November 19–25, 2015
Cannonball
1035 North Miami Avenue
Miami, FL 33136
research.art.dialogue (r.a.d) is an educational platform launched by Cannonball in 2014. It is open to everyone and draws from a long tradition of informal but rigorous pedagogical initiatives. A non-degree granting program, r.a.d offers courses and seminars by a distinguished faculty of practitioners in the cultural fields and the social sciences. It is driven by an effort to develop a broad knowledge base for participants interested in working outside traditional disciplinary boundaries. Not a skill-based “school” in the traditional sense, it is rather a forum allowing participants to engage in significant dialogues around contemporary realities in the cultural sphere and beyond it, and to develop projects that shed light on the dynamics that are organizing present-day urban and global configurations.
Led by artist Anton Vidokle, the r.a.d seminar “Art in the Age of Technological Resurrection” will focus on the historical and contemporary works of art, literature, film, science, and political organization catalyzed by Russian philosopher Nikolai Fedorov’s ideas. In the 1880s and 1890s, Fedorov developed the project of the “Common Task,” geared towards the creation of the technological, social, and political conditions under which it would be possible to resurrect all humans who have ever lived, through technological, artificial means. Here, the Christian promise of immortality and resurrection had to be realized by technology and science. Above all, however, Fedorov believed in the power of social organization; in this sense, he was a true socialist. For him, true social justice also meant justice for the dead—the end of the privileging of the living in their relationship to the dead. This artificially produced immortality was for Fedorov a way to unite the right technology with the right social organization. After the October Revolution, Fedorov’s ideas became especially attractive, since materialist philosophy constituted the core on which Communist ideology was built.
Tuition: 50 USD
To attend “Art in the Age of Technological Resurrection,” please email [email protected].
About Cannonball
Cannonball is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) arts organization dedicated to supporting artists, innovative forms of cultural production, and education to advance critical discourse and understanding of contemporary art practice. Based in downtown Miami, Florida, Cannonball’s artist-centric values are mirrored in its experimental programs, resources, and opportunities that respond to the needs of today’s artists and reflect our efforts to better understand the nuances and textures of South Florida.