Aesthetic - Responsibility - Drones

Aesthetic - Responsibility - Drones
May 2nd - 7th, Kunsthalle am Hamburger Platz, Weissensee Art Academy Berlin

Thursday May 2nd
19:00 Lecture. Mark Bishop (Goldsmiths University of London), “All watched over by machines of empty grace?“
Moderation by Hubertus von Amelunxen (Braunschweig University of Art)

Tuesday May 7th
15:00 Final Presentation of Workshops with Žilvinas Lilas (Academy of Media Arts Cologne) and Hanna Hennenkemper (Weissensee Art Academy Berlin) and participants
19:00 Lecture. Marcus Steinweg (Braunschweig University of Art), “The Subject of Art”
20:00 Sonic Agents Workshop Presentations with Derek Holzer (Sound Artist) and participants


An aesthetic of contemporary life breathes new relationships into objects and the objects attached to us change the perspective to it. If for Marshall McLuhan in the 60s the object was an extension of man, for Vilém Flusser in the 80s the man became an extension of the “apparatus.” The roles have been switched literally and physically: since then, the machine is the one who creates and man is the one who serves it. Who in this changing world will be dictating the aims? Who will be responsible if an unmanned vehicle will kill a man?

The "Aesthetic - Responsibility - Drones" laboratory is brought by Migrating Art Academies network for innovation and exchange in arts teaching and research. During the six days long laboratory emerging artists will reflect aesthetic, political and social issues influenced by contemporary technologies.

The framework proposed by art professor Hannes Brunner will be charged by scholar Mark Bishop and philosopher Marcus Steinweg. In his lecture Mark Bishop will sketch out issues relating to robotic warfare: a future humanity unleashing killer robots and current deployment of the anti-missile defence system “Iron Dome.” The closing event is foreseen for getting together workshop results and re-evaluating art practices. The Dronology workshop presentations will focus on interactive-playable or any other narrative formats supervised by professors and artists Žilvinas Lilas and Hanna Hennenkemper. The invited philosopher Marcus Steinweg will bring the notions of object and subject into the theoretical level aiming to discuss ever questions anew: What is human being? What is philosophy? What is art? The event will end up with Sonic Agents workshop presentations conducted by sound artist Derek Holzer.

Aesthetic – Responsibility – Drones is organised in collaboration with Vilnius Academy of Arts, Lithuanian Interdisciplinary Artists’ Association, Weissensee Art Academy Berlin and Top association in Berlin. The laboratory is partly supported by Lithuanian Culture Support Foundation, Culture Programme 2007-2013, Lifelong Learning Programme and Nordic Culture Point.

Programme executed @ Kunsthalle am Hamburger Platz, Weissensee Art Academy Berlin, Gustav-Adolf-Str. 140, 13086 Berlin
More information @ www.migaa.eu