BLACK EARTH | Cultivating the Collapse
As systems and climate collapse around us, we consider the question: what does the death of modern rationality have to do with being in a reciprocal relationship with Earth? Can we collaborate with the collapse in order to start anew? How much death do we need to promote in order to give room to life?
This evening features talks with Milton Almonacid (philosopher and cultural researcher), Felipe Viveros (activist and artist), Olaf Boswijk (co-founder of Valley of the Possible) followed by a participatory visualization workshop by Milton Almonacid, supported by alumni of Valley of the Possible’s BLACK EARTH 2022 residency program.
This program is a collaboration between Valley of the Possible, Kunstfort Vijfhuizen and Felix Meritis
Milton Almonacid | Philosopher of science, cultural and technology studies
Milton Almonacid (Chile) is a philosopher of science, cultural and technology studies from Copenhagen University. His fields of interest are epistemology of sciences, decolonization of knowledge and mind, whiteness studies, indigenous epistemologies, non-western global narratives and intercultural translation, amongst others. Milton holds a Master’s degree in Political Science, Philosophy, and Psychoanalysis focused on the study of social movements in Chile, the construction of the legitimacy of scientific thought, as well as Mapuche contents excluded from the social identity of Chilean society.
Since 2012 he has been partly living in Denmark where he has completed a Master in ‘Global Studies and Cultural Encounters’, with a focus on the global dynamics of interculturality and the logic of exclusion and marginalization of Indigenous wisdom in the production of global knowledge. He currently works on the development of speculative methodologies that allow imagining disruptive, creative and innovative approaches to the complex problems we face as a global society. He is collaborating on research projects around the decolonisation of knowledge production, and the design of the transition paradigm.
Felipe Viveros | Writer, independent researcher, artist and stargazer.
Felipe Viveros is a British-Chilean writer, independent researcher, artist and strategist. Felipe’s work focuses on the intersection of on-line organizing, digital storytelling, policy and systems change. He has worked with governments and organisations globally, and has served as the Board Chair of /The Rules, a global network of activists, coders, researchers and artists addressing the root causes of poverty, inequality and climate change. In 2020, Felipe helped to co-found Choose Earth, an Indigenous led fund and storytelling platform working across Brazil & the UK.
Throughout his career Felipe has championed epistemic justice, social & environmental justice, and Indigenous peoples rights. He founded, alongside British filmmaker Alan Ereira, the Black Line Initiative, a groundbreaking environmental Indigenous consultancy with the Kogi people of Colombia. Felipe is a Bertha Fellow, a member of the UN Harmony with Nature initiative and a Commissioner for the Sacred Headwaters Initiative. He holds an MSc in Holistic Science from Schumacher College, in the UK.
Olaf Boswijk | Co-founder of Valley of the Possible
Olaf is founder and director of Valley of the Possible, Centre for Regenerative Culture in the Chilean Andes, exploring new narratives in order to contribute to a collective transformation of our relationship with the natural world. At the heart of his work lies community building and creating alternative platforms for arts and culture. Olaf is also active as an online mentor and coach, providing guidance and support to artists, creatives and entrepreneurs from all around the world.
Previously he was owner/founder of TrouwAmsterdam and De School, two of the most well-known and revered clubs for electronic music and contemporary art in Amsterdam, which both also featured a restaurant. He was creative director at 11, a club, restaurant and art space that laid the foundation for Trouw and De School’s later success. Olaf has been active on the board of the arts foundation De Verdieping, which organised several exhibitions and public programs in collaboration with renowned international art institutions such as Stedelijk Museum (Amsterdam), Palais de Tokyo (Paris, France), New Museum (New York, USA) and Beirut (Cairo, Egypt). He is also a public speaker and international DJ.
Rabiaâ Benlahbib | Host
Rabiaâ Benlahbib is the new director of Kunstfort Vijfhuizen in Haarlemmermeer, where she works to support enticing artistic suggestions for a more future-proof and harmonious world. Previously she founded Creative Court, an initiative engaged in research-based art and arts-based research, with particular focus on world peace and global justice. Rabiaâ also teaches the MA Photography & Society at the Royal Academy of Art (KABK) in The Hague. In addition, she has been active the past two years as co-director of Imagine IC, platform for heritage democracy in Amsterdam Southeast.
Her vision on the role of the arts is closely intertwined with the role she ascribes to the arts in imagining other ways of living, which in turn originates from underlying ideas of sustainability and equality.
Wil je graag bij dit programma zijn, maar heb je niet de middelen om een kaartje te betalen? Mail dan naar info@felixmeritis.nl, we kunnen dan iets regelen.