A Lecture Series
March 22–May 10, 2021
“It is time to focus beyond logical systems and to utilize the potential of an inter- and transdisciplinary approach to (artistic) research in order to critically rethink the concept of ‘Mutations’ and, consequently, life.”
“Mutations. A Lecture Series” brings together a dynamic group of researchers, artists, thinkers, curators, and scholars. Curated by the fellows of the interdisciplinary artist residency “Mutations” at the Akademie Schloss Solitude, Stuttgart, and in cooperation with the KfW Stiftung, Frankfurt, it is the first of several public platforms which are being developed within the scope of the program. Interconnected with the evolving digital platform, mutations.akademie-solitude.de, which will be launched at the end of March, the lecture series is both an outcome of the program and a source of knowledge for further discussion. Within the fellows’ individual backgrounds in fields such as fine arts, architecture, music, philosophy, or life sciences, the lecture series aims to contribute a transdisciplinary approach to artistic investigation.
The following experts represent different voices that offer a spectrum of perspectives on the concept of mutations and its multifaceted impact on social, political, and scientific structures.
March 22, 2021, 7pm CET
JoAnn Kuchera-Morin
Composer, professor of Media Arts and Technology and Music at UC Santa Barbara, USA, Director of the Allosphere Research Facility, and a researcher in multi-modal media systems, content, and facilities design. To register for this lecture, please click here.
March 29, 2021, 7pm CET
Heather Davis
Assistant professor of Culture and Media at The New School, NYC, USA, member of the Synthetic Collective, and co-editor of Art in the Anthropocene: Encounters Among Aesthetics, Politics, Environments and Epistemologies and Desire Change: Contemporary Feminist Art in Canada. To register for this lecture, please click here.
April 7, 2021, 12pm CET
Eben Kirksey*
Anthropologist, writer, storyteller, and associate professor (Research) at Alfred Deakin Institute in Melbourne, Australia. To register for this lecture, please click here.
April 12, 2021, 7pm CET
Marcia C. Castro
Associate professor of Demography at the Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, USA. To register for this lecture, please click here.
April 14, 2021, 7pm CET
Natasha Ginwala*
Associate curator at Gropius Bau, Berlin, and artistic director of the Gwangju Biennale 2020. To register for this lecture, please click here.
April 19, 2021, 7pm CET
Andres Lepik
Director of the Architekturmuseum TU Munich and professor of Architectural History and Curatorial Practices at the TU Munich, Germany. To register for this lecture, please click here.
May 3, 2021, 7pm CET
Sophia Roosth
Anthropologist, Max Planck Sabbatical Award Laureate 2020, and Cullmann Center Fellow, New York Public Library 2020/2021. To register for this lecture, please click here.
May 10, 2021, 7pm CET
Brenna Bhandar
Senior lecturer in law at SOAS, University of London, United Kingdom. To register for this lecture, please click here.
*Please note that the lectures by Eben Kirksey and Natasha Ginwala will both be held on Wednesdays.
Following each lecture, there will be a Q & A where viewers are encouraged to join in on the discussion. Lectures are free and open to the public. Registration is, however, requested. For further information, the link to the series, and to register, please visit our website under akademie-solitude.de or contact the project coordinator Rose Field at r.field [at] akademie-solitude.de. All lectures will be recorded and made available online.
The thematic focus group “Mutations” is a cooperation between the Akademie Schloss Solitude, an international and transdisciplinary artists’ residence based in Stuttgart, and the KfW Stiftung, Frankfurt, an independent non-profit foundation which focuses on intercultural dialogue and artistic production in the global context. The lecture series takes place within the KfW Stiftung’s Mondays102—an event series at the Villa 102, the platform for culture and dialogue of the KfW and its foundation.
Since October 2020, seven international artists and creative thinkers have been engaging, both locally and digitally, with the topic of mutations through immersive group labs. “Mutations” is comprised of the following fellows: Sabina Hyoju Ahn: Media and Sound Artist (South Korea) | Angela Anderson: Video Artist and Researcher (USA/Germany) | Grayson Earle: New Media Artist (USA) | Ana María Gómez López: Artist, Writer, and Researcher (The Netherlands/Colombia/USA) | Clara Jo: Video Artist (Germany) | Maxwell Mutanda: Multidisciplinary Researcher, Visual Artist, and Designer (Zimbabwe) | Joana Quiroga: Visual Artist and Philosopher (Brazil).