Symposium Beijing 2014

As the most recent Documenta and Manifesta as well as diverse biennials demonstrate, in times of and under the conditions of globalisation the number of collectives increases, and alongside them the attention the art world devotes to them. The subject matter of the symposium “Collective Subjectivity and Its Aesthetics in Light of Cultural Differences” – initiated by “The Collective Eye” project – which will be held in Beijing on May 30th and 31st 2014 will be dedicated to different questions.

Why is the collective practice, which prevails in other areas like theatre, cinema or music, becoming increasingly important? What can a collective achieve? What are the motivations and intentions of collective thinking and seeing, working and acting? How different are the aesthetics that are developed collectively to those of an individual artist? What occurs in the moment when different subjectivities converge, cooperate with each other and join forces in a collective, whether temporarily or over a longer period of time?

Is there a significant difference in the creation of an aesthetic collectively or by an individual artist? How can artist collectives be politically, aesthetically, sociologically, historically and philosophically represented? Is the self-image of a collective different when it forms in a social system which understands itself as collective, such as communism (Russia, China, GDR) than in a society which advances the subject in the centre?

At a time when the art world is becoming ever more internationalised and the country pavilions at the Venice Biennale are evermore disregarding the aspect of the national a mixing and decontextualisation of cultures is coming about. The question is, what consequences does the speed of globalisation have on aesthetic practice?

That the symposium takes place in China also has to do with the fact that the concept of the collective plays a different role there with regards to historical materialism. Yet the question is also to what extent culture influences the intentions, subjects, practices, ideas and understanding of the strategy of collectives? To what extent do collectives react to the objective spirit of their culture in societies which consider themselves collective? How is this, to quote Jean-Paul Sartre, individuated?

The symposium considers itself not only a place where lectures are given and discussions initiated but also an attempt to set in motion a theoretical discourse which is laid out rather phenomenologically, that is to say openly. In this way the most varied aspects will be treated in an exchange between theoreticians and collectives. In addition the symposium should have another character, namely that of a temporary association of collectives and theorists from any number of continents.

PERFORMANCE AT ULLENS CENTER OF CONTEMPORARY ART
Orta Battleships
Lucy + Jorge ORTA
1982-2014

Preceding the performance will be a lecture of two to three short texts regarding the efforts of our planet. The performance itself revolves around the questions: What kind of space stays for cooperation? In what ways do the development of solidarity and the notion of common good impact this? Can the collective reflection and action replace the dominating ambition of ‘always more for me and myself’? How does one define the real victory and real looser in a globalized world? The performance starts as a game. Composed of 12 numbers and 12 letters with a total of 144 square, there are several teams, who will form a large circle and simultaneously participate. The strategic objective is represented by: an aircraft carrier, a submarine, a torpedo boat, a nuclear power station, an airplane, a miner, a farmer, a fisher, a computer, a technologist and a work of art, etc. After the performance there will be an opportunity to be in discussion with Jorge Orta on collective art serving as a catalyst for action.