Kula: Dispatches from the Field / Berichte aus dem Feld

Das Feld als Ort der Forschung war bisher vor allem eine Spielwiese für die Wissenschaften. Für diejenigen, die keine klar definierten institutionellen Zugehörigkeiten vorweisen können, ist das Feld als Platz für das Beobachten jedoch schon immer schwer zugänglich. „Dispatches from the Field“ ist genau dieser Versuch, das Feld als sozialen Ort neu kennenzulernen.

Am 7. Juni wird der Kula Kulturladen e.V. in Konstanz zur Bühne für neue Feldformate. Die eintägige Veranstaltung präsentiert akustische Begegnungen und Exkursionen in die Tierwelt, bei denen Wissenschaftler*innen und Künstler*innen ihre Erfahrungen aus der Feldforschung vorstellen, von einem Tierschutzgebiet in Rajasthan bis zu den Laboren in Konstanz. Für „Dispatches from the Field“ verwandelt sich der Kula Kulturladen e.V. in ein Labor und offene Universität, in ein Forschungsinstitut und nicht zuletzt in einen Nachtclub. Ein Raum für Austausch mit Umweltschützer*innen, Forscher*innen, Künstler*innen, DJs und natürlich auch mit Euch.

Die Veranstaltung ist Teil des Programms art, science & business der Akademie Schloss Solitude in Kooperation mit der Abteilung für Ökologie der Tiergesellschaften am Max-Planck-Institut für Verhaltensbiologie und dem Kulturladen Konstanz e.V.

Alle Formate finden in englischer Sprache statt. Der Eintritt ist frei.

Mit unter anderen: Hyeseon Jeong, Martyna Marciniak, Hemal Naik, Eduardo Noya Schreus, Yashas Shetty, Helene Sommer, Vivek Hari Sridhar, Seongmin Yuk.

English Version

Up to now, the field as a place of research has mainly been a playground for the sciences. To those without such clearly defined institutional affiliations, the field as a site for observation however has always been out of bounds – a restricted space, reinforcing political structures and social power relations. It is now urgent that we conceive new definitions and players for the field and bring previously restricted discourses to new places. „Dispatches from the Field“ is exactly this proposal, to encounter the field as a social space in different guises.

On June 7, Kula Kulturladen e.V. in Konstanz will be the site of the field. The one-day event showcases sonic encounters and wildlife excursion, presenting the experiences of artists and scientist in the field, from a sanctuary in Rajasthan to the laboratories in Konstanz. „Dispatches from the Field“ will re-configure Kula Kulturladen e.V. into a laboratory, an open university, a research institute and most importantly a nightclub. It will become a space of dialogue for ecologists, scientists, artists, DJ’s – and you.

The event is part of the art, science & business program of Akademie Schloss Solitude in cooperation with the Department for the Ecology of Animal Societies at the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior and Kulturladen Konstanz e.V. All formats will be held in English. Admission is free.

With among others: Hyeseon Jeong, Martyna Marciniak, Hemal Naik, Eduardo Noya Schreus, Yashas Shetty, Helene Sommer, Vivek Hari Sridhar, Seongmin Yuk.

Das Programm

2 to 5 pm
The Backpack of Wings: Sensory Networks
Workshop and screening by Hyeseon Jeong and Seongmin Yuk

As part of the upcoming event Dispatches from the Field, artists Hyeseon Jeong and Seongmin Yuk invite you to a collective exercise of imaginary storytelling, by looking into GPS data from migratory birds. The workshop attempts to open up the possibility of using bio-geo tracking technology as a tool for communion, beyond the level of understanding of the species. Focusing on the migration route of a white stork named Jonas, an exercise of collective imagining allows participants to embody the bird and speculate on the bird’s multisensorial perceptions throughout its journey: what the bird may have seen, heard, smelled, or felt. The stories are then collected and connected. At the end of the workshop, the film The Backpack of Wings: Modern Mythology by the two artists will be shown.

The number of participants is limited. Please register for the workshop by June 3 via Kosmas Dinh at intern.asb@akademie-solitude.de

7 pm
Encounters With the Wild
A collection of stories performed and narrated by Hemal Naik

Hemal invites you to participate in the tradition of sharing stories over a cup of tea at a small Chai-Kiosk (tea stall). The stories will teleport you to remote corners of India where people and wild animals have shared intimate relationships for hundreds of years. Some of these stories are real-life experiences of forest guards and tour guides whereas some are part of local folklore. Some offer insights into the life of a common villager and some shine light on the lavish life of the kings. The format pays homage to the people of Gujarat and Rajasthan (India) who shared their wisdom, knowledge, stories, and anecdotes with Hemal during his field trips to India.

Biomes
Audiovisual and photographic work by Vivek Hari Sridhar in collaboration with Eduardo Noya Schreus

Biomes, such as forests, marine environments, grasslands, and deserts, are large geographic areas with unique plants, animals, and climatic conditions, defined by various environmental factors. This exhibit focuses on the often neglected grasslands biomes, with scientist Vivek Hari Sridhar highlighting their crucial role in India’s ecosystem. Despite their significance, grasslands in India face conservation challenges due to historical misclassification and contemporary economic and policy issues. Sridhar collaborates with sound artist and composer Eduardo Noya Schreus to present a multimedia exhibit featuring hand-printed photographs and an audiovisual exhibit derived from scientific data. The exhibit highlights the diverse species that inhabit these grasslands and translates some of their movements into music, offering a unique insight into the vitality and richness of this biome.

8 pm
Effigy of the Beast
Screening by Helene Sommer

Effigy of the Beast (2022-) is a film in progress that deals with the complex relationship we have with non-human animals. Part 1 (4K, 25 min, 2023) of this project revolves around a series of conversations with scientists and documentation from field and laboratory work, at the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior in Konstanz. Effigy of the Beast, Part 1, reflects upon how and why knowledge is produced and structured, and in what ways this affects our relationship with other organisms.

8:30 pm
Fabulous Anecdotes: Notes from Tal Chhapar
Reading with Simar Preet Kaur

The author Simar Preet Kaur will present a reading from a work of fiction that explores the challenges of scientific field research from a blackbuck’s point of view.

9 pm
The hunt of the eye (and the problem with attention-seeking images)
Video essay and ongoing research by Martyna Marciniak

Martyna Marciniak will present work-in-progress excerpts, which explore a new theory of vision in the age of visual over-information and AI-generated images. Concerned with the power of real and fake images to misinform, the video essay seeks to undo the techno-doom narratives usually surrounding the topic. Through the narrative of a „hunt“, the essay dissects transformative moments in the history of western vision. The hunt uncovers the history of relating human vision to that of animals (particularly insects, bats and frogs), culminating in the conception of neural networks, cgi’s and machine vision. The palatial „Hunting Lodge“ of Schloss Solitude, with its rococo architecture mirroring AI-generated aesthetics, becomes as a site of delirious seeing, where the gaze detaches from the eye, the awareness of being seen competes with that of looking, and the controlled views echoe colonial gaze.

10 pm
Record Release Party
Yashas Shetty

Join us for a sonic celebration and a moment of collective listening. As part of his „Field Trip“ fellowship, Yashas Shetty invited a range of sound artists and musicians to engage with the scientific sound archive of the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior in Konstanz. The various contributions, ranging from textural ambient explorations to field-recording-infused dancefloor tools, are brought together on a vinyl pressing that will be released at Dispatches from the Field. The Goethe-Institut Bangalore supported the compilation of artists’ sound works and the production of the accompanying text and booklet in the vinyl record. The Goethe-Institute Bangalore will also support continuing collaboration between the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Akademie Schloss Solitude and the Indian Sonic Research Organisation.

Text: Kula, Bilder: Vivek Hari Sridhar