Prof. Nina Fischer and Vanina Saracino

“Mercury retrograde” refers to an astronomical phase of the planet’s orbit around the sun, during which its motion appears to go backwards, if observed from the Earth.
This optical illusion is given by our terrestrial standpoint, but Mercury’s retrograde motion is nevertheless believed to have a particular influence on our technology and
communication—creating special frictions, tensions, and malfunctionings.Illusions can condition our reality deeply. Think about touch: the matter you are nowresting your hand on is solid and seems to be in contact with your body, although from the point of view of physics there is no contact involved in the act of touching (Karen Barad, “On Touch: the inhuman that therefore I am”). Touch is a matter of electromagnetic repulsion, and it can be thus considered as another illusion of perception.

This seminar will aim at observing reality as a “controlled hallucination” (as described by neuroscientist Anil Seth) and embrace a type of knowledge that is immaterial, nonrational, and usually nondemonstrable with traditional scientific methods—a mode of sensing that is rooted in ancestral knowledge and pervasive in the indigenous epistemologies, but that has been neglected by contemporary Western societies which prioritize rational and materialistic modes of inquiry based on measurable data.

Furthermore, this seminar will address dimensions of the unconscious, explore energetic kinships, and aim at creating new rituals to navigate reality, considering how these can be embraced in the artistic process.

Through blindfolded walks, night strolls across the forests, lucid dreaming, improvised, oracle readings, storytelling, and experimental filming, we’ll search for methods that re-articulate our modes of sensing and understanding while spending four days in Sauen, a 120-soul village located about 80 km southeast of Berlin and surrounded by extensive forests, where manifold species of plants, fungi and bacteria are thriving. Distant from the city of Berlin, we’ll think of technology—especially the camera—as our “sensory tentacle” (Octavia E. Butler) enhancing our human perception.

What is a non-rational method that you rely upon to make decisions, or one that influences your way of understanding and make sense of reality? Which effects does this process have on your artistic expression?

08.11.2022

12:00 latest arrival in Sauen

13:00–14:00: lunch

14:00–19:00: Seminar and activities

09.11.2022

10:00–13:00: Seminar and activities

13:00–14:00: lunch

14:00–19:00: Seminar and activities

10.11.2022

10:00–13:00: Seminar and activities

13:00–14:00: lunch

14:00–19:00: Seminar and activities

11.11.2022

10:00–13:00: Seminar and activities

13:00–14:00: lunch

14:30 (approx): Departure

4 day Excursion: 8.-11.11.2022 to UdK Gutshaus Sauen

Nur für UdK Studenten, max. 15 Teilnehmer / Seminarsprache: Englisch

Addresse: Gutshof Sauen, Zum Anger 8, D-15848 Rietz-Neuendorf, Ortsteil Sauen

Scheinvergabe: künstlerisch-gestalterisch / Kunst- und Medienwissenschaft

Please register at the class-plenum Oct. 18th., GRU 129 

Only for UdK students / max 15 participants / language: English

Address: Gutshof Sauen, Zum Anger 8, D-15848 Rietz-Neuendorf, district Sauen

Vanina Saracino is a curator, writer, and lecturer. In the past semesters she teached at Udk together with Prof. Nina Fischer. She is currently co- curating the Screen City Biennial "Other Minds" (with Daniela Arriado) in Berlin, among other projects.