reginald On theAestheticEducationofMankind,trans.Reginald Collected Writings, trans.Victor Corti(NewYork:Riv A Thousand Plateaus: Capitalism and -

203 John Rajchman 204 Art as a Thinking Process 15  14 13 Virno, Paolo 12 11 10 ils Deleuze, Gilles 9 aqe Rancière, Jacques of 1989,whenAsiaaswellEuropebecameanewidea. and American“research,”wouldbebroughtintoquestioninthewake nation state,”ineffectapoisonedgiftofseveralcenturiesEuropean (Cambridge, MA:HarvardUniversityPress,2011).Theideaof“the See Wang Hui,esp.thetitleessayinThePoliticsofImaginingAsia 1960s and1970sasamomentofdis-identificationseenote1. On theturntoanew“contemporary”ideaofartinNewYork inthe Oster, AndrewParker(Durham:DukeUniversityPress,2003),197. 2004). SHU (NewYork: ChinaInstituteCatalogue,2002). contemporary Chineseartand“illiteracy”inXuBing,seeWu Hung, in BrazilaspartoftheSãoPauloBiennial.OnquestionsSHU Project” evoked atthe end ofthis essay iscurrentlybeingre-engaged and LiTuo (HongKong:OxfordUniversityPress,2008).The“Forest “Ignorance asaKindofNourishment,”inQishiNiandai,eds.BeiDao Francis Bacon,vii. Alain BadiouandBarbaraCassin,“PrefacetotheFrenchEdition,”in Smith (London:Continuum,2003). Ames HodgesandMikeTaormina (LosAngeles:Semiotext(e),2006). of Madness:Texts andInterviews1975–1995, ed. Davidtrans. Lapoujade, 1987 givesasensewhy. “WhatistheActofCreation?,”inTwo Regimes genheim Publications,2012).Deleuze’s ownlecturetofilmmakersin A GrammaroftheMultitude(LosAngeles:Semiotext(e), Francis Bacon:TheLogicofSensation,trans.DanielW. The PhilosopherandHisPoor,trans.JohnDrury, Corrine 205 John Rajchman 206 all ofhisknowledgethrough hisuseofkabbalahsand“Egyptian”magic! universe seemedtopredate thetheoriesofastronomersby300years.Hegot was burnedforheresyin Rome in1600,andwhoseideasaboutaninfinite Remember the famous visionary Giordano Bruno, the Dominican monk who nected tovisualart(apartfromthelensestrick)as beginningsofscience. We tend to forget that the Renaissance magic, however, is not so much con- means, fixatesuchanimageonaglassplateor paper. art throughtheadventofphotographywasability to,throughchemical have somemagicaboutit.AsHockneyrightlystates, theonlynewaspectof see afullrepresentationofrealityappearonwall thankstoalensdoes many of whom during those days were interested in magic. And indeed, to The artistsveryoftengottheselensesfrombishops in theCatholicChurch, European Renaissanceinfactwereresultsofanewtool:opticallenses. changes inhowartistswereseeingandunderstandingtheworldduring Secret Knowledge(2001).Init,heprovesthroughexperimentshowfamous Artist DavidHockneydescribesyearsofvisualresearchinhismagisterial I’m tryingtodescribe. of water, andseetheshapeseeminglychange,wemightgetanideaofwhat about theopticalphenomenonthatoccurswhenweputastickinglass ing itfromonemodetoanother. Thismightsoundabstract,butifwethink due totheveryimpossibilityoffullyrenderingachainthinking,mov- the pointisthatthesetranslationscontainanelementofmisunderstanding, creative wayofunderstandinganddevelopingnewthinking?Inthatcase, of orders,methods,materialities,andclusters,whichprovokesanew it maybetheveryoperationoftranslatingthinkingbetweendifferenttypes What dowemeanwhentalkabout“thinkingthroughthevisual”?Is Through Thinking

1917, whichshowsclearlyhowshequiteliterally thoughtthroughthe There isanunfinishedseriesofdrawings/paintings, probablyfromaround are notrelevant. figurative paintingtoabstractpainting.ForHilmaafKlint,suchcategories Kandinsky andMondrianmadeananalytical,step-by-steptransitionfrom too wereinfluencedbytheosophy, butinmyviewthereisabigdifference. times sheiscomparedtoWassily KandinskyorPietMondrian,sincethey paintings don’t resembleanythinghercontemporariesweredoing.Some- The results—1,022esotericpaintings—areamazing.oftenverylarge enough tomakeherowndecisions. af Klint’s vocabulary, spiritsguidedherhand,untilshebecameexperienced paint howsheimaginedsomething,buttowhatactuallysaw. In these ten years to learn humility, according to the spirits, in order not to inner secretsofworldandnature.Herclear, mathematicalmindwouldneed totally open-mindedandtocarefullydepicthergivenknowledgeaboutthe fellow artists/spiritistswasreceivingmessages,whichencouragedhertobe ceding herfirstesotericpaintingin1906,shealongwithsmallgroup unconscious. Beginninginthe1880s,butparticulartenyearspre- in howonecan,byputtingoneselfintoatrance,gainaccesstothespiritual her todayhadshenotalsobeenaspiritistmedium,withcompletefaith eye andprecisepowersofobservation.However, Iwouldn’t bediscussing today. Shespecializedinportraitsandlandscapepainting,showingakeen sional artist at a time when women artists were not as common as they are Hilma afKlintwasborninStockholm1862,andtrainedasaprofes- af Klint as a test case, and as a kind of prototype for a researching artist. Therefore, IwouldliketousetheSwedishartistandspiritisticmediumHilma G Sandqvist ertrud

207 208 Thinking Through of receivingmessages/noting results,butofafKlint’s growingcapacityto her nextseriesofoccultpaintings. Thistime,thepaintingswerenotaresult Then therewasapausefor approximatelyfouryears,untilafKlintstarted one outsideaverysmallcircleoffriends,calledthe Friday group. 1908”). AfKlintwasalsoinstructednottoshowany oftheseworkstoany- “group IV, nr2,8/101907,”or“Sjustjärnan,5,Series WUS,Jan–Feb experiments carriedoutinalab(numbersdifferent series,anddates,e.g. painting waslistedaccordingtoarathersimplesystem, whichresembles Between 1906and1910,thisisbasicallywhataf Klint wasdoing.Every secrets ofhumandestiny. Thespiritswillhelphertocarryouttheirmessage. High,” andtopainttheoriginsoflife,structure of theuniverse,and sionally trainedpainter, sheisaskedtoputherskillintotheserviceof“the herself intoasfinelytunedaninstrumentpossible.Sincesheisaprofes- painting. Sheisinstructednottodoubtsomuch,andalsotransform af Klintforherfuturetask—torevealthesecretsof the universethrough Before 1906, the main message from this “voice” seems to be to prepare 1930s, referstotheseevents,shesimplycallsthem“thevoice.” tions, whileotherswerecharactersresemblingangels.Whenshe,inthemid of spirits.Some of these seem to presentpersons from variousreincarna- séance. Asamedium,intrance,afKlintreceivedmessagesfromnumber For alongperiod,atleastbetween1896and1910,hermaintoolwasthe Af Klintseemstouseseveraldifferentwaysobtainoccultknowledge. we willfindthatitisjustascoherent. knowledge asaspecifickindofunderstandingonparwithothersystems, that mightseemalientomodernscientistsorartists.Butifweacceptoccult of Bruno,herresearchmethodswereoccult,ormagic,aknowledgesystem message orknowledgeherownesotericpaintingspresented.Asinthecase It seemscleartomethatHilmaafKlinttriedunderstandwhatkindof reading asthereflective,writtenpartofhervisualresearch. yet-executed paintings and herown spiritual travels, providing fascinating handwriting allspiritualmessages,andalsoincludeinstructionsfornot- there aremorethanonethousand,describeinherveryclearandregular and didn’t continueuntilshesawthisclearly. Heresotericdiaries,ofwhich construction ofsomeparticularprobleminhowuniverseisconstructed, visual. Sheseemstohavewaiteduntilsheclearlysawtheexact,esoteric her occultpaintingsandthe connected“diaries”orjournalswithnoaccess 1943, inspiteoffriends’recommendations. Thismeansthatshedeveloped notes thatshedidn’t readHelenaBlavatsky’s classicIsisUnveiled until anything theosophical,apart fromsomeSwedishjournals.Inherdiaryshe but herpersonallibrarycontainsalmostnooccult literature,andhardly she listenedtoalecturebythetheosophicalleader AnnieBesantin1908, She followedDr. Steiner’s lecturesin Dornachinthe1920s,andwrotethat Af Klintdoesnotseemtohavereadmuchtheosophical oroccultliterature. to decodeherownwork. rather tokeepquiet.Butslowlyandpatiently, asascientist,shecontinued ceived amessagefromTheHigh,instructinghernot torevealtoomuch,but tened, andwaiteduntilthesecretwasrevealedto her. Sometimesshere- use heroccult knowledge system, which meant thatshewatchedandlis- ings, writinglistsofwhateverysignandsymbolmeant.Shecontinuedto made between1906and1908.Methodically, shetriedtodecodethepaint- analyze herpreviouswork,andinparticularthe“mediumistic”worksshe Then, andinparticularthe1930s,afKlintbegantounderstand according totheanthroposophicalinstructions. changed herwayofworkingtopaintwatercolorsinwet-in-wettechniques in 1944.ButafterhermovetoDornachandRudolfSteiner1920,she Af Klintcontinuedtoreceiveimpulsesforoccultpaintingsuntilherdeath something whichverymuchresemblestheDNAspiral). (The Dove,nr1,groupIX,seriesUW, forinstancehasasamainstructure bols, partlywithcarefulobservationofstructuresnecessaryforcreatinglife logic, andseemtodepictarealityhiddenformostofus,partlywithsym- seamlessly betweenabstractandfigurative,haveagreatinnercoherence ence intechnique,asherearlier, guidedpaintings.Theworks,shifting have beencreatedthatafKlintwasworkingasquickly, andwithnodiffer and Pictures for the Altar, group X. One can see in the way the paintings occult paintings,belongingtotheseriesSUW(TheSwan),UWDove), Between October1914andDecember1915,afKlintmadefifty-fivelarge with littlegnomesconstantlyirritatingyou.” cult diary(or, rather, journal):“Itisnoteasytomakeamediumisticportrait between 1910and1913,shebecameclairvoyant.Shecommentsinheroc- see andunderstandthemysticsecretsofnature.Somewhereinperiod -

209 Gertrud Sandqvist 210 Thinking Through sidered tobethemeaningofherwork. careful reading ofafKlint’s diariesmighthelpus understand whatshecon- in exhibitionsallovertheworld.Theirmessagehasremainedobscure.A then, there has always been at least one Hilma af Klint painting being shown painting 1890–1980,”attheLosAngelesCountyMuseumofArt.Since to alargeraudiencewithintheexhibition“TheSpiritualinArt:Abstract Museet inStockholm,wasnotyetready. Onlyin1985washerworkshown died in1944.In1969,theworld,shapeofdirectorModerna sumed thattheworldwouldnotbematureenoughtounderstandthem.She work mustnotbeshownuntiltwenty-fiveyearsafterherdeath,sincesheas- As a footnote I can mention that HilmaafKlintdecidedheresoteric ist/researcher as GiordanoBruno is the prototype for the modern scientist. I wouldsaythatHilmaafKlintisjustasmuchaprototypeforthevisualart- of theearlyabstractpainters. or Mondrian.Needlesstosay, shehadnocontactwithorknowledgeofany to thepictorialandtheoreticalsourcesthatweresoimportantKandinsky 211 Gertrud Sandqvist 212 end inmostEuropeancountries. master-pupil modelofmaster-class educationhaddefinitivelycometoan clear that the introverted, romantic, pre-democratic, and non-dialogic implementation oftheBolognaframeworkslowlybutsurelymadevery rethinking andreformulatinghighereducationinEurope.Thegradual that cameintoeffecttwelveyearsagoasareconstructivetrajectoryfor of the challengesin today’s artworldpertainstothe Bologna Accords crisis, precariousness,andchange,butmostofallwithchallenge.One Our currentartisticdecadeisfilledwithanexcessofrhetoricdealing most of allbe “research-based” and “context-responsive.” This renders or respondtoagivenrequired context.Topical visualart,then, should dio,” seemtobeable occur anywhereiftheycanadequatelyconnect constructions and interdisciplinary activities that, going “beyond the stu- is nolongeraccentuated.Atthecoreofcurrent discourseareartistic as such.Thinkingintermsofcreation,creativecapacity, studio,andtalent fies arealparadigmshiftintheprocessof reflectionuponartproduction The implementationoftheBolognaProcessinhigher arteducationsigni- projects. clear isthattodayartistsshouldbeabletopresent and contextualizetheir communicative and curatorial competencies. What becomes abundantly interdisciplinary projects, experimental productions, and above all for the programsuchascriticalstudies,contextualcollaborativeand of autonomy—curricularspaceisclaimednowfornovelcomponentsin aries thatwereclungtointheformermodelforsakeofprinciple between arteducation,science,andthedomainofpractice—bound- historical canonbehind.Becauseofthedeconstructionboundaries way foracourse-based,modularprogramwhileleavingthedominantart- The Institutional Conscience ofConscience Art 1 Themaster-pupil modelhadtomake

Ma-Ness,” especially importantstartingpointforthecollaborativeproject“ACertain The roleandsignificationoftheacademizationvisualartservedasan Bologna Accords? capacity to issue academic MA and PhD degrees in accordance with the institution functionwhilehavingtofocusonartisticresearchskillsandthe in thesetupofagraduateschoolforfineart?Howdoesanarteducation tion? And last butnot least, what doestheconceptof artistic research mean chitecture focusedonknowledgeproductionthroughaprocessoftransla- already existingpracticethatcouldbeaccommodatedinanacademicar companied byintenseandheateddebates. research initselfhasraisedmanyquestionsduringthepastdecade,ac- has givenrisetotheconceptofartisticresearch.Yet, theconceptofartistic Such aclear-cut focusonresearch-basedandcontext-sensitivevisualart film, history, biology, sciences,technology, andphilosophy. art thefreedomtodeployarangeofcontextssuchasarchitecture,design, of exclusion? research-based artversusnon-research-based,creatinganovelmechanism Could the dual pair of art versus not-art be substituted by the opposition of novel practices,ordoesitexcludeand/ormarginalizecertainpractices? the domainofvisualartproduce?Doesrhetoricresearchinclude had atitscorethefollowingthreequestions: into beingassuccessorsinaseriesofcollaborations. “ACertainMa-Ness” quent projects “Becoming Bologna” and “The Academy Strikes Back” came resulted inthreeprojects.Inadditionto“ACertainMa-Ness,”thesubse- Graduate SchoolofVisual ArtandDesign)in2008,whichultimately 4 initiatedbySint-LucasAcademyBrusselsandMaHKU(Utrecht 3 Ordoesaresearchdiscourseanditsvocabularypointtoan H 2 Whatformofresearchcould Slager enk -

213 214 The Institutional Conscience of Art 2. 1. be understoodindifferent ways. because ofacertainremediation, suchthatthoseothermediabeganto media, but the rise of new media did affect that other visual art media, a smallgroupofartistsstartedbecomingactively specializedinnew extent withtheearlierintroductionofnewmediain arteducation:only different views.Thisisadevelopmentthatcouldbe comparedtosome the variousperspectivesonarteducationasapossibility toremediate considering theconstructiveandultimatelyinsoluble tensionbetween lum nottakingartisticresearchasafundamentalpoint ofdeparture,but for developing an—agonistic—research-oriented curriculum, a curricu- designed”; demization ofarteducation?”;“Howisaresearch-basedcurriculum the specificity ofthedidacticstrategiesdevelopedbecause aca- posium. Centralquestionsduring“BecomingBologna”were:“Whatis a series of research interventions (Iuav University of Venice) and a sym- Bologna,” acollateraleventofthe2009Venice Biennale consistingof er? Thatwastheleadingquestioninfollow-upproject“Becoming What doestheBolognaProcessmeanfordidacticroleoflectur precisely becauseofitslackclearcriteriafordistinction. the MAdegreeinfineartisfactleastdefinedacademic BA andPhDlevelofeducation.Thatunderscores,Wilson believes,that not only applicable to MA education, but ina certain sensealso to the evaluated. Thosecompetenciesare,asMickWilson rightlyobserved, had beenestablishedfordealingwithsuchquestions,werecritically complexities; communicativeskills;andindependentlearning),which environment; problem-solvingattitude;wellconsideredindealingwith dam) theso-calledDublindescriptors(beingabletocopeinaresearch Ma-Ness” conferenceandexhibition(VCHDeBrakkeGrond,Amster tencies bechartedinaclearanddistinctway?Duringthe“ACertain competencies mean for the student in art education? Can these compe- What doesthecurrentacademizationandthinkingintermsofresearch market interests.” structive after-images live side byside in aworldincreasingly drivenby moment whentheoldacademy, themodernistmodel,andtheirdecon- situation aroundthecurrentartacademycurriculum:“Anasynchronic iel Birnbaumemphasizedtheagonisticcomponentscharacterizing equately?” Inhiskeynotelectureattheopeningofsymposium,Dan- 6 and“Howcouldtheresearchcompetenciesbejudgedad- 7 Itispreciselythissituationthatmostchallenging 8

5 - - Figure 1:Tiong Ang,As The Academy Turns, poster for Manifesta 8,2010. 3.

of aninvisiblecollege. issues dealingwithmeaning,engagement,andfunctioninanadaptation and lectureseriesattheSanFranciscoArtInstitute(SFAI) encountering of Interest:ExperimentsinThinkingandAction,”agraduateseminar artistic thinking.Inthatcontext,RenéeGreenpresentedher“Spheres tive ofthegraduateschoolasresearchenvironmentandsanctuaryfor Back” (Sint-LukasBrussels)thisquestionwastackledfromtheperspec- emy itself?Duringtheconcludingconference,“TheAcademyStrikes What do thenovel forms of didactic interaction mean for the art acad- dents toimagineunfamiliarformsofperceptionandcreationthrough 9 ThegoalofGreen’s serieswastoprovokestu-

215 Henk Slager 216 The Institutional Conscience of Art textual studiesandcuratorial experimenting withbothnovelformsofpresentation—forexamplecon- logic interactions,afocusonpublicspace,andlaboratory-typecurriculum tween artisticproductionandcriticalstudies,acurriculumwithchieflydia- various challengingeducationalelements,suchasaclearconnectionbe- The variousresponsesemergingfromthesethreeconferencesemphasized capitalism isthedrawback oftheBolognaProcess.AllthatAdornoonce One couldarguethatthe propensitytoformatforthesakeofacognitive fect ofthelate-capitalistideology ofafreemarketsystem. tion seem to directly derive their implicit structure from the formatting ef- rhetoric ofthecreativeindustries.One-dimensional strategiesofsignifica- a worlddrowninginiconographyofvisualculture andtheopportunistic Autonomous Research” now remains—a fleetingexperience of freedom in in thepracticeofmanyartacademies.Nomorethan azoneof“Temporary art asonceputforwardbyTheodorW. Adornoseemsto haveevaporated also noticesadramaticdevaluation,sincethecritical autonomousspaceof Yet, whenlookingat the presentsituationofEuropeanarteducation,one forms ofsmoothsocialspacesandpublicspheres. doing, contribute to the aesthetic imagination of multitudinous and pluralist substitute anawarenessofconsensusbydissensusand,inso dominant hegemony. Atthesametime,thesecounter-hegemonic practices ness thateachhegemonyiscontingent,urgethecriticalquestioningofany space bydevelopingcounter-hegemonic practicesthat, rootedintheaware- communication continuouslyresiststhepoliticalrhetoricofastriatedpublic that involves intersecting and conflicting elements.” line withthis,Mouffespeaksof“afragmenteddiversitypublicspheres Action, asingleentity, butratherisviewedtodayinapluralisticsense.In no longer, asunderstoodinJürgenHabermas’s TheoryofCommunicative forms ofartisticcommunicationasbeingawarethatthepublicsphereis tion as“agonisticformsofaddress”(ChantalMouffe).Thelatterpointsto be abletothinkandcreatebeyondcorporatizedsocialnetworks. generates workingbases,nodes,andnetworkswithothersinorderto as aninstitutionwithincanhaveacatalyzingeffect:it Experiments inThinkingandAction”makesclearthatartisticresearch and historicalcreativeproductionconception.“SpheresofInterest: exposure tochallengingideasrelateddifferentformsofcontemporary 10 —and variousformsofcommunica- 11 Thus, a topical artistic cation Today”—a projectrunningparalleltotheFriezeArtFair 2007— at theunitednationsplaza in Berlin.Duringthepaneldiscussion“ArtEdu- academy projectwasrealized byVidokle, oneofthe Manifesta 6curators, Manifesta 6 program was never executed. Eventually, part of the Manifesta of Manifesta were incompatible with those of thelocalauthorities, that temporary artacademyprojectinCyprus.Unfortunately, becausetheviews addition, the 2006 Manifesta planned a biennial consisting primarily of a (M HKA)andtheVan AbbemuseuminEindhoven,theNetherlands. “A.C.A.D.E.M.Y” projectoftheAntwerpMuseum forContemporaryArt An obviousexampleofthiscanbefoundinthecuratorial conceptofthe practices. conceive analternativemodernityintheformofaderegulated multitudeof old ofmodernitythatisabletogiverisethedifferentiationartand exhibitions seemtoviewtheacademyasarelic,anoddspaceatthresh- dating areflectionthatisabletowithstandanyquantifiableresults?These tasks, suchasbeingabletoofferaspeculativespace,spaceaccommo- or indirectconsequenceofhowartacademieshavelosttracktheirinitial academy” andan“educationalturnincurating.”Isthisperhapsthedirect terized byacuratorialparadigmqualifiednotionssuchas“theexpanded Recently, moreandexhibitionshavebeenorganizedthatarecharac- effected anunexpectedstretchingorshiftingofthenotionacademy. But bynomeansisthisallthatinplay. Establishedcuratorialpracticehas ates them,andrevisesthem.” for anyformofaccess,evenifonecopeswiththem,contestsnegoti- ment oftheideologicalprinciplesinscribedinthemremainsaprerequisite submission orsurrendertotheseparameters,afundamentalacknowledg- parameters ofthissystem.Thoughacceptancedoesnotnecessarilyimply evaluative supervision, you have either explicitly or implicitly accepted the enter theacademicpower-knowledge systemofaccountability checksand will beerased.Forexample,Tom Holertargues,“Theproblemis,onceyou formity andthebeliefinaprocess-basedreflectivemodelofeducation People are afraid that, in the development of this process, both noncon- in aterminologyincludingstandardization,efficiency, andquantifiability. to someextentwiththecurrentrhetoricofartisticknowledgeproduction nationally exchangeablestudycredits),seemtobeintrinsicallyconnected fication ofquality, forexampleintheformofso-calledECTS(inter seriously warnedagainst,includinganinstrumentalreasonandaquanti- 12 13 In -

217 Henk Slager 218 The Institutional Conscience of Art emphasized oncemorethat“creativepracticesof knowledge” of aspirations.During“TheAcademyStrikesBack” symposium,Rogoff able outcomes,andmarketabilityforanothersetof termsandanotherset knowledge transfer, knowledgeassessment,professionalization,quantifi- this complexaspiration,thatweneedtochangeour vocabulary—toswap comes, impact,andconstant monitoring. not cedetotheendlesspragmatic demandsofknowledgeprotocols:out- scription shebelievesmore adequatethan“practice-basedresearch”—do what wedon’t yetknowhow toknow.” Europe. Rather, the academy is a question regarding how we may know education ishardlyanencouragingoneforthefearful Bolognascepticsin tization andincreasinglyresult-orientedcultureovertaking Britishhigher of educationwillbelost.Certainlythespecterextremebureaucra- longer-term, moreprocessional,reflectiveandlessoutcome-bound model pressed aboutthisprocessisthatallindividualityandpossibilityfora companying fearofthisdevelopment:“Thethatisrepeatedlyex- consequence of the rise of technocratic reason in education and the ac- Rogoff. Rogoffalsoviewsthefocusonconceptofacademyasa Much hasbeenpublishedonthisdevelopmentbytheBritishtheoristIrit of experimentalacademiesthatattempttoofferspacespossibility. models andincludetheconceptsofeducationparticipationinform that desire,theydevelopexhibitionsdemandingattentionformoreeffective the eighteenth-centurysovereigntythatoncewasgiventoart.Instressing function ofpublicspace today, bothartists and curatorsstillwanttohave to haveanimpactonsociety. Yet, inspiteoftheendconsensuson the massesintheirleisuretime.Thatmakesitincreasinglydifficultforart At thesametime,artseemstohaveadoptedroleofentertainmentfor that thetraditionalartaudiencehasdisappearedoverlasttwocenturies. American artistMarthaRoslerinparticularhasdemonstratedherwork awareness andtoaconscioussenseofcitizenship.Vidokle arguedthatthe thus alsoinourday, exhibitionshavehadtocontributeacritical,social French revolution in the eighteenth century. From that point onward, and The paradigmofthepublicexhibitionwasformulatedattime oftransformationwithregardtothespectatorandpublic. process current educationalturnisrelatedtohowtheroleofvisualartin Vidokle reportedontheManifestaacademyproject.Accordingtohim, 14 Itishere,intheaimofaccessing 15 —a de- about, CharlesEschesays, ever sizeandexperience?Suchanexperimentalsituationcouldbebrought encouraging newenergiesandquestionsinagroupofparticipantswhat- the creativeprocess.Howcouldweestablishsituationsforchannelingand tion whereconstructiveimpulsescouldthenoccur, givinganindirectshiftin ertheless wecouldgenerateatleastanexperimental,laboratory-typesitua- education machineseems to bespecificallyfocusedonknowledgeproduc- now—certainly sinceWalter Gropius—thatartcannotbetaught, where urgentdiscussionsandculturalproductionstakeplace.We knowby themselves particularlyasexperimentallaboratories,speculativespaces For theartacademiesthisdevelopmentimpliesthattheyshouldmanifest search autonomy. somewhat hackneyedconceptofautonomyascommittedortemporaryre- claiming spaceforaformofdifferentialthoughtenablingrethinkthe as some conservative criticasters fear; on the contrary, this could result in In myview, thisdoesnotneedtoleadatallahomogenizingembedding, to whereitbelongs:withintheinstitutionalframeworkofarteducation. tion. Suchareconsiderationwillrelocatethediscussionaboutacademy tion, thisalsonecessitatesareconsiderationofthespecificityarteduca- curricular, module-basedmodel mustbeintroducedinEuropeanarteduca- in arteducation—couldultimatelyhaveapositiveandrestrainingeffect.If framework—or theintroductionofBachelor-Master (BA-MA)system In thelightofsuchinstrumentalization,above-mentionedBologna cratization oftheECTS bookkeeping. will beentirelysubstituted byaquantifyingcontrolsystem—thebureau- feudal monopolyposition oftheprofessor, thenewdanger isindeedthatit of thisnewmodelendsthedisciplinaryandqualitative arbitrarinessofthe ture oftheuniversitymodel.Butalthoughitistrue thattheintroduction capacity to critically assess any adoptionwhatsoeverofthe curricular struc- An academy characterized by these perspectives will inherently have the - - - the followingthreeparameters:

ferences betweenitsvariousmedia,disciplines,and discourses. Anti-hierarchic: theacademyrefrainsfromestablishing hierarchicdif- artistic andnon-artisticenvironments. Anti-isolation: theacademymaintainsanopendialogue withbothits Anti-specialism: theacademyresistsspecializationanddisciplining. 17 iftheartacademyenvironmentcouldnavigate 18 Atthesametime,university 16 butnev-

219 Henk Slager 220 The Institutional Conscience of Art and realized.” metrical relationsthatconstitutetheworldinwhichsuchartisfashioned cal practicesoftheindividualartistwithunruly, unpredictable,asym- “The taskIseeforartschoolsliesinreconcilingtheexperimental,radi- In theacademyspecialofmagazinefrieze,OkwuiEnwezorarguesthat: should nowarticulatetheircoretaskanew. ing ofartacademiceducation enforced by the Bolognarules,artacademies rhetoric ofthe creative industry. Due to the reconsideration and rethink- ing sightofthat,becauseneoliberalenthusiasmandthehomogenizing tion projectsofartacademies.Apparently, artacademieswereclosetolos- academy, which,asRogoffrightlystates,hasbeenillustratedbyallexhibi- The creationofaspaceforfreedomthinkingisthecoretaskart process ofthought. freedom ofthelaboratorysituationgivingroomtoaproductiveartistic tion, while, as mentioned above,theacademyisdirectedtowardopen strategies foranumberof years. intellectual sanctuarywhere theycanreconsidertheirartisticmotivesand for manyEuropeanartacademies. Theseprogramspresentartistswithan Arts andtheMalmöArtAcademyareconstructive andinspiringmodels doctoral programsoffered,forexample,bytheFinnish AcademyofFine search, Scandinaviaplaysaprominentpioneeringrole. Inthatcontext,the In thedevelopmentandrealizationofsuchagroundbreaking formofre- independent oftherhetoricsocioeconomicrelevance. an authenticresearchthatcomesaboutthroughartistic necessityentirely free marketsystemandknowledgecommodification; inshort,thiswillbe be aformofresearchnotswayedbyissuesdictated bythelate-capitalist be ledbytheformattedmodelsofestablishedscientificorder. Thiswill toral researchlike“Temporary AutonomousResearch”withoutanyneedto “third cycle”—connectedwiththeBolognaAccords:thatistosay, indoc- One prospectforthatdevelopmentlies,Ibelieve,inthePhDresearch—the sentation willbegeneratedinthenextdecade. where innovativeprocesseswithregard to production,reflection,andpre- thinking” space,issoongoingtobetheonlylocationinculturalfield on accountofitscurricularreformulationincorporatingthe“freedom-of- 19 Fromthisperspective,itseemslikelythattheartacademy, of theconscienceartacademyasaninstitution. issues ofthechangingparadigmsarteducation,butalsotofulfillrole tance thatartisticPhDresearchnotonlybeabletonavigatethepersistent 5 4 3 2 1 consciousness basedonacommittedautonomy. that is,tosupplynovelanddifferentformsofvisualthinkingcritical academy focusonthereformulationandactualizationofitsoriginaltask— the homogenizingrhetoricofcreativeindustries,itseemsurgentthat seems toloseitsmaincorebecauseoftheanimationneoliberalismand field ofvisualartandculture.Specificallyinourday, whentheartacademy also beawareofitsresponsibilityregardingthevariousforcesatplayin Academy Turns” symposium, be stressedspecificallyinallPhD-relateddiscussions.Duringthe“As as amaximfortheartacademyinitself.Thatcomponent,therefore,should search, thedoctoralresearchenvironmentseemstobeablefunctionanew a novel,experimentalsanctuaryforpure,temporaryautonomousartisticre- years onquestionsandissuesintrinsictotheirartisticpractices.Inoffering mostly mid-careerartistsgettheopportunitytoconcentrateforanumberof with regardtoarteducationandartisticpractice,sincetheparticipating, The net result of such a doctoral program appears to be a quality impulse Mick Wilson, “UncertainMa-Ness,”MaHKUzine:JournalofArtistic Artistic Research,no.5(Summer2008):8–9. 2010). Reportsontheprojects arepublishedinMaHKUzine:Journalof symposium (“TheAcademy StrikesBack,”Sint-LukasBrussels,June Iuav UniversityofVenice, June2009);andaconcludingexhibition meeting (“BecomingBologna,”collateraleventtothe Venice Biennale, Grond, March2008);aseriesofresearchinterventions andanexpert a symposium in Amsterdam (“A Certain Ma-Ness,” VCC De Brakke This collaborativeprojectconsistedofthreeparts: anexhibitionand (2009), http://www.e-flux.com/journal/view/40. Tom Holert,“ArtintheKnowledge-based Polis,”e-fluxjournal,no.3 Lier enBoog,2004). port ofthediscussion,arepublishedinArtisticResearch (Amsterdam: Sandqvist, MikaHannula,SaratMaharaj,andothers,alongwithare- took placeinAmsterdam2003.ThecontributionsofJanKaila,Gertrud One ofthefirstEuropeanconferencesdevotedto“ArtisticResearch” in HigherArtisticEducation(Vienna: EditionSelene,2001). publication This developmentwaschartedforthefirsttimebyUteMetaBauerin Education, Information, Entertainment: New Approaches 20 itcametolightthatisofutmostimpor 21 Arteducationmust -

221 Henk Slager 222 The Institutional Conscience of Art 6 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7

Research, no.5(Summer2008):33–40. Art School(Autumn2006):21–27, http://manifesta.org/manifesta-6/. Florian Waldvogel, “EachOneTeach One,”Manifesta6:Notesforan of ArtisticResearch,no.9(Summer2010):41. “Practicing Research/Singularising Knowledge,”MaHKUzine:Journal es bywhichknowledgebecomesa-signifyingknowledge. IritRogoff, In Rogoff’s view, creativepracticescouldbe betterdescribedasprocess- lika Nollertetal.(FrankfurtamMain:RevolverVerlag, 2006),9. Irit Rogoff,“AcademyasPotentiality,” inA.C.A.D.E.M.Y,eds.Ange- vember 26,2006). um,” Van Abbemuseum, Eindhoven,Netherlands(September16–No- 15–November 28, 2006). “A.C.A.D.E.M.Y.: Learning from the Muse- “Academy: LearningfromArt,”MHKA,Antwerp, Belgium (September MaHKUzine: JournalofArtisticResearch,no.8(Winter 2010):41. Tom Holert,“LookingforAgencyintheKnowledge-basedInstitution,” 2007). search: AJournalofIdeas,ContextsandMethods1,no.2(Summer Chantal Mouffe,“ArtisticActivismandAgonisticSpaces,”Art&Re- works. current conditionsofcultural,social,political,andeconomicframe- artistic productionrelates,andisinfluencedbyideologies,histories, focuses oninvestigationsandanalysesofthevariouscontextstowhich sinki, Idevelopedtheprogramunit“ContextualStudies.”This For theDoctoralProgramofFinnishAcademyFineArtinHel- MaHKUzine: JournalofArtisticResearch,no.9(Summer2010):16–24. Renée Green,“HailtheInvisibleCollege/Reason’s Sense ofHumor,” plines anddomains. media artinthe1990s—willremediateandredefineotherartisticdisci- that the currentinterest in research-based art—similarly to the role of Shanghai Biennale, “Translocalmotion,” 2008), I defend the hypothesis In mycuratorialessay“Research-basedPractices”(catalogue,7th Artistic Research,no.8(Winter 2009):7–11. Daniel Birnbaum,“SitesofExperimentation,”MaHKUzine:Journal search-based (learninginresearchmode:inquiry-based). (learning todoresearch:researchmethods);and(3)Teaching canbere- (learning aboutothers’research);(2)Teaching canberesearch-oriented three clearstrategiesaredistinguished:(1)Teaching canberesearch-led research (York: TheHigherEducationAcademy, 2005).Inthereport, Alan Jenkins and Mick Healey, Institutional strategies to link teaching and Institutional strategies to link teaching and 21 20 19  18  17 

(2010): 17–18. See HenkSlager, “KnowledgeunderTutelage,” MetropolisM,no.3 students involvedwhilea formofresearch-basededucationisimplied. the artisticprocessofthoughtandcontextualizing capacitiesofthe by IreneKopelmanandJeremiahDay)turnsoutto beconstructivefor ing advancedresearchprojects(suchastheMaHKU researchprojects students/MA students,couldworkasacatalystinthis context.Discuss- searcher in training), in which the researchers yearly teach advanced BA ronment mentionedabove.TheDutchacademicmodel oftheAIO(re- education that anatural contribution canbemadetotheresearchenvi- ers andtheirprojectsshouldrelateinsuchawayto thestructureofart Conducting artisticresearchcanneverbeagoalin itself. Theresearch- MaHKUzine: JournalofArtisticResearch,no.10(Summer2011). Tuomas Nevanlinna, MagnusBartus,andTom Holert,ispublishedin Hito Steyerl,SaratMaharaj,MarquardSmith,JanKaila,DeniseZiegler, entire project(withthecontributionofMattsLeiderstam,FransJacobi, to institutional strategies and their links to education and research. The researchers, Tiong Ang’s soapopera,andathree-daysymposiumdevoted It consistedofaseriesresearchstatementstwelveEuropeandoctoral Manifesta 8,Cendeac,Murcia,Spain(October9,2010–January2011). The project“AstheAcademyTurns” wasasacollaborativeprojectpartof 2006): 142. Okwui Enwezor, “SchoolsofThought,”frieze,no.101(September Journal ofAesthetics,no.9(Summer2010):26. demic feudalism.”DieterLesage,“OnSupplementality,” MaHKUzine: that Bologna’s ‘academiccapitalism’isbetterthanEurope’s formeraca- could saythatEmpireisbetterthanthenation-state,thenonecan worldwide communistbestsellerpublishedbyHarvardUniversityPress was better than feudalism, if Antonio Negri and Michael Hardt in their Dieter Lesagerightlystates:“IfKarlMarxcouldsaythatcapitalism During theconference“TheAcademyStrikesBack”(Brussels,2010), sels: Sint-LukasBooks,2011),85–94. logue,” inAgonisticAcademies,eds.JanCoolsandHenkSlager(Brus- Henry Madoff(CambridgeMA:MITPress,2009),105.Seealso,“Epi- World,” inArtSchool(Propositionsforthe21stCentury),ed.Steven Charles Esche, “Include Me Out:Preparing Artists to Undothe Art of ArtisticResearch,no.8(Winter 2010):27–30. See alsoJamesElkins,“WhatDoArtistsKnow?”MaHKUzine:Journal

223 Henk Slager 224 tary occupation. Icopy-pasteda JPEG imagefroma blog that is called“oc- are obviouslyothermeanings totheterm,forexamplemeaningofmili- Somehow wecansaythat thisisthefirstmeaningofoccupation,butthere in manycases,presentsanenditself. process. Sothatisonemeaning of occupation: occupation is somethingthat, remuneration attachedtoit,orthatitisseenasapotentially never-ending mean thatoneisgoingtogetpaidattheendof day, orthatthereisany just inordertobedistracted,orkeeponeselfbusy. Itdoesnotnecessarily many peoplethinkcontainsitsowngratification, meaningonecandoit sarily haveaconclusion.Mostimportantly, anoccupationissomethingthat something that does not necessarily hinge on any result, that does not neces- not doingitforitsownsake.Whereasoccupationis different;occupationis something suchthatonehasaproductattheendofday—butis doing it for its own sake; either one is doing it to earn a wage or to produce ferent things.Work isaninstrumentalrelationship,meaningthatonenot actually it is not trivial at all, since work and occupation are completely dif- This seemslikeaverytinyandtotallytrivialshiftofvocabulary, butIthink the officiallanguage,andnowtheyaretalkingabout“occupation”instead. The words“labor,” “work,”and“employment”havedisappearedfrom words “employment”or“labor,” itinsteadwritestheword“occupation.” pean Union has changed its language so that every time it wants to write the simply acknowledgedsomethingverysimple,namelythefactthatEuro- by a group that calls itself the “Carrot Workers Collective.” This quote thinking aboutthiswhenIfoundatinyquote,actuallyfootnote,intext ferent meaningoftheword.Whyoccupation?Itisnotsoobvious.Istarted In myview, anartacademy, atthemoment,isasiteofoccupation,indif- asArt Occupation:

What Happens to Knowledge?

the culturalworkplace. gratification andthatitrequiresnoremuneration is alsoquiteacceptedin becomes aquitepopularoccupationalscheme,andtheideathatitprovides only oneaspect,ofthepracticeartinmanyratheraffluentcountries.It gratification, keepingpeoplebusyanddistracted.Thisisoneaspect, usually unpaidandpotentiallyendless,aswellassumedtoinitselfoffer we couldsaythatart as an occupation is process-based,andthatitalso If wecombinethatwiththemeaninghavealreadyestablished,then largely supplementedbytheseoccupationalformsoftheformerworkart. of knowledge.Thetraditionalworkartinitsformasobjecthasbeen an activity, aperformance,process,formofresearch,orproduction object, oraproduct,whichwasanartworkbefore,nowtendstoappearas cupation, becausewhatusedtomaterializemoreorlessexclusivelyasan an happens thentotheworkofart?Isitgoingbeanoccupationor tion insteadofwork,inthiscontextadditionalcomplicationsarise.What What doesthismeaninthecontextofart?Ifwestartspeakingoccupa- tion, andthequellingofautonomypeoplewhoarebeingoccupied. times, expansion—spatialexpansion—butalsoastranglehold,neutraliza- is imposedfromtheoccupiertooccupied,andobjectiveis,many extreme powerrelations.Somilitaryoccupationisofcoursesomethingthat which Iandotherpeoplehavebeencalling“3-Dsovereignty,” referringto a verycomplicatedarchitecture—acomplexspaceisbeingdeveloped, fers tothefactthatoccupation,initsmilitarysense,relatesconstructing on thegroundortakingitaway—wedon’t reallyknow. Inanycase,itre- is averymysteriousactivity, inwhichahelicopteriseitherdroppinghouse cupation.blogspot.com,” andIhavenoideawhatitisactuallyshowing: art ofoccupation?Ithinkthatyes,itdoespartlytransformintoanoc- H Steyerl ito

225 226 Art as Occupation on empty, and,ontheotherhand,thereisanarchitecture ofoccupation many casesthereistoomuch artisticoccupation,whichissortofrunning is managing access and flow, bringing about very paradoxical results. In means both,itboth incompleteinclusionandtotalexclusion.It over-controlled, deserted, starved, and basically stuck. Since occupation less bureaucraticchecks,ofbeinghollowedout, excluded, undermined, a siteofoccupationinthesensebeingdeprived andsubjectedtoend- becomeaspect ofoccupation—itcanveryquickly to themoremilitary On theotherhand,artacademycanalsovery quicklybesubjected duces a process that keeps itself busy, andwhichis potentially endless. it (students,teachers,administrators,andsoon), whichessentiallypro- hand, works as an educational schemefor everybody who is involved in each otherwhenitcomestoarteducation.Art education, ontheone ingly inopposition,butthatfactaveryparadoxicalwayrelateto Thus, toseeartasanoccupationgeneratestwomeaningsthatareseem- Netherlands, andmanyotherplaces. tion butalsototheartsectorasawhole,isnowevidencedinUK, additional meaningsof“occupation,”whichapplynotonlytoarteduca- forces, on cutting off and barring access and slashing funds. These are also ing them, but also predicated on keeping out certain people, on withholding tecture of occupation is not only benton keeping people busy while not pay- and ofsimultaneousinclusionexclusion.Whichmeansthatthearchi- creation ofacomplexspaceoccupationthatisterritorysegregation pation” toeverythingI’velisted—themilitarymeaning,themeaningof And oncewegettoguardscanalsoapplythesecondmeaningof“occu- themselves. Italsocreatesmediators,aswellinmanycasesguards. more educators—peoplewhoareofteninvolvedinsuchprocesses works. Itcreatesknowledge,engagements,andrelationships,aswell longer, creatingitsownoccupations,whichcreatesprocessesratherthan of in-between space. And education as a whole tends to take longer and not yetasiteofwork,anditisstillplaceeducation,sosomesort downloading. Well the art academyisazoneofindefinitebuffering.It is sage saying“buffering”onYouTube andothervideosites,whendatais cupational purgatory, abufferzoneforartists.You rememberthatmes- and evenpost-post-graduateprogramswherepeopleareinasortofoc- comes intothepicture,becausetherearemoreandpost-graduate This alsoappliespartlytoarteducation,andthisiswheretheacademy gardes, hasbynowbeentrampled under, butbycapitalinterests—and from the borderbetweenartand life,whichwassoviolentlyattackedbyavant- and moreterritories.Life issubjectedtowidespreadaestheticization,and life isquicklydissolvingwithin art,andthisphenomenonisinvadingmore trying todissolveartinlife,butnowitisactually theotherwayaround: called artisticautonomy. Theavant-gardesofthetwentiethcenturywere invading lives by transgressing the boundaries ofwhat formally has been Art is something that spills out of its traditional zones of activity and starts occupational activity, meaningthatittendstoinvadewholelivesaswell. bullet points. Artis not only a siteof occupation, but also in many cases an Now there isone short passage in my paperthat I am going to presentas of ayoungfemale,asmetaphorforthecontemporary fateoftheintern. mous novelJustine,ortheMisfortunesofVirtue , aboutthetotaldegradation Justine, whichgavemetheideathatonecouldreadMarquisdeSade’s fa- to sustainherownoccupation.AnothergirlIfoundonGooglewasnammed and excludestheinsidesimultaneously. Asaresultshehastoworkinorder neration, excludedfrompayment,stuckinaspacethatincludestheoutside has toworkconstantly—andontheotherhandsheisexcludedfromremu- is lockedupbehindaglasspane.Ontheonehandsheinsidelabor—she voluntary orinvoluntary, andthisisalsoechoedbythefeelingthatshereally it alsoreferstointernmentandconfinement,detention,whichmaybe tivity. Also,ifyouthinkabouttheterm“intern,”itisveryinterestingsince smile, tryingtoputonafriendlyface,andproduceherownsubjec- panel, lookingforwaystocommunicatetowardtheotherside,trying occupational architecture,meaningthatshereallyisstuckbehindtheglass This heartbreakingsituationreallyformerepresentsthestructureofthis ;-) I’manewintern.” counter behindathickglasspane,withsignstucktoitthatreads:“Hello what yougetisapicturethatshowsanunhappilysmilinggirlsittingat ects. Whereveryougowillhaveinterns,andifGoogle“intern,” any otherventurerelatedtoart,suchasgalleries,museums,orartisticproj- intern, whichmaynotapplythatmuchtoarteducationbutdoes the primeexamplesofeverythingIamtalkingabout.Itisfigure Let’s lookatanotherexample.ItiscourtesyofGoogleImages,andone education andartproduction. tocompletelyshutdowntheinfrastructureweneedmanages that for art

227 Hito Steyerl 228 Art as Occupation go intoindetail,becauseall oftheotheronesaresortobvious. ing thatisconnectedtoart practices.ThisistheonlyexampleIwillreally raising rentandsoon.So, onthatlevel,occupationhasaveryspatialmean- estate-based gentrification willstart,byartistsmovingintothatarea,thus process happens—whenanareaisaestheticallygentrified—then thereal- in ordertomakephotosthattheytrysellascoffee-table books.Oncethat try tokeepthemoff-limits.Butthenartistsslowly toinvadethebuildings empty, andarenotopentonewuses,occupiedbysecuritycompaniesthat really connectedtospatialoccupation,becauseinitially buildingsare left art isatoolforthegentrificationofcertainareas, andinthosecasesitis lived inlargercitiesarefamiliarwith.EspeciallyBerlin, itisobviousthat Of coursethislastquestionrelatestosomethingthat manyofuswhohave ------another ofthesequestions,oractuallytoallthem. occupied byart,andmyguessisthattheanswerwillbe“yes”tooneor The followingisaquickchecklistforonetocheckwhetherhasbeen themselves, notmeans. sion ofprofessions,occupations,andactivities,allunderstoodasendsin such) hascollapsedwithinsenselessmultitaskingandthefusionconfu- leisure, art/non-art,domestic/productivelaborandthedivisionofas the sideofart,notfromlife.Thedivisionsphereslife(labor/ cated intothatdilapidatedbuildingnextdoor? Has yourrentdoubledbecauseafewkidswithpaintbrusheswererelo- Is conceptualartfromyourregionprivatizedbypredatorybanks? funding aone-offartshow? Do you live in a city that redirects a huge chunk of its cultural budget to Is laborinthisfieldunpaid? able barriers? drawn, slashed,cutoff,impoverished,andhiddenbehindinsurmount- Or, isaccesstoart(anditsproduction)onthecontrarybeingwith- iPhone? Have yourfeelingsbeendesigned,ordoyoufeeldesignedby ed todothisanyone/anythingelse? Have you beenbeautified, improved, or upgraded, or haveyou attempt- Are youonconstantauto-display? Do youwakeupfeelinglikeamultiple? Does artpossessyouintheformofendlessself-performance? knowledge. Thengotowork.Thereisnotimelose.Doitnow. have sex,forHeaven’s sake,ratherthanengaginginaboring productionof exchange andencounter. Ifactivitiestherearegoingtobefreeanyway, then yours. To occupythegallery, thewhitecube,blackbox.To fillitwith mension—to appropriateit,toinhabittakebackwhathasalwaysbeen meaning istooccupytheartacademy. To occupyitinanysense,di- because ithas happened many times duringrecentmonths and years). This “occupation” (definitelynotsomethingthatIhavecomeupwithmyself, one answer to this question, which relates to the third meaning of the word art education as a state of occupation. After all I said, there can only be cause Ithinkthatuntilnowhavebeentalkingaboutthecurrentstateof I’ll nowreturntothequestion“Whatshouldanartacademybe?,”be-

229 Hito Steyerl 230 than itsabilitytoperceive andbeperceived,somethinglikeapronenessto by chancethatthisparticular degreeofthescale,definedbynothingmore bile” after the intensity—the degree—of its relation to the sensible. It is not the possiblemusicalorders oftheworldsound,anoteisnamed“sensi- is inturnperceivingonone’s ownbehalf.Aspecificpositionwithinoneof this soundendowedwithitsownexistence,inthe act ofrecognizingwhat in turn,offersitselftotheperceptionoflistener. Thelistenerperceives note thatgivesitsnametothetonality, thisexponentiallysensitivedegree, varying onlyslightlyintheFrenchword“sensible.” Abletoperceivethe and composerGioseffoZarlinothatthedegreewas definedas“sensibile,” theless in the sixteenth century vernacular of the Italian musical theorist term forthisdegree clearly carriestheideaof a “leadingtoward,”itisnone- that is, when at such a distance as to gesturetoward the tonic.If the English of adegree,itiscalled“leadingtone”whenatthedistancesemitone, damental degreeofthescale.Namedsubtonicwhenfoundatdistance is inaparticularpositionwithrespecttothetonic,orrather, thefirst,fun- the modulationsofapiece.Thisdegree,seventh,changesnamewhenit within thetonalsystem,isknownasfundamentaltonalitywell A degreeispresentinthemusicalscalethatrendersperceptiblewhich, —Carlo Pisacane Ideas springfromdeedsandnottheotherwayaround. —Luca Turin Perfume isthemostportableformofintelligence. Efflorescence A Technical —Jean Dupuy Sleep bringscounsel.Isleep,thereforethink. 1 3 2

the spacesdesignatedtoteachingofmusichave, atdifferentmoments, ogy andcomparison,itisenoughtonoteherethatwhile artacademiesand in recentyears.Without touching,inthebriefspaceofthistext,onchronol- and atdifferentlatitudes,butwithoutdoubt,hasbeenmuchmorefrequent entry ofthevisualartsintouniversitieshasoccurredatdifferentmoments able geneaologicaltraditionteachesus,thatweshouldwatchoutfor. The to theirorganizingcanons,itisprimarilythesetransformations,asarespect- paradigmatic leaps.Whenwedecidetopayattentiontheinstitutionsand place-names andorganizationreflect,whennotepistemological,atleast the transmissionoftechniquesandknowledge.Thetransformationstheir For sometimenowwehaveendowedourselveswithspacesdesignatedto of thewidespreadperceptionthiserroneouspriority. aprioristic withrespecttotheworkofartisnothingbutdemonstration rial discoursethat,likeanunnecessaryfalsetto,seemsbothsuperfluousand it, butwhich,infact,follow. Therelativelyrecentlamentagainstacurato- seemingly inrelationtotheoreticalformulationsthatboastofpreceding ing dividedbythedoingandathatchasesaftertheoreticalsupport, sensible comesintobeingisitpossibletoexitfromthedeadendofareason- on thelevelofareflectionabletoembracemodalitieswithwhich the questionsanimatingcontemporarydebatemustfindaplace.Only precisely withthesubjectnordoesitcoincideobject—that work oftheartistlocatesitselfasinanimaginalspacethatneithercoincides It is inrelationto the spaceofproduction the sensible—inwhich the logical existenceoftheworld. seventh degreeofthescaleborrowstermusedtonamephenomeno- perception, bearsthenameitdoes.Temporal figureofthesensibleitself, C Vecchiarelli hiara

231 232 A Technical Efflorescence Levinas’s tion oftheselimits,fromthefrayingborders thefaceofEmmanuel the limitsitisitselfrunningagainst.Reflectionsconcerning theindetermina- cussed withinathoughtofthelimit—awhich, inturn,beckonsat over thecourseoftwentiethcentury, hasrapidlyfounditselfbeingdis- the bannersofnineteenthcenturyidealism,subject, whichhasvacillated tively recenttimes—themodernera—tothepoint of standingoutbehind tween thoughtandthatwhichexceedsit.Havingreinforced itselfinrela- focal andinvolveswhathasbeenvariouslyinflected astherelationshipbe- demonstrates—this veryprocessaccompaniesadebatethathaslongbeen of artisticresearchorthemorelessspecificnaturethought ress—as thefrequentself-interrogationconcerningprecisesignificance If areturntoanawarerelationshipoftheartsknowledgeisinprog- giving itself. which this relationship plays itself out, are among the tasks that thought is and thelegitimacyofthoughttoart,understandingtermswith come toconsiderasantitheticalreasonitself.Returningartthought dividuate amannerofdoing,whichspeculativethoughthasparadoxically gradually lostthissenseoftechniqueovertime,butithasalsocometoin- speculative knowledge.However, whatwetodayintendasarthasnotonly without anyskillofmethodicalarticulation,aswellfrompurely tion, allthewhiledifferentfrommerework,consignedtoitsownfulfillment knowledge, orrather, asaknowledgereasonedandorderedtowardproduc- BCE, inthesixthbookofNicomacheanEthics,asaveritabletechnical translation ofthetermtechne,whichAristotledefinedinfourthcentury It is well known that the term “art” in use today derives from the Latin relationship betweenartandthought. idea ofsimplecontact,asabeckoningtowardrenewedarticulationthe halls ofknowledgeparexcellencemustfirstallbeunderstood,beyondthe the highestdegreeofstudies.Thisregainedpositionartswithin made abreachintheuniversitysystem,becomingsubjecttaughtevenat guages andorders—of“institutionsofhighculture,”thevisualartshave increasingly earnedthetitle—variouslyinflectedaccordingtodifferentlan- problem. the visualartsofsixties—are nothing butvarious inflections ofamutual Cage’s poetics—inadifferent area whichnonethelesshadgreatimpacton Totalité etinfini, 4 totheideaofindeterminacybroughtforwardin subject andobjectsuddenly blur.” subject noritsnature,but rather, precisely, theexistenceofaspaceinwhich every feelingandactofthoughtdoesnotdemonstrate thetruthof psychic, reality. Ifitisthankstothesespeciesthatwecanfeelandthink, it isprojectedtoward(totheletter, aimedat)theobjectandexternal,not not foranontologicalleap.Viceversa, itexpressesthesubjectinasmuchas subject, hinderingthepassagefromcogitoto sum rescogitans,if intentional species.Anintentionisasliverofobjecthood infiltratedinthe substance oftheCartesiantrilemma,”Cocciawrites, “arethreatenedby the sensibleregainsthoughtofintentionalspecies. “Thetruthandthe which itindividuatesanafterlifeandtheconscience ithasnotenteredyet, the subject. Gifted with its own reality independent from both the body of conceive ofatheoryknowledgethatdoesnotreduceitselfto subject and the object, that makes it possible—in the author’s words—to side ofthesubject.Itispreciselyinsofarasitother, withrespecttothe its own reality, holding itself simultaneously beyond the object and on this be aneventwithinthesubjectlackingontologicaldepthtoindividuate metical orotherfashion.Fromthisnewperspective,thesensibleceasesto does thisthroughimages—betheycarriedbymediaintheirvisual,arith- degrees. Therealisnotalwaysalreadythesensible.Itmustbecomesoand production ofthesensibleinwhicheveryanimalpartakes,justtodifferent living thatisnotahumanprivilege,inasmuchasitidentifiesitselfwiththe central tolife—which,uponcloserinspection,heproposesaslivingitself;a enon, atechniqueofproductionthesensible,thatauthorproposesas Rather than a thought on the phenomenon, it is a technique of the phenom- pushes itself to think of as a facticity that it inflects as an absolute. realism shiftstheaccenttowardcorrelated,namelyobject,whichit once againinresponsetothephenomenologicalproject—ofwhichthisnew aimed atrestoringthepossibilityofthinkinganabsoluteinthought,itis jects hasrecentlybeenspreading,takingthenameofspeculativerealismand On theotherhand,ifaphilosophythatdeclaresitselforientedtowardob- longer ofsensation,but thesensibleonsensationitself. possible—paraphrasing Maurice Merleau-Ponty—tothinkofaprimacy, no text Lavitasensibile. has beennamedasa“phenomenotechnique”inEmanueleCoccia’s brilliant give andwhich,instead,hasrecentlybeenconceivedofinthetermswhat ect, ispreciselythecontributionthatconsiderationofimagesableto this recent approachis lacking, in response to the phenomenological proj- 6 7 Inthisnewlight,ittherefore becomes 5 What

233 Chiara Vecchiarelli 234 A Technical Efflorescence a furtherstepalongthepath atissue,reachesusfromtheDeleuzianre- A further indication of an experience that is placed beyond the subject, and autonomous fromtheact of perception. that notonlyisderivativewithrespecttothought itself,butthatisalso the termsofdiscoursebyrelocatingsensible dimension toaposition of thetechniquethatallowsthemtobe,makes it possibletoreorganize thought ofthespecificnatureimages,andinthis, essentially, thethought literature doesnotbelongtothesensible—oncontrary. Itishoweverthe J. MorenoVilla’s Elpasajero,ratherthananimageasitssubject.Notthat say onEsthetics”takestheformofaprefaceandhas aliterarycomponent, inversion ofthetermssuggestedbyCoccia.Itisnot accidentthatthe“Es- outside and physical/psychic couplings—is not yet resolved in the ironic though alreadyemancipatedfromthecorrespondencebetweeninside/ In theSpanishphilospher’s asthetics,thethoughtof the phenomenon— coincides withwhatcanbecalleditsperformativecharacter. in OrtegayGassetindicatesawayofbeingthatexceedsthesubstanceand active anderupt,assumingthatofaverb.”Theverbalmoodeverything to findawayforcetheword‘cypress’withitsnominalvalue,become ‘cypress’ isthenameofa thing; ontheother, itisaverb […]. I will have what ‘I’maybeattheinstantisformeanunknown.Ononehand,then, ing thecypress—istakingplace,cypressisobjectthatexistsforme; occurring, being,executingthemselves[…].Naturally, whilemyact—see- things, butratherallthings—men,situations—inasmuchastheyare this personasdistinctfromanother, nor, evenless,peopleasdistinctfrom a thing,ofsituation.InthewordsOrtegayGasset,“‘I’means,then,not “I,” butacertainformof“I”thatcanbesaidtoinme,itman, present indicative that Ortega y Gasset refers to is not my intact and closed identifies thedifferntialtenorofmyowndesiring.Thefirstperson person.” Thereisanexecutantrealityinmydesire,innermovementthat “in which the first and obvious meaning is the one expressed by the first ecutant reality.” “Thereisawholeclassofverbs,”writesOrtegayGasset, by Way ofaPreface”belong. during aperiodtowhichwritingssuchashisbrieftext“EssayonEsthetics pendent oftheactperception—wasdevelopedbyJoséOrtegayGasset of existingbeyondtheirownclosedworlds—atanontologicallevelinde- mode ofbeingthatindividuatesthemannerinwhichthingsandpeoplehave José OrtegayGassetdevelopedasteptowardtheacknowledgmentof 8 Here,theauthorwritesabout“I”as“ex- to beaffectedbythem.” sensible, butarepossibleonly vita sensibilereads,“notonlypresupposesomeformofrelationwiththe spiritual (itisenoughtomentiondreamsandfashion, wordsandart),”La first havingbeensensified.“Alargepartofthephenomenathatwelistas the psychiclifeofsensible:athatsensiblecannotlivewithout yet become spirit. Thought itself, in light of such an articulation, is read as micro-ontology—can linger;formsbeyondtheirownbodiesthathavenot It isinthisthattheimage—thosebeingsendowedwithsomethinglikea Thus, asortoftechnicalefflorescence isgeneratedwithinthismedialspace. thinks in me, another who must also be thought.” and leaveonlybythatfractureintheI,whichmeansanotheralways butes ofathinkingsubstance,theIdeaswhichderivefromimperativesenter transcendent exercise.Consequently, farfrombeingthepropertiesorattri- only onthebasisofanunconscious,andthinksthatunconsciousin to whatisstatedbythebanalpropositionsofconsciousness,thoughtthinks not think,andinparticularwouldthinkthepurecogitanda.Contrary thinking. “For theI has the rights of an unconscious without which it would a fracturedandfissuredme—thatwhatIquestionthinksitselfinmyown from thatwhich,whenquestioned,speaksthroughit.ItisintheJefêlé—in proceed. The “I” that asks the question, in Deleuze, is already dissolved flection concerningthedirectionfromwhich,andtowardproblems the resultofamedialcontiguity.” of contactandcontinuity (continuatio)withthisintermediaryspace, itis experience, isforanylivingbeing,thatwhichborn fromtherelationship into sensible reality, image. In fact, every act of knowledge, every form of technique that allows for the transformation of the world into phenomenon, the objectsornaturalorgansartificialreality—represent asortofnatural us intentintheconstantproductionofsensible.And “themedia—bethey characterized byitsownabilityto“notbethatwhichitisablereceive.” roic memory, canexertitself.Ontologicallyempty, thespaceofmediais where asupplementofbeing,somethinglikeanadditionalpotencyAver the otherarticulatesmedialspacethatCocciainsteadconsidersas an existenceofproblemsonthissideconscience,neitheronepositionnor object andonthissideofthesubject,DeleuzianJefêléappealsto If therealitysensedbyOrtegayGassethintsataspacefoundbeyond be reducedtoapropositionofconscienceorrepresentationknowledge. lem doesnotproceedfromabstractionofthehypothesis,norcanidea 11 Itisthusatechniqueof phenomenon, which sees thanks totheabilityproduceimagesand 12 9 For Deleuze, the prob- 10 -

235 Chiara Vecchiarelli 236 A Technical Efflorescence on therelationshipbetweentechnicalactivityandcreation the 1958textonwayofbeingtechnicalthings. ies onindividuationthatwouldbecomedeartoDeleuze,butparticularlyof accidentally, theteacherofGilbertSimondon,authornotonlystud- technical knowledgeinlightofthereflectionsGeorgeCanguilhem—not say areorientedtowardcreation,ifwewishtoreadtheideaofadiffused Something likeafrayingoftheworldanyclosedenititiesthatwecould 8 25. Ibid., 7 Coccia, Emanuele 6 5 Levinas, Emmanuel 4 3 2 1 consequence. genesis inwhichpotencydoesnotexhaustitselftheact,butrather, isits create forthesakeofknowledgeandnotviceversa,bywayabackward consists increating—bymodifying—apaththatdoesnotpreexistus.We retical knowledge canbe enough in itself to produce, insofar as true action conscience, atacertainpoint,fuelswithitsveryresults.However, notheo- as nothingbuttheproductofauniversaleffortorganizationthathuman and theorganssupportedbylife,machinewillthereforebeunderstood real. Ifitisimpossibletodrawthedividinglinebetweenprimitivemachines at freedomonthepartofunsatisfiedendsfromperception the correlativeofscienceinreflectedexperience—identifiesanattempt experience, constitutesthecorrelativeofperception,justasart technique withinaphilosophyofcreation.Technique—which, inprecritical louse on February 26, 1938, Canguilhem described hisproject of situating

Alain Badiou. contingence See QuentinMeillassoux,Aprèslafinitude:Essaisurnécessitéde Martinus Nijhoff,1961). Dupuy, July8,2012. See theItalian“Ilsonnoportaconsiglio.Dormo,quindi penso.”Jean 267. 1857), inSaggiosullaRivoluzione(Bologna:LibreriaTreves, 1894), Carlo Pisacane,“Testamento politicodiCarloPisacane”(June24, 262. Luca Turin andTania Sanchez,Perfumes(London:ProfileBooks,2009), 1975), 133–44. For the original language passage see José Ortega y Gasset, 1975), 133–44.Fortheoriginal languagepassageseeJoséOrtegayGasset, nomenology andArt,trans.PeterW. Silver(NewYork: W. W. Norton, “EssayonEsthetics byWayGasset, y ofaPreface,” inPhe- Ortega José (Paris: ÉditionsduSeuil,2006)andthebriefpreface by La vitasensibile(Bologna:IlMulino,2011). Totalité etinfini:essai surl’extériorité(LaHaye: 13 Inanintervention 14 , heldinTou- 14 Simondon, Gilbert 13 77. Ibid., 12 18. Ibid., 11 Coccia, 10 Deleuze, Gilles 9 série, 1938),81–86. tion etdiscussions(Toulouse: SociétéToulousaine dePhilosophie,2ième Georges Canguilhem, “Activité technique et creation,” in Aubier, 1989[1958]). Universitaires deFrance,2003[1968]),256. guage passageseeGillesDeleuze,Différenceetrépétition(Paris:Presses York: ColumbiaUniversityPress,1994),199–200.Fortheoriginallan- Ortega yGasset(Madrid:RevistadeOccidente,1964),247–60. “Ensayo deestéticaamaneraprólogo,”inObrascompletasJosé La vitasensibile,63. Difference and Repetition, trans. Paul Patton(New Du moded’existencedesobjetstechniques(Paris: Communica-

237 Chiara Vecchiarelli 238 The questionsofartandeducation havebeenprominentontheagendasofa A. advancement. Lullabiesand alibisinsweetharmoniouscollegiallaceration. tion.” Thesearethesongsthathumthroughcorridors ofinactionand self-important singingthatliltsoutasagreatunheeded songof“organiza- gent inthesaltysea-wetair, thesmallfatmanissuesakindofmelancholic and then loudly, only to trail off again in half-heard breathy sighs. Indul- seeming volatile, his voice wanders, now intense and now sullen, first faintly There isasmallcrankymanamongournumber. Stammeringalittleand glinting whereCaesarsonceshone. wear wordsdowntoshineasoldcoinsthatmirrorus, glamoredatourown round aboutandback:We washawaythetruegodsofstone andsound sibilant sea-wordsgushing in, blowinghard,washing out, racing,fretful, at merelyfindingsometiredgrainsofsalteddustaboutouredges. We speak stones tosand,andthenretreatingoncemoreclaimanocean’s innocence the samedrearyshoreline:tidalrecurrentdailygrindofwetness,breaking holding, anditisoftenthattheconversationadvancedrecededover existence. Itisoftenthatwehaveassembledhereinpartnershipandstake- ing projecttostewardandnegotiatenoveltyinsightwonderinto papers announceponderouslyandself-importantlythedetailsofourongo- We aretheboardofagraduateschoolsomewhere.We haveourpapers.The “governance” totheconductofresearchthroughpracticesarts. around thetablewherewehavemetmanytimes.Ourjobistogivegood nounces goodwillandaffabilitytoallgathered.We arevariously assembled The papersarecirculated.meetingbegins.friendlyjocularmanan- 1. We Are theBoard, There ShallbePronouncements ontheNature of Things We Have Gathered but What Isan Assemblage?

art anditsimmanenteducationalpraxes:Whatcan orwhatshouldanart Against thisbackdropwearefacedwiththequestion ofthespecificity culture downtotheevisceratedtermsofvisibility, publicity, andcelebrity. “public-ness” ofany complex political meaningin favor of reducing public as thediscourseof“commonsense”;andconcomitantevacuation ist andpositivistregister;oftheseeminglyirresistiblelogicneoliberalism reduction ofpolicydiscoursestoasingledominanteconomicinstrumental- cultural workers, and of activists against theserestructuring agendas; of the ous counter-hegemonic mobilizationsofthedisenfranchised, ofstudents, the stateintermsofitsengagementwithcultureandeducation;vari- in universities.Theybringusintothelargerspaceofrestructuring politics oftheartacademies,independentschools,andfacultieswith- they bringusveryquicklybeyondtheinternaldynamicsandself-referential are indicativeofamomentrecalibrationinthetermsarteducation,but other experimentalautonomouseducationplatforms.Theseconjunctions institutions of various “freeschools,” “school-as-exhibition” platforms,and within theformalapparatusofhighereducationandcounter- art fair;andinthepresenceofsameartistscuratorssimultaneously establishment ofaprivateartschoolwithintheorbitFrieze pages of debate ontheBolognaprocessanddoctorateawardinarts The complexinterweavingoftheseissuesisapparentintheemergencea perceived deficitsofpubliclife,politicalculture,andengagedcitizenries. to reworkthediscursiveturninrecentartpracticeswithreference is aglobaldebateasevidencedbythewidedistributionofprojectsthatseek publications, andconferencesacrossEuropeforthelastdecade.Indeed,this great manyartpractices,exhibitions,platforms,researchprojects,networks, e-flux journal; in the emergence of a discussion about the possible M Wilson ick magazine and

239 240 We Are the Board, but What Is an Assemblage? correspondence with Harm and Retribution where we were instructed to administer theinterviewprocess. Therecruitmentprocessculminatedina these staffmayconductinterviews. Threepeoplegaveahalf-dayeachto Harm and Retribution in order to achieve‘certification’ and soallowthat days werespentastwomembersofstaffattendeda one-day workshopwith The protocol beingthatwhichapplies).” half-day’s workwasdone—thatitisaredundantprotocol:thenew‘secret’ outdated protocolwhichwehadfollowedonlyto learnlater—afterthat differed fromtheonepreviouslypublishedbyHarm andRetribution:the seeking accesstoanewprotocolgoverningresearch staffrecruitmentthat and thecorrespondencewithHarmRetribution (includingtimespent teria, theclearanceandapprovalofshortlist,associatedpaperwork, received, theshort-listing,clearanceandapprovalofshortlistingcri- interview personnel,theassociatedpaperwork,reviewofapplications terview criteria,theinterviewpersonnel,clearanceandapprovalof the interview, theinterviewcriteria, clearance andapprovalofthein- generation: the requisitioning form, the role description, the advertisement, utilized theresourcesofsevenperson-work-days:Therewaspaperwork of thisreportingandadministrationperiod.We estimate thatthisprocess administering thisprocesswehavebeenwithoutanadministratorformuch The smallcrankymanintonesaccusationsasaidememoires:“Becauseof a dangerousmanbecauseheknowstheropes.Heunbindsusfromthem. ceed our boundaries and make contact with surfaces unseen outside. He is to organize,communicate,orchestrate,exhibit,manifest,ex- the administrationandsoenabledustodothingsthatshouldnotbedone: longest possible timebecause his withasoftenoutwittedthewitlessness of trator’s timeasadministrator. We especially wishtoholdhimhereforthe ourselves theprocessesofadministeringnecessary to extendtheadminis- to extendacontractbyapproximatelyninetydays.We haveadministered We, theassemblage,havejustconcludedrecruitmentprocessnecessary 2. art andnotbytheprioritiesofsomeothersystemorpractice? should arteducationbelikeifitistodeterminedbytherequirementsof to theextrinsicprotocolsofadisciplinaryapparatus?Insimplerterms,what education be if it is to be attuned to the intrinsic modalities of art as opposed Kafka, monaidemémoire amoureux aide memoire intones further the litany of the damned: “Two work cation ofartistswithinthe Western artnexus—aretosomedegreeinvested degree—“we”—and inthis instanceImeanthoseofusengagedintheedu- What isperhapsmostremarkable inallthis,isthatitseemssome performances of“self,”“oppositionality,” and“radicalalterity.” mention some absurdly extended meetings marked by tediouslyrepetitious tensions intheday-to-dayoperationsofartschool apparatus,notto not tomentiontheirinstitutionallogic.Thismakes for someprettydifficult art schoolsbutwhoaredeeplyskepticalabouttheir institutionalmission professional arteducatorswhotaketheirpayfrom theacademiesand out ofthatencounter. Thisisprettymuchanaxiomforagreatnumberof and perhapsalsofromtheprocessesofjudgement and dialoguethatarise art mayderivesomegoodfromtheencounterwith theartworksofothers or formulated technique save for the simple condition that the makers of strained orfacilitatedbyanyorganizationalpractice,curricularinnovation, Art cannotbetaught,andevenitsconditionsofpossibilitycon- no contactwhatsoeverwiththeessentiallyunrepresentablemomentofart. tangle ofdebateisdoomedtoself-regardingself-reproductionthatmakes the worldbyanytechnique,rhetoric,orapparatus;andthatthiswhole ent propensityofthehumanbeing;andthatitcannotbedrawnoutinto should ornotdrivearteducation—istheclaimthatisaninher Perhaps theboldestchallengeandresponsetothesequestions—aswhat B. perienced inourwork. For these and related reasons some interruptions and delays have been ex- of thispost.Andexternalworkbringswithitalotadministration.” the externalworkthatprovidesincomestreamcoversextension of thetale.“Allthiscourseisinadditiontotimespentworkingon of thedetails.However, thesmallcrankymancannotresistonefinaltwist Another crankymanintheassemblyindicatesanirritationatthisdetailing made exquisitelyclear—therewouldbenoextensionofthepost.” of fundstocovertheextensionpostotherwise—andthismuchwas very first forms we had to complete demanded that we articulate the source sence offundswasnotanacceptablerationale.Thisconfusesusbecausethe And inthisepiphany, inthisjoyousmoment,wewereinstructedthatab- give therationalefornotcreatingalongertermrenewalofcontract. From That

On The Contrary Sir, IThink You’ll FindThat InFact It’s Very Different -

241 Mick Wilson 242 We Are the Board, but What Is an Assemblage? tradiction entersthenarrative asthequestionofpublicsubsidyforartand of earlystagecareeropportunities. Atthispoint,yetafurtherlayerofcon- often the generation of yet other artists competing in the crowded economy the workthatonewantsmost todo.Theoutcomeofthispaid-forworkis of affectinplaywhenonewantstobepaidforwork butcannotgetpaidfor ficult, perhapsevenpainful,toavowthecontradictory impulsesandflows the artist’s discourselaterinateachingcareerasitbecomesincreasinglydif- stages oftheirarteducationcareer. Butthisthematictendstosubsidefrom a recurrentthematicoftheinformaldiscoursesarts educatorsintheearly existing dispensationswithintheartsystem.Thepragmatics ofsurvivalare artist topursueapracticethatisun-resourcedor under-resourced bythe teaching roleisformanyseenasanecessaryevil servingtoresourcean self-mandated exploitation in pursuitof opportunity and advancement. The markets, artistcareerstructures,precariouslabor, over-production, and considered inthecontextofpoliticaleconomyartproduction, A furtherlayerofcontradictioncomesintoviewwhentheartist-teacheris erential treatment of some with an attendant chronic lack of care for others. and clientelistreductionofstudentstopetitioners,prejudicialpref- produce egregiousunfairness,evasionofresponsibilities’disempowerment liency fortheindividualsinvolved.Butverysameconditionsalsooften that engenderexperiencesofliberation,coming-to-voice,andprofoundsa- generates varioustransformativeencountersbetweenteachersandstudents of actuallyexistingteachingandlearningpracticeswherebyarteducation Another layer of this edifice of contradiction is provided by the pragmatics contradictions repeatedly. layer ofcontradictorinessinanedificethatknotscontradictionsuponother liberal democraticrhetorics,andhumanistcredos.Thisyieldsjustonemore cal constructoftheatomized“individual”elaboratedinconsumerculture, of the commodity culture of capital) is utterly consonant with the ideologi- individual. This typically occurs in a manner that (while ostensibly critical profound knotting of the art thing with the educational prioritizationof the modality ofdoingtheartthingspecifictogivenindividual.Thereisa vide metaphoricaltemplatesfortheelaborationofa“personal”practice—a thing. Theseexemplarsarenottobeimitatedandreproduced,buttheypro- Rather itisaboutprovidingaccesstoexemplarymodesofdoingtheart that isnot—initsessence—aboutteachingtechnique,rhetoric,orcontent. in part of this proposition. We see the education of artists as something of ourselvesnecessarily, butofmanyourcolleagues. tant dimension of these images—they are the images that we work with, not (I hazard) recognize several colleagues. And perhaps this is the more impor educator who reads these lines, and does not recognize herself in them, will of thelivedexperienceoperationalworlds theartschool.The apparatus. Thisis“useful”inthesensethatitbrings intoviewsomething tion ofabad-consciousnessthatinhabitsgreatdeal ofthearteducational clichés. Iamproposingthattheseconstituteaquick, butuseful,approxima- would liketoproposethatweaccepttheseimages aremorethanmere objective truthfulness for the images mobilized in the previous paragraphs, I Rather thanitemizethesecontradictionsfurther, andratherthanclaiman C. length.” imponderable sothatwemaypondermore,indeed,deeplyandat business forward,andweshouldtieitallupinaknotwitheveryother company. “We shouldhaveameetingafterthistotakeserious ters becalmed.Sostillandcalm,hissmilebeamsgenerouslyintothegiddy today—a whitewhalerofaman—marooningsereneandrenderingallwa- It isthewarmavuncularmanwhoplyingmistaroundseashore dendum tothematterathanddeferredforsay, perhaps,ninetydaysorso?” resource implicationsofcourse,butperhapswecouldtaketheseasanad- identify somecriteriaandthenproducejudgements?Therewillbe is takingplaceintheconversationaboutrestructuring?Perhapswecould tire reorganizationofthesector?Whatifweconsiderrestructuringthat What ifweattachthefutureresourceplantocontingenciesofen- “Perhaps weshouldtakethewholematterasaofstrategicpriorities? scenario withaprovisionalmodelofexpenditures. our imminentcollapse?Someoneshoulddraftadiscussiondocumentand should wehavebeguntheprocessofextendingourselvesbeyonddate istrate a90-dayextensionoftheadministrator’s role,howmanyyearsago We, theassemblage,havebeforeusaquestion.Ifittakes180daystoadmin- 3. action andinterventioninthefieldofculture. artists shufflesintoviewwiththewholedramaofambivalenceaboutstate Images, Thinking andUnthinking So What ShallWe DoNext? -

243 Mick Wilson 244 We Are the Board, but What Is an Assemblage? strains of political tendencies—“radical feminism,” “the radical wing,” in political nomenclature to designate the extreme formations or the purer mary natureorunderlying sourceofsomething.Thetermhasarichuse The qualifier“radical”pertains tothe“root”or“essential,”morepri- ity vis-à-visotherwaysofdoing,making,andbeing intheworld. cy—alter-aesthetic. Contemporaryartprioritizesitsownconstitutivealter partial reversalanddétournementofmodernity’s anti-aestheticlega- other modalitiesofexperienceandproduction,contemporary, artis—ina anywhere thattheymaybefound.Initsartliness,incontradistinctionto temporary art.Initscontemporaneityartpursuesalterities everywhereand It isthenathemethatdoublyinscribedwithinthe constitutionofcon- by whatevermeansnecessary, itisaheartlesslyunrelentingromantictheme. intermediate scales. In the pursuit of the cultural undertakingandontheregisterofworldhistoricalall der of thesame. It is a themethat can playontheregisterofanindividual hope forrescueandredemptionfromtheendlesslyreproducedglobalor and dissent,theappealofalternativecounter-dominant, andthe contemporaneity. Itisathemethatgatherstoitselfthepromiseofdivergence within thegenealogicallyrelatedculturalandphilosophicaldiscoursesof sophical discoursesofmodernityisanalogoustothefunctionalterity able to hazard that the function of from altermoderntheorizationtoalterglobalmobilization.Itseemsreason- to queer theory, from agonistic counter publics to radical democracies, and tual andculturalwork.Ithasemergedinmanyguisesfromidentitypolitics discourses, thethemeofalterityhashadarichandvariedcareerinintellec- and reason,tothegreat“others”ofpsychoanalyticalanthropological ture. Fromthealterityofartisticandphilosophicaldiscourses,experience century inculturaltheoryandcriticismphilosophy, art,andlitera- The themeofalterityhasplayedgreatlyinthelatedecadestwentieth D. and makeadamngoodgoofit.Andwearemanagingjustfine. to yetwetterclimates.We haveassembledourselvestoreviewandrenew rands erredthemselvesaway, floatingoffdistractedlyoneddiesandcurrents times. Smallcrankymanandsmilingwarmhaveeachtodifferenter The monthshavepassedandthewaterswashedinoutafewmore 4. We Are Completely Different, You andI The Board Has Managed to Make WitlessMyth novelty sui generis as an end-in-itself, and within the cultural and philo- - - - sleight ofhandthatmakes ofone’s targetsomethingbloodless,deprivingit to resistthepullofpolemic towardreductionandtoavoidtherhetorical and inseekingrhetoricalmastery. Itwillbeimportanttherefore toattempt ultimately misrecognizeone’s target intheveryactofpolemicizingagainstit such atarget.Theriskisthatonemaycaricature,reduce, misrepresent,and There isatargetforthispolemicandthereinevitably ariskinhaving E. romance. around thetablewherewehavemetmanytimes. We feellove,afamily nounces goodwillandaffabilitytoallgathered.We arevariouslyassembled The papersarecirculated.meetingbegins.friendly jocularmanan- 5. this kindofparadoxicaltension. way inwhichartispositedasamomentofradicalalterityactivatesprecisely alterity” isusedhere,mindfulofthissemantictension.Itmaybethatthe othernesses thatpersistbeyond the rule of anyself-same.Theterm “radical (ego-, ethno-,logo-)intheattendingtomulitiplicityofdifferencesand and givensamenessbutratherunderstoodasadisplacementofanycentrism with thesensenotofasingularfielddifferencecenteredonsomeprimary between radical,understoodasmoreprimaryandpure,alterity, more primary, andsoforth.Thereisofcourseapotentialsemantictension positive valuationinthesenseofmoreessential,authentic, merely other. Of course radicality has a broad semantic field and connotes a ence ofkind—aprofoundlyotherkindothernessthatliesbeyondthe otherness that exceeds a simple difference in degree and becomes a differ of otherness,but,ontheotherhand,itmayalsobereadasthatmode One mightthinkofradicalalterityas,ontheonehand,agreaterdegree translation ormetaphoricalincorporationintothetermsofdominant. lexicons and metrics. It doesso in a way thatsets up a profound block to terms andthatwhichresiststhematizationwithintheavailabledominant ical alterityisthatwhichcannotbecomprehendedwithinthedominant’s mensurable.” InLyotard’s lexicononewouldspeakofthe“differend.”Rad- or inthelexiconofphilosophyscienceandepistemology—the“incom- “Radical alterity”isatermwithwhichtoconjureanothernessinextremis cation innotionssuchas“culturalradicals”or“grassroots”organization. “radical democracy,” and“radicalist.”Italsohasabroaderculturalappli- A Polemic withMyTwo Faces An Assemblage IsaDisassembly: AnAvowal IsaDisavowal -

245 Mick Wilson 246 We Are the Board, but What Is an Assemblage? fine withandwithoutyou. around thetablewherewehavemetmanytimes.Andaremanagingjust nounces goodwillandaffabilitytoallgathered.We arevariously assembled The papersarecirculated.meetingbegins.friendlyjocularmanan- 5. habitat elsewhere.” institution wherethatartmightleakthroughandescapeoutintoitsnative own specificityelsewhere,andwewillmerelykeepopenafewgapsinthis overhaul theinstitution,becausewealreadyacceptthatartwillpersistinits institution and cope as best we can without attemptingtorevolutionizeor elsewhere: “We willmakedowiththisunhappystateof affairshereinthe means ofanappealtothepersistenceartasanywayalreadyinstituted the legitimizingofcompliancewithcontemporaryinstitutionalorderby tional, social,political,and/orculturalorder. Intheotherofitsfacesitis artist asformsofradicalalteritywithrespecttothecontemporaryinstitu- faces thistargetistheargumentforirreduciblespecificityofartand The targetformypolemicisatwin-facedJanus-liketarget.Inoneofits of theattempt. own judgementastothesuccessorfailureandsinceritycynicism of reallifewithoutlandinga single blow. Thereader will have to makeher An Avowal IsaDisavowal: AnAssemblage IsaDisassembly 247 Mick Wilson 248 M U C J rently sheisavisitinglectureratSciencesPoinParis. mented intheeponymous Residency ProgramforInternationalArtistsinVenice” (2008–12),docu- the 52ndVenice Biennale,andshedevelopedcurated “ArtEnclosures: from 2008to2012.In2007shewasthecuratorofSlovenePavilionat and asco-curatorofdocumenta11. video, andsound,servingastheArtisticDirectorof the3rdBerlinBiennale and publisherofexhibitionspresentationson contemporary art,film, Cambridge. Formorethantwenty-fiveyears,Bauer hasworkedasacurator Hong KongBaptistUniversity, HongKong. Chair ProfessorofFineArtandDirectortheAcademyVisual Artsat London, andwasalsodirectorofthatprogram(2000–10).Heiscurrently held theSladeChairatSchoolofFineArtUniversityCollege Biographies ohn Aikenisanartist,borninBelfast.HestudiedattheChelseaSchool te MetaBauerisDeanofFineArtattheRoyalCollege ofArt,London, arol Beckeris a professoroftheartsand Dean of Columbia University ara Ambrožicˇ isan independent curator, culturalproducer, andlecturer. School of theArts. Prior to thisappointmentshe was Dean of Faculty She graduatedfromtheIuavUniversityofVenice, where shetaught and professorattheMITProgramforArt,Culture, andTechnology, of Art,London,andattheBritishSchoolRome.Untilrecentlyhe book publishedbyMarsilioEditorein2012.Cur -

F P M J SCEPSI—European SchoolforSocialImagination. munication attheAccademiadiBelleArtiinMilan,andheisfounderof in thefieldofschizoanalysis.Currentlyheteachessocialhistorycom- ing the1970s,beforehefledtoParis,whereworkedwithFélixGuattari 78). HewasinvolvedinthepoliticalmovementofAutonomiaItalydur of thestaffRadioAlice,firstfreepirateradiostationinItaly(1976– Nauman: werk (1991); among others,HeinrichTessenow, 1876–1950: DasarchitektonischeGesamt- has publishedextensivelyaboutcontemporaryartand architecture,including, lumbia University, andanadjointprofessoratNewYork University/IFA. He University inWeimar. Hewasvisiting professoratCooperUnionandCo- ed astheWalter Gropius ProfessorforHistoryofArchitectureattheBauhaus the IuavUniversityofVenice until2008.From1999to2003,hewasappoint- tion (2008). (1996), and, as editor, Zones ofContention:EssaysonArt,Institutions,Gender, andAnxiety including stitute ofChicago.Sheistheauthornumerousarticlesandseveralbooks, and SeniorVice PresidentforAcademicAffairsattheSchoolofArtIn- is representedbyEllendeBruijneProjects,Amsterdam,andArcade,London. ently pursuinghisdoctoratewithVUAmsterdamandMaHKUUtrecht.He until movingtoHollandin2003attendtheRijksakademie.Dayispres- eremiah DaygraduatedfromtheartdepartmentofUniversity “Bifo” ranco aolo Garbolinograduated fromtheUniversityofPisaandBrown arco DeMichelisisthedirectorofAntonioRattiFoundationin activist. HefoundedthemagazineA/traverso(1975–81)andwaspart Como. He was the founding dean of the Faculty of Arts and Design at Como. HewasthefoundingdeanofFacultyArts andDesignat University. Heisaprofessorofphilosophyscience attheIuav California at Los Angeles in 1997 and lived and worked in Los Angeles atLosAngeles in 1997andlivedworkedLosAngeles California Topological Gardens (2009). The Invisible Drama: Women and the Anxiety of Change (1990), Bauhaus 1919–1933(1996);SolLeWitt: Wall (2004),andBruce Berardi isacontemporarywriter,media- and theorist, media Thinking in Place: Art, Action, and Cultural Produc- -

249 250 M M L J A Modern: HowCreativeMindsChangedSociety( (2009). tions inandthroughthePracticesofContemporaryArt(2009). of theReal(2011)andPolitics,IdentityPublicSpace:CriticalReflec- lications includeTell ItLikeIs:ContemporaryPhotographyandtheLure artistic researchattheUniversityofGothenburg(2007–12).Hislatestpub- (2004), perience hasleadtotheanthologiesBuddhaMindinContemporaryArt of theArtInstituteChicago.Herresearchintonatureartex- Neuropsychologia, CognitiveProcessingandPerception. Her research has been published by totalitarian artandaesthetics, postmodernandpost-socialistart,aesthetics and Asia. 1980s hehasfunctionedasanartistandlecturerinEurope, theUnitedStates, the founderofEuropean Artistic ResearchNetwork (EARN). Since the reasoning. and law, andinparticularheisinterestedcomputer-aided probabilistic area isevidenceandthestudyofevidentialreasoninginscience,history, Pisa, theUniversityofFerrara,andBologna.Hisresearch University ofVenice. HehastaughtattheScuolaNormaleSuperioreof ev KreftisProfessorofAesthetics attheUniversityofLjubljana.His an KailaisprofessorofArtisticResearchattheFinnish Academyof

lessandra Jacomuzzi, senior researcher at theCa’ Foscari University of ika Hannula is a writer, lecturer, curator, and critic. He was the Director ary JaneJacobisacuratoraswellprofessorofsculptureand of the Academy of Fine Arts in Helsinki (2000–05) and professor for of theAcademyFineArtsinHelsinki(2000–05)andprofessorfor Executive Director of Exhibitions and Exhibition Studies at the School Executive Venice, hasaPhDinVisual PerceptionfromtheUniversityofTrieste. research areasare:historical avant-garde,strugglesontheartisticleft, Fine Arts inHelsinki.Together with Henk Slagerandothers, Kaila was Learning Mind:ExperienceintoArt(2009), Phenomenology and Cognitive Sciences, 2012). and Chicago Makes

P H C S S mental processesandcreativityhislatestbookisNeuromania(2011). Milano, and Princeton University, amongothers.Hisresearchisaboutthe Venice. University oftheArts. Biennial 2010.HongjohnLiniscurrentlyaprofessorattheTaipei National 52nd Venice Biennale2007,co-curatedwithTirdad ZolghadrfortheTaipei He wasthecuratorofexhibition“Atopia”Taiwan the at Pavilion the AsianTriennial inManchester(2008),andtheTaipei Biennale(2004). ed ininternationalexhibitions suchastheRotterdamFilmFestival(2008), Fellow attheJanVan EyckAkademie,Maastricht(1999–2001). losophy Faculty, atHumboldtUniversity, Berlin(2001–02)andResearch Malmö ArtAcademies,Sweden.HewasRudolfArnheim Professor, Phi- Professor ofVisual Art& Knowledge Systems,LundUniversityandthe lege, London—whereheisnowVisiting ResearchProfessor—heiscurrently Janša, JanezandJanša,” pitulation (2009)and“TheNameasReadymade:AnInterviewwithJanez lished “Avant-Garde, Retro-GardeandProgress,”inLaibachKunst:Reca- of sport,philosophyandsociologyculture.Herecentlypub- bedded ArtPractices(2010). has aolo LegrenziisaprofessoratCa’FoscariUniversityofVenice, a nd arat Maharaj was born and educated in South Africa during the apartheid uzana Milevskaisanarttheorist andcuratorwithdegreesinArtHistory ongjohn Linisanartist,writer, andcuratorwhograduatedfromNew ornelia Laufisacuratorandeditorofartists’books.Shepartner in ThreeStarBooks,Paris,andsheteachesattheIuavUniversityof York UniversitywithaPhDinArtsandHumanities.Hehasparticipat- years. OnceProfessorofHistory&TheoryArtat GoldsmithsCol- from St. Cyrilland Methodius Universityof Skopje and in Philosophy previously taught at theIuavUniversityofVenice, UniversitàStatale in Byproduct: OntheExcessofEm-

251 252 H S J Methodius UniversityofSkopje. history andtheoryofartattheFacultyFineArts,UniversitySt.Cyril Gender DifferenceintheBalkansin2010.From2010 Goldsmiths College,UniversityofLondon,andpublishedherdissertation, gerin, is acontributingeditorfor Artforum Collège InternationaldePhilosophie, andCooperUnion,amongothers.He lumbia University. HehaspreviouslytaughtatPrinceton University, MIT, temporary collectionoftheFutureMuseumMemorialinGuadaloupe. London, Paris,Tokyo, andJohannesburg).Heiscurrentlybuildingthecon- of aContinent,”MuseumKunstPalast,Düsseldorf(2004–07,travelingto at the52ndVenice Biennale(2007);and“AfricaRemix: ContemporaryArt phie,” Bamako(2001and2007);“LuandaPop,”thefirstAfricanPavilion numerous exhibitions, including “Les Rencontres Africaines de la Photogra- de lacivilisationetl’unitéréunionnaise(Saint-Denis).Hehascurated tific boardsoftheMuséedesConfluences (Lyon, France) andoftheMusée an adviser to the Sindika Dokolo Collection, and is a member of the scien- visiting professorattheUniversityofCalifornia,SanDiego.Healsoactsas and “Sogni/Dreams”(FondazioneSandrettoReRebaudengo, Turin). (Hayward Gallery, London);“Laboratorium”(AntwerpenOpen,Antwerp); Museum RobertWalser. Someofhisprojectsare“Cities ontheMoveV” the curatorformuseuminprogress,Vienna, since1993andof the Migratory Migrateurs attheMuséed ongoing projectofinterviews.Since1993hehasbeen in chargeoftheprogram Gallery inLondon.ObrististheauthorofTheInterviewProject , anextensive such asKinopis, Prague. Shehaspublishedmanyessayssincethelate1980sinmagazines and HistoryofArtArchitecturefromCentralEuropeanUniversityin ohn RajchmanisanadjunctprofessorandDirector ofModernArtMA imon Njamiisanindependentlecturer, artcritic,novelist,andessayist. ans UlrichObristiscurrentlyCo-DirectorofExhibitionsand Programs intheDepartment ofArtHistoryandArchaeologyatCo- He isthecofounderandchiefeditorofRevueNoiremagazine, Programmes and Director of International Projects at the Serpentine Programmes andDirectorofInternationalProjectsattheSerpentine Flash Art, Kulturen zhivot, Afterimage, ’ art modernedelaVille deParis, andhehasbeen Curare, andBlesok.SheholdsaPhDfrom Golemoto staklo, and isontheboardofCriticalSpace . Siksi, to 2012shetaught Index, Nu, Sprin-

H H G C IUAV, Venezia: 2001–2011(2011). (2010). Sheisthecoeditor (withAngelaVettese) ofthebookVisual Artat Venice (2010,2009),andattheTophâne-i ÂmireCulturalCentre,Istanbul Director fordOCUMENTA (13).ShecuratedexhibitionsatCa’Zenobio, of Research(2012). side Effect”(1stTbilisiTriennial, 2012).HerecentlypublishedThePleasure Research” (AmsterdamPavilion,9thShanghaiBiennale,2012);and“Off- er” (GeorgianPavilion,Venice Biennale,2011);“Temporary Autonomous Turns” (thecollaborativeprojectManifesta,2010);“Any-medium-whatev- 2008); “NamelessScience”(ApexArt,NewYork, 2009);“AstheAcademy was thecuratorof“Translocalmotion” (7thShanghaiBiennale,Shanghai, a PhDinphilosophy. internationally. ShestudiedcinematographyinTokyo andMunich has her theoreticwork.Herfilmsandvideoshavebeen rewardedandexhibited feminism, andpoliticaltheoryarecentralthemesofherartisticaswell diaries. Zobernig. SheiscurrentlyworkingonabookaboutHilmaafKlint’s occult Simonsson, NinaRoos,Vincent Geyskens,CharifBenhelima,andHeimo contemporary artsince1985.In2012shepublishedtextsonJakob tional Art. SandqvisthasbeenwritingextensivelyonScandinavianandinterna- (EARN). In1986shefoundedSiksi: Journal ofContemporaryNordic Visuais, Lisbon,andacofounderofthe European ArtResearchNetwork present). Additionally, she is a board member ofMaumaus,EscoladosArs enk SlagerisDeanatMaHKUinUtrechtandavisitingprofessorof ito Steyerl hiara Vecchiarelli isaresearcher, writer, andcurator. Beginningin ertrud Sandqvist,professorinthetheoryandideasofvisualartatLund 2009, shewasCuratorialResearcherandAssistanttotheArtistic artistic research at the Finnish Academy of Fine Arts in Helsinki. He theorist, author, andjournalist.Migration,culturalglobalization, University, isalsoDeanofMalmöArtAcademy(1995–2007,2011– lives andworksinBerlin.Sheisavideoartist,filmmaker,

253 254 M A of thejuryVenice Biennalein2009. Masa FoundationinVenice since2002.Additionally, shewasthepresident Civica diModena(2005–08),andwasthepresidentofBevilacquaLa the AntonioRattiFoundation(1995–2004)anddirectorofGalleria essays for several international catalogues and books. She was the curator of igi BocconiUniversityinMilan(2000–07,2011–present).Shehaswritten search,” and“TheAestheticsofDuration”(bothwithPaulO’Neill). art projectsandcollaborationsinclude“TheFoodThing:CuratingRe- of theValand AcademyofArts,GothenburgUniversity. Recentresearch/ ngela Vettese is the director of the Graduate Course in Visual Arts at ick Wilson isaneducator, artist,andwriter. Hewasthefoundingdean the IuavUniversityofVenice. SheteachescontemporaryartattheLu- (2008–12) ofGradCAM,Ireland,andrecentlybecamethefirsthead 255 256  Bataille, Georges.PrehistoricPainting:Lascaux ortheBirthofArt.Milan: Balsom, Erika,KaushikBhaumik, MarttaHeikkila,SandhiniPoddar. Being  Balkema, AnnetteW. andHenkSlager, eds.ArtisticResearch.Amsterdam: Badiou, AlainandBarbaraCassin.“PrefacetotheFrench Edition.”InFrancis Back, Les.TheArtofListening.London:BergPublishers,2007. Bachelard, Gaston.L’activité rationalistedelaphysiquecontemporaine . — Baas, JacquelynnandMaryJaneJacob,eds.LearningMind:Experience Artaud, Antonin.CollectedWritings. Translated byVictor Corti.New Arendt, Hannah.TheHumanCondition.Chicago:UniversityofChicago Appadurai, Arjun.“GrassrootsGlobalizationandtheResearchImagination.” Anatolio. Ambrožicˇ, Mara. “AsYou LikeIt.”InArtEnclosures:ResidenciesforInter- Allen, Felicity. Education.Cambridge,MA:MITPress,2011. Books Bibliography Berkeley: UniversityofCaliforniaPress,2004. —— andMaryJaneJacob,eds.BuddhaMindinContemporaryArt . Skira, 1955. Plural Singular.NewYork: GuggenheimPublications,2012. Lier enBoog,2004. Bacon: TheLogicofSensation. Paris: PUF, 1951. Into Art.Berkeley:UniversityofCaliforniaPress,2009. York: RiverrunPress,1987. Press, 1958. Public Culture12,no.1(Winter 2000). Il pensieroscientificogrecoelascienzamoderna.Milan:Feltrinelli,2003. Teubner, 1899–74.QuotedinRusso,Lucio.Larivoluzionedimenticata: national ArtistsinVenice, 9–15.Venice: MarsilioEditore,2012. Heronis AlexandriniOperaquaesupersuntomnia.Vol. 4.Leipzig:

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265 266 www.sternberg-press.com D-10243 Berlin Karl-Marx-Allee 78 Caroline Schneider Sternberg Press www.iuav.it I-30135 Venice Santa Croce191 Tolentini Università IuavdiVenezia Research Network(www.artresearch.eu). This publicationwasalsomadepossiblebythecollaborativesupportofEARN-EuropeanArtistic one pergliAltiStudisull’ArteoftheFondazionediVenezia. Forms ofKnowledgeProduction”wasaccomplishedthroughthegeneroussupportFondazi- The productionofthisbookandtheinternationalsymposium“ArtasaThinkingProcess:Visual Acknowledgments: page 159:©PeterJohnMayers Page 215:©Tiong Ang;page107:©artwayofthinking;156:SaratMaharaj; Photo credits: All rightsreserved,includingtherightofreproductioninwholeorpartanyform. © 2013theeditors,authors,SternbergPress,UniversitàIuavdiVenezia ISBN 978-1-934105-93-1 Printing: BUDPotsdam Graphic design:MiriamRech,MarkusWeisbeck, Surface,FrankfurtamMain/Berlin Proofreading: CourtneyJohnson Translation: BennetBazalgette,GiulianaRacco Editors: MaraAmbrožicˇ Published bySternbergPress Visual FormsofKnowledgeProduction Art asaThinkingProcess

& AngelaVettese Alessio Sacchetto,DavideSpillari,andMatteoStoccofortheircontributions. Sara Rossi,IreneRossini,Valeria RomagniniSolfato,Valentina Roselli, Nicole Moserle,ChiaraNuzzi,BeatricePiva,EnricoPoli,MatteoPrimiterra, Veselina Kuznetsova,HuiminLiu,FrancescoLocatelli, CorinneMazzoli, Di Lecce,CeciliaDivizia,ElisaFantin,FrancescoFederici,MarcoFellini, Colosi, LucaCoppola,MichelangeloCorsaro,FrancescaDeGonda,Claudia Bernabei, FedericoBovara,LucillaCalogero,MarioCiaramitaro,Giacomo Valentina Apicerni,AndreaBacchetti,RajeevBadhan,MariaIda Angelini, the organizersandeditors,wewouldliketoacknowledgePaola Visual Arts,IuavUniversityofVenice, lentinvaluablehelpandsupportto Antonella Rizzardini.ThestudentsandalumnioftheGraduateCourse and thestaffofIuavUniversity, MaelaBortoluzzi,Vanna Gandin,and dazione diVenezia; JanKaila,HenkSlager, andMickWilson fromEARN; made thisprojecthappen,inparticularPaoloLegrenzifromtheFon- who The editorswouldliketothanktheauthorsandmanyindividuals

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