Exquisite Complexity (Seminar)

Dr. Baruch Gottlieb
Exquisite Complexity

Seminar, English/Deutsch, 2 SWS, 2 ECTS
Thursday, 14-18 h s.t., 7 dates: 26.10., 9.11., 23.11., 14.12.2017, 11.1, 25.1., 8.2.2018,
Hardenbergstr. 33, room 110

The world is complex. The words, the images, the sounds we use to express our experience of this complexity are never quite adequate. One is pushed to generalize and simplify to get a desired reaction, rather than taking the time to convey complex impressions and thoughts more carefully and satisfactorily. But not in this seminar. In this seminar we will try to develop strategies and practices to help us patiently encounter complexity in all its lush and difficult detail. We will not shy away from slow progress, in fact we will celebrate it.

We will experimentally explore transdisciplinary methods, looking at art and design practices, mass-communication and cybernetics. We will attempt to practice what Vilém Flusser called Synthetic thinking as we integrate other references from philosophy, media thinking, design economics and science such as Karen Barad, James Bridle, Wendy Chun, Benjamin Bratton, Ludwig Feuerbach, Silvia Federici, “Les Annales” School, Brigitta Falkenburg, Dominique Chu and many others.

Seminar time will consist of lectures, demonstrations, presentations, and a lot of discussion and methodical experimentation. There will be some suggested readings and viewings. In-class participation is the primary determinant for the evaluation.

Leistungsanforderungen für den unbenoteten Studium-Generale-Schein:attendance, participation in the seminar, preparation and presentation of two assignments.

Baruch Gottlieb, trained as a filmmaker at Concordia University, has been working in digital art with specialization in public art since 1999. He has exhibited and produced permanent works globally including: Prince Takamatsu Gallery Tokyo (2005), ZKM Museum for Art and Media Karlsruhe (2011) Dakar Biennale (2002, 2004, 2006) transmediale, Berlin (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012). Gwangju Biennale (2004), Yeosu World Expo (2012), ISEA Istanbul (2011), LABORAL (2011), Canadian Embassy Berlin (2011) etc. From 2005-2008 he was assistant professor of Media Art at Yonsei University Graduate School for Communication and Arts in Seoul, Korea. He is currently Artist-researcher in Residence at the Institute for Time-based Media and lecturer in philosophy of digital art at the University of Arts Berlin and honorary fellow of the Vilém Flusser Archiv. He is also artistic director of the exhibition series “Flusser & the Arts”. He writes extensively on digital media, on digital archiving, generative and interactive processes, digital media for public space and on social aspects of networked media. More information on http://www.g4t.info.