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The Expedition NOW is a constantly evolving process of investigation. Here, we share our thoughts, first outcomes, insights, and more. You are more than welcome to participate.
Expedition #2 »Dispositives of Infection«
Plexiglass is the material of the year 2020. The Corona crisis draws new boundaries; at the same time it points to existing social boundaries and places that otherwise escape public attention - be it slaughterhouses, overcrowded dormitories, mink factories or old people’s homes. The closure of other potential ‘hotspots’ such as cinemas, clubs, universities, art spaces or cafés makes us aware of the role they previously played in completely different forms of ‘contagion’. We miss them as places where we are infected by ideas or the enthusiasm of others, where earworms creep, where emotions are transmitted through images or texts. Society sustains itself through mutual affection. Where does social contagion take place now? And how can it be encouraged in spite of closed spaces?
Expedition #1 »Critical Mapping of the NOW!«
Our first expedition starts on Thursday, October 22, 2020, at 7:33 AM. We are going to immerse ourselves in our immediate urban environment. *** After an input session with urban geographer Yvonne Franz, talking about social living in urban space and how to decode traces in public areas, Tina Frank will introduce us to the subject of cartography. Then, we are ready for our expeditions into the real world! Tina Frank and Marianne Lechner will guide us through the workshop. We will go out to look for signs, objects, etc., in public space, that are already telling us (new) stories of critical change in society. The expedition is set to go on until sunset.
Finding the exhibition Team
in October 2019, during a workshop hosted by the kulturtankstelle in Linz, colleagues from National Kaohsiung Normal University, from the University of Innsbruck, from the University of Art Taipei and the University of Art and Design Linz, met to discuss the resilient future of our cities. Since all the members of our expedition team were interested in circularity, participation, and social design, we decided to form a group and work together with our students, asking relevant questions and telling stories for a resilient future for our cities. Since the outbreak of the pandemic we are facing a new reality; therefore, we decided to investigate and research our current status as members of a society facing a change on a myriad of levels taking place on planet Earth.