Jacob Eriksen / Diana Ø Tørsløv Møller
At the Limits of Perception and Cognition
Workshop, English, 2 SWS, 2 ECTS
Thursday, 10-14 h, every 2^nd week (8 dates: 20.10., 3.11., 17.11., 1.12., 15.12.2016, 12.1., 26.1., 9.2.2017), Hardenbergstr. 33, room 004

Traditionally the arts (when not being strictly conceptual) function within the natural boundaries of human perception where its purpose is to tickle the human cognition. But what happens if we push those boundaries to the very limit or even beyond (human) perception and thus focusing on this threshold or transition between cognition, perception, sensation as well as the non-anthropocentric?

The seminar focuses on art and theories on the limits of human perception and cognition. The purpose of the seminar is to develop and expand experimental artistic mindsets and practices through a collective conceptualization of speculative philosophy and aesthetics. In this sense perception will not be limited to the cognitive relationship to the five classic senses of hearing, seeing, smelling, tasting and touching. The students are invited to develop on concepts of perception of e.g. time, politics, A.I., hyper objects etc. from which they are asked to creating their own works of art. For each class there will be short student presentations of theories and artworks. To finish off the seminar the created works of art will form an exhibition in collaboration with an art gallery.
Central questions in the seminar are: What are the concepts of perception? How do we break out of them? How can we think non-human perception? How can we approach aesthetics speculatively? How can we think arts and aesthetics on the limit or beyond human perception and cognition? What makes art at the limit of perception and cognition interesting?  

Following guest lecturers will visit the course:
Tobias Linnemann Ewé: PhD student, Art History, Visual Art & Theory, University of British Columbia. In his research project titled “Expanding the Limits of Sound (Art)“ he works in the field between sound studies, speculative realism, vibrational ontologies, and the unsound. Through sonic vibrations, sound art influences the experiences of human and non-human objects. How do we understand non-human experience? More information on http://tle.li/
Jacob Lillemose: Curator and writer, PhD in Institute of Arts and Cultural Studies at the University of Copenhagen, founder and director of the exhibition space X AND BEYOND, which focuses on art’s engagement with disasters as social, political and existential events. More information on http://www.xandbeyond.dk
Lars Holdhus: (TCF, AOL) is a Norwegian born artist and musician. Recent exhibitions and performances includes Inflected Objects #1 Abstraction at the Swiss Institute in Milan, Tokyo at MOT in Tokyo and Sunday Sessions, Moma PS1. In his recent works, Holdhus has been addressing tendencies in machine learning, AI and transhumanism. He is producing music under the moniker TCF with a forthcoming series of releases coming out on PAN. More information on http://www.larsholdhus.com

Activity requirements for the ungraded Studium Generale credits: continuous and active participation, in class presentation and an artwork.  

Jacob Eriksen is a sound artist, electronic musician and theorist living and working in Berlin. He holds a M.A. in Sound Studies from University of the Arts Berlin and a B.A. in Musicology, Philosophy and Modern Literature from University of Copenhagen and York University. As a (sound) artist and theorist Jacob Eriksen is with inspiration from existentialism, post-structuralism and speculative realism researching the realm of auditory perception conceptually as well as aesthetically. More information on http://jacoberiksen.dk

Diana Ø. Tørsløv Møller is a performer, video artist and Psychologist (MA) based in Copenhagen and Berlin. Diana is a trained psychologist  and gained her Masters from University of Copenhagen. She holds an additional diploma from Macquarie University, Sydney. She is educated from Fatamorgana School of Photography Copenhagen and from Prague Film School. She works in the intersection between performance, installation and psychology – executed mostly in co-created experiments like Sisters Academy, Resturang and Dusk till Dark. She is also a part of the Danish/German performance group SIGNA.