From 2016–18 students of the Art & Science master course have been working on the implications of a contemporary academic
discourse that aims at reframing our understanding of ‘Nature’. Artistic imaginations concerning Nature become markedly
influenced by new insights of various scientific disciplines. In order to narrow down this rather broad topic, the research
focused on the question of ‘what is a forest?’ Students were exposed to a multidisciplinary scientific discourse inspired
by many new theoretical and practical silvicultural insights. These theoretical discussions regarding our relationship with
Nature were complemented by an experiential and experimental component where students could deepen their under standing on
forests through practical on-site research. For this purpose, they stayed in the forests of Transcarpathia (Ukraine) for
ten days in July 2017. Together with local stakeholders (environmental state authorities, NGOs, (Wood) Industry, socio-cultural
actors, etc.), visions and versions of what a forest ‘is’ were debated. In a second phase, the group returned to the Ukrainian
forests in September 2018 to assemble its research findings, allies and questions around a plot of land in search for a latent
commons. The 48hour happening, ‘The Landing is on Friday’, was an event of ‘speculative ecology’. It took place between trees
and ruins and welcomed aliens that had emerged beyond our (knowledge)horizons.
Chair: Bernd Kräftner; in collaboration with: Brishty Alam, Valerie Deifel
Cooperation partners: Verein NESTU (Swiss-Transcarpathian Network), Bogdan Popov (Ecosololutions Forge), Rupert Seidl (University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna)
Chair: Bernd Kräftner; in collaboration with: Brishty Alam, Valerie Deifel
Cooperation partners: Verein NESTU (Swiss-Transcarpathian Network), Bogdan Popov (Ecosololutions Forge), Rupert Seidl (University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna)
Fact Box
In the Woods
Part of
Date
October 24, 2018, 18:00h
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Team
- Valerie Deifel (Project collaborator)
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Contributors
- Brishty Alam (Project collaborator)
- Bernd Kräftner (Chair)
- Bogdan Popov (Cooperation partner)
- Rupert Seidl (Cooperation partner)
Pariticipants