<RESIDENZE INSENSATE / SENSELESS RESIDENCY
We could live as particles of the sun
A cosmist theory workshop by Cristina Moraru.
Monday 25 & Tuesday 26 June 2018
6.30 – 8.30 PM
Arthur Cravan Foundation,
via Aleardi 11, Milano
Workshop program:
Monday 25, 6.30 – 8.30 PM: Presentation of the cosmism philosophy; configuration of working teams that will explore the cosmist theory according to their similarities in thinking about art and cosmos, and their preferred medium of work (drawing, sketching, writing, etc.)
Tuesday 26, 6.30 – 8.30 PM: Projection of two works of art related to this cosmic theme: The Communist Revolution Was Caused by the Sun, 2015, made by Anton Vidokle and The Factory of the Sun, 2015, made by Hito Steyerl. Interpretation of the presented works according to a given methodology. Conclusions. From 8.30 PM: aperitif and dinner.
Free entrance. Reservation suggested. The workshop will be in English.
To participate please contact mail@cosecosmiche.org
Art can do anything: it can extend our life, reinvent our bodies, resurrect us from death, it can make us immortal, self-sustainable and it can offer us the possibility of exploring the entire universe. This is the paradigm of thinking which motivated my project ‒ consisting in a workshop intended to analyze the possibility of restructuring the culture, the society, the politics and ideology, in every aspect of human life, in order to achieve the somehow ‘senseless’ purpose of attaining immortality.
The theme of the workshop revolves around the cosmist idea that death is not natural, is just an error in a certain life process that it can be overcome trough scientifically research in all the fields of knowledge, including art. (Anton Vidokle and Hito Steyerl).
Nikolai Fedorov takes this idea even further and envisions a world in which we would disavow our existence as subjects and choose to be objects – not technological objects that are used and devalued through time, but art objects, which are cared for and are not replaceable: objects that can be restored – animated, but are immortal objects.
Other concepts discussed are: the production of time (Antonio Negri), the cosmic circulation of energy, the blood rejuvenation community (Alexander Bogdanov), the telepathic sphere of reason (Vladimir Vernadsky), the superintelligence and the post-humanism.
Methodology of work:
The workshop will analyze the writings of the cosmist philosopher Nikolai Fedorov, with an insert from a contemporary philosopher who was concern about this problematic: Boris Groys. The first part of the workshop will investigate different concepts related to the cosmist theory, exploring creative ways of approaching those concepts. The second part will consist in the interpretation, according to a given methodology, of two works of art related to this cosmic theme: The Communist Revolution Was Caused by the Sun, 2015, made by Anton Vidokle and The Factory of the Sun, 2015, made by Hito Steyerl. The methodology will implement a complex apparatus of interpretation relating to a structural field of hybrid theories applied in the process of analyzing the contemporary artistic phenomenon.
This hybrid theories will appropriate different concepts which belongs to other disciplines, connected to the studies of the contemporary artistic productions, and could generate new directions of studies which could articulate new theories. And by this, it will complete the intention of the cosmist philosophy, which wanted to involve a wide range of disciplines its research, considering that in its interdisciplinarity it will find methods to provide solution for any given problems, including human death. This interdisciplinary approach will also open the possibility of participating in this workshop to individuals with different scientific backgrounds.
Results:
The results will consist in an edited publication with the outcome of the workshop. Each participant will have to write about their approach on cosmist theory and their conclusions after the workshop. I will provide an editorial introduction, contextualizing the themes proposed by the participants. The publication will be supported by the Center for Aesthetics and Artistic Research, from the George Enescu National University of Arts (Iaşi, Romania)
Cristina Moraru enjoying the Senseless Residency
Cristina Moraru (1987) is an art theoretician, curator and editor from Iaşi, Romania. She has a PhD in Philosophy and Social-Political Sciences at the “Al. I. Cuza” University, Iaşi, Romania and she is teaching at “George Enescu” National University of the Arts (UNAGE) Iaşi. She is the editor of the volumes published by the Research Center of UNAGE and (co)editor of the academic journal Studies in Visual Arts and Communication. She is a founding member of The Centre for Contemporary Photography (C_F_C) Iaşi, and she participated in international studies programs at the The National Center of Competence in Research (NCCR) Iconic Criticism, University of Basel, at the Collaborative Research Center “Affective Societies”, Freie Universität Berlin, at the Salzburg International Summer Academy of Fine Arts, at the East European Performing Arts Platform (EEPAP) Lublin, and other independent institutions. She published articles in academic journals and participated in conferences organized by national and international universities.
Photo by Catalin Gheorghe, Helga Franza, Sivia Hell.
RESIDENZE INSENSATE 2017-2018, a cura di Cose Cosmiche. La Fondazione Arthur Cravan indice un programma di residenze e mette a disposizione un luogo dove sia possibile elaborare e dedicarsi a progetti considerati insensati: oltre il buon senso comune, gli standard, le norme e normalizzazioni (consapevoli o inconsapevoli) della produzione artistica e intellettuale del tempo… di questo tempo.
La Fondazione Arthur Cravan, è ispirata al performer dadaista A. Cravan ed ha l’obbiettivo di supportare, produrre e promuovere idee e progetti considerati ‘Irrealizzabili’, ‘non convenzionali’ e ‘Senza Futuro’.
SENSELESS RESIDENCY 2017-2018, curated by Cose Cosmiche. The Arthur Cravan Foundation announces a residency programme and provides a place for developing and working on projects deemed to be “senseless”: beyond the good common sense, standards, norms and normalization (conscious or unconscious) of the artistic and intellectual production of the time… of this time.
The Arthur Cravan Foundation, inspired by the Dadaist performer A. Cravan, is dedicated to supporting, producing, and promoting projects and ideas deemed to be “unrealizable,” “non-conventional” and “No Future”.
Image: Anton Vidokle, Film still from The Communist Revolution Was Caused By the Sun, 2015.