International Interdisciplinary
Conference
Nonhuman Agents in Art, Culture and Theory
*
24 - 26 November,
2017
Art Laboratory Berlin
Theatre Hall, Prinzenallee 58, 13359 Berlin (Across the street from the
Art Laboratory
Berlin exhibition space)
Registration required: register@artlaboratory-berlin.org
3-day ticket: 40/ 25 EUR; 1-day ticket: 20/ 12
EUR
Nonhuman
Agents takes into account recent
philosophical approaches which question anthropocentrism. These discourses
emphasize the nonhuman perspectives through object-oriented ontology (Harman and
Meillasoux); discuss nonhuman / human encounters (Haraway); postulate a
posthumanism (Braidotti); and examine various posthuman performative strategies
such as intra-acting (Barad). A new 'de-centring' lets us draw our attention to
a reality that can no longer be described in purely anthropocentric
parameters
As a theoretical addition to our ongoing exhibition series
Nonhuman Agents (June- December
2017, Art Laboratory Berlin, along with our
partners, The Institute for Arts and Media, University of Potsdam, will bring
together international artists, scholars, and scientists from different
disciplines to discuss artistic, philosophical, ethical and scientific
approaches to nonhuman agency. Previous positions from our Nonhuman
Subjectivities
series
(2016-17) will also be
included.
The conference will start
with a reflection on post-anthropocentrism by redefining intelligence (human,
animal and plant intelligence), agency and sentience. An in-depth consideration
will include the role of fungi: mycelium, the Internet of trees and yeasts.
Microbial agency will be explored via the phenomenon of quorum sensing and
biofilms, proposing a micro-subjectivity. There will be contributions on the
microbiome and holobiome, taking into consideration the human as nonhuman. We
want to open up a discussion to endosymbiosis and sympoiesis, reflecting
symbiotic relationships, horizontal gene transfer and the role of Lynn Margulis
in 21st century Biology and Science and Technology Studies. Finally, the
conference will discuss nonhuman perspectives under threat and propose an
ethology for the techno-scientific era.
CONFERENCE_PROGRAM
(Tentative, as of 8 October, 2017)
Friday, 24 November, 2017
9:00:
Registration
10:00
Regine Rapp, Christian de Lutz (Art Laboratory
Berlin)
Welcome and Introduction
10:30
Other Subjectivities. Redefining Intelligence, Agency and
Sentience
Rahma Khazam (Aesthetics, Art
Theory, Paris)
When the Sardine
Can Looks back...
Desiree Förster (Media Ecology, Institute for Arts and Media, University
of Potsdam)
Environments of Shared Concern
Maja Smrekar
(Artist, Ljubljana)
The
Wolf-human-dog Continuum in Light of
K-9_topology
12:30 Lunch break
13:30
Fungal Perspectives. From the Viewpoint of a
Mushroom
Saša Spacal (Artist,
Ljubljana)
Mycohuman Relationships. Fungi as Interspecies
Connectors, Companion Species and Human Symbionts
Mirjan Švagelj (Microbiologist,
Aceis Bio, Ljubljana)
Mushrooms as Teachers. Mushrooms in Human
Societies
Vera
Meyer (Applied and Molecular Microbiology, Institute of Biotechnology, Technical
University Berlin)
Fungal Biotechnology – What We Do with Fungi (and What
Fungi Do With Us)
15:30 Break
16:00
Plant Intelligence
Špela
Petric (Scientist & artist, Amsterdam/ Ljubljana)
The
Vegetal, Intimately
Joana
Bergmann (Institute of Biology, Free University Berlin)
Hand in
Hand. Root Morphological Traits and Their Mediation by Arbuscular Mycorrhizal
Fungi
17:30 Break
18:00
Keynote
Monika Bakke (Institute of Philosophy, Adam Mickiewicz University Poznan)
The Force of Radical Openness: Multispecies Alliances Beyond
the Biological
19:30
Reception at Art
Laboratory Berlin, on view current exhibition Nonhuman Networks
( More information )
Saturday, 25 November, 2017
10:30
Microbial Agency. Proposing
Micro-Subjectivity
Anna
Dumitriu (Artist, Brighton)
Make Do and Mend
Regine Hengge (Institute of Biology,
Dep.
of Microbiology, Humboldt University Berlin)
Biofilms - Invisible Cities of Microbes from the Petri
Dish to the Human Body
Ingeborg Reichle (Media Theory, University of Applied Arts Vienna)
Identity/ Privacy in Public Spaces: Genetic
Surveillance in Contemporary Art
12:30 Lunch break
13:30
Human as Nonhuman.
Microbiome and holobiome
François Joseph Lapointe (Artist and microbiologist,
Department of Biological Sciences, University of
Montreal)
Performative Microbiome Experiments
Tarsh Bates (Artist, SymbioticA,
University of Western Australia, Perth)
On Being a Microbioartist: Making Art in a
Microbiology Lab
Regine Rapp (Art Theory, Curatorial Research, Art Laboratory
Berlin)
Nonhuman Subjectivities. Artistic
Strategies for a Multispecies Performativity
15:30 Break
16:00
Endosymbiosis and Sympoiesis
Rachel Mayeri (Artist, Media Studies,
Harvey
Mudd College, Los Angeles)
Orfeo Nel Canale Alimentare
Heather Barnett (Artist, Researcher, Central St. Martins,
London)
Many-Headed: Co-creation across Scales
and Species
Daniel
Renato Lammel (Institute of Biology, Free University Berlin)
Endosymbiosis and "Love Stories" between Plants
and Microorganisms
Laura Benítez Valero (Institute of Philosophy,
Autonomous University of Barcelona)
Biosophy and Mutagenesis. Towards an Alien
Sym_poiesis
18:15 Break
18:30-19:45
Nonhuman Agents.
A report
Alanna Lynch, Margherita Pevere, Theresa Schubert, Sarah Hermanutz, Heather Barnett and plan b
(Sophia New & Daniel Belasco Rogers)
Sunday, 26
November, 2017
11:00
Nonhuman Perspectives Under
Threat
Mary
Maggic Tsang (Artist, Vienna)
From Molecular Colonization to
Molecular Collaborations
David Sepkoski (Max Planck Institute for the History
of Science, Berlin)
Are We Experiencing a 'Sixth Extinction' and Does it
Matter?
12.30 Break
13.00
Beyond the
Animal as Machine. Ethology in the Age of Technoscience
Birgit Schneider (Media Ecology, Institute for Arts and Media, University of
Potsdam)
Through the Eye of an Animal. Uexküll’s Perceptual Worlds in
360°
Robertina Šebjanic (Artist, Ljubljana)
Sounds of
Troubled Worlds = Songs for Serenity
Vivian Xu (Artist, Designer,
Shanghai)
The Silkworm Project
15:00
Final Discussion - END
Current
exhibition at Art Laboratory Berlin:
Heather Barnett | Saša Spacal, Mirjan Švagelj & Anil
Podgornik
**
Exhibition runs: 30 September - 26 November, 2017
Fri - Sun, 2 - 6 PM and by appointment
Extended opening hours on conference
days:
24/25 Novmber: 12 - 8 PM
26 November: 12 - 6PM
More information at:
http://www.artlaboratory-berlin.org/html/eng-exh-archive.htm
Upcoming Event at Art Laboratory Berlin:
Sarah Hermanutz |
ill-at-ease seep
28
October 2017
In her Lecture Ill-at-ease seep, Sarah Hermanutz discusses the
relationship between humans and wetlands, an ongoing theme of her artistic
research. Wetlands are one of the ecologically most diverse and important
ecosystems for life on earth, but in the last century more than 50% have been
destroyed.
( More information )
*Banner images: Left:
Theresa Schubert, still from the workshop The forestal psyche,
August 2017, photo:Tim Deussen/Studio Deussen; center: Robertina Šebjanic:
Aurelia 1+Hz / proto viva generator, Installation with living system, 2014,
photo: Hana Jošic; right Saša Spacal with Mirjan Švagelj and Anil Podgornik,
Mycophone_unison, Responsive installation: electronics, sound, and
biological material, 2013; Petri dish, detail of installation. Photo: Tim
Deussen/Studio Deussen; **Exhibition images: Left: Saša Spacal, Mirjan
Švagelj and Anil Podgornik, Myconnect, Installation, 2014, Damjan Švarc /
Kapelica gallery photo archive; right Heather Barnett, The Physarum Experiments
Study No. 022, Film still, 2016
With the generous support of: 
Media
partner:
Cooperation partners: Institute for Arts and
Media, University of Potsdam
PA
58
Regine
Rapp, Christian de Lutz
Prinzenallee 34, 13359 Berlin
www.artlaboratory-berlin.org
info@artlaboratory-berlin.org
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