AWAY IS A PLACE - lectures





w o r k s h o p_l e c t u r e s_&_ e x c u r s i o n s


Please note that due to the symposium organisation the workshop time schedule might slightly change. We will update all changes here.


Friday July 22, 2011 10-12 a.m. + excursion in the afternoon
Aesthetics of Sustainabilty.
art interventions beyond green in Detroit and beyond
What do we mean when we talk about sustainability in art? How can artists work in interdisciplinary teams to collaborate with nature and help empower communities and the environment? We will discuss the relationship between nature and the city, look at artists' work with growth and decay, earth and water, urban intervention and guerilla gardening. We will look at the traditional production of art objects for as well as alternative methods for research, works-in-progress, and engagement for environmental and social concerns in public space. After the lecture and discussion we will go out and map rural and urban space in search of possibilities for site-specific work with nature's materials.
(photo: Charlie Michaels)


Tuesday July 26, 2011 10-12 a.m. + excursion in the afternoon
Right to the City and to the Land. art, public space and activism
In recent years globalized economies and transnational real estate interests have caused massive social and environmental problems in almost every continent and country. In rural areas, foreign companies buy huge amounts of land and produce monocultural crops for export. In cities, common property is privatized and low-income people become victims of forced evictions. Aggressive corporate brandings alter the visual surroundings in tightly controlled city centers where there is hardly any room left for anyone but wealthy consumers. We will discuss texts about the Right to the City and imagine utopian scenarios of how life in a city or village should be. We will research urban and rural space, talk with people in local communities and together develop strategies for spatial art interventions. (photo: Jack Azor)


Wednesday July 27, 2011 10-12 a.m. + excursion in the afternoon
Sasabonsam meets Tantalus. of bush spirits and vanadium heroes.
exposure to natural sources in myths, narration and art
story telling
Myths, narratives, and traditional cultural expressions can be a rich source and inspiration for contemporary art works. We will research their symbolism referring to issues of nature, community life, as well as resistance in colonial times. We can visit the local craftspeople in the villages around Kumasi, study their skills, get inspired, and if possible, create a piece of art in collaboration with them. (image: HMJokinen)