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ROUNDTABLE

Field Research

The agenda topics of today’s Roundtable focused on a research presentation and a discussion concerning the DokNE/ Art & Science collaboration.

 

Art & Science student Mateusz Kula started the session presenting his work in progress titled “Afterdeath aquarelle performance”. He explained the manufacturing of the piece and its methodology. His work relates to Joseph Beuys' “7000 oak trees” and to German culture connected to forests. Drawing upon entomology he would like to explore silverfish insects to make a performance in a showcase similar to the ones in that field. Commensalias are insects that live quite close to human activities, eating leftovers or even people's skin. He is planning a project consisting in a showcase that would contain insects and a hardcover book related to German woods. It is expected that the animals would eat the book, resulting a similar effect as Joseph Beuys aquarelles.
Kula commented that libraries usually have a problem with these insects because they eat the books so they need to find ways to deal with that, controlling them in order to protect the books. He added that he has been working together with the person in charge of the library in his hometown. Among other activities this librarian has to protect the books from these insects. Mateusz exhibit would be displayed in this library and the librarian would be in charge of keeping the animals alive.

The fictional “author” of this piece would be Joseph Beuys as a comment of his “7000 oak trees” and “Aquarelles”.
The group discussed the concept and other works from different artists that relate to it bringing substantial reflections on animal life, archives, woods and German culture.

 

In between the topics of the day Art & Science student Harlod P. Vladar announced that he is organizing a workshop on photography, its content will be defined according to people´s needs and interests. Everyone can propose topics and participate in it also sharing knowledge and skills.

 

The second part of the day was about the DokNE collaboration's methodology. The roundtable went on exchanging ideas of the past meeting with DokNE doctoral school and the Art & Sciences students. The cooperation deals with important issues of interdisciplinarity. 
Prof. Virgil Widrich underlined the importance of taking care of the trust of the people involved (farmers, citizens, researchers, academics, etc.), since each of them carries important issues in relation to sustainability. This opened a discussion on the subject and its relation to mass food production, environmental and animal ethics, politics, energy production, media, legality-illegality, activism and artistic works in Austria and abroad.

 

The roundtable closed with very interesting reflections and ideas for the following stages of the collaboration.

 

ROUNDTABLE
October 24, 2013, 9:30h
Location
Art & Science Studio