RADICAL TALKS
In a Trance: Welcome to Life.
In a Trance: Welcome to Life.
In a Trans: Welcome to Death.
In a Trans: Welcome to Death.
Radical talks occur in a public space. They aim to circle among people. A few invited speakers present their thoughts on the topics, while the audience is invited to actively participate in the discussion.
Curator of the Festival of Radical Talks: Dr. Bara Kolenc.
RADICAL TALKS 1:
In a Trans:
Welcome to Death
Thursday, 15 June 17.00-19.00
Tivoli Jakopič Promenade/Tivoli Park
“Sit, be still, and listen,” says Rumi, “because you’re drunk and we’re on the edge of the roof.”
It seems that humanity has signed its death warrant; that what it has alienated in greed has overgrown it like ivy overgrows a grave. The one parading on the hydrogen-powered mega yacht in Balenciaga ballerina shoes has backed himself into a corner. As Lojze Kovačič would have put it (around 50 years ago and in another context): a little paper boat that thought it was an ocean liner sunk in the bathtub. In a radical vision that excludes self-despair, a recovering planet and an intelligence far beyond the human will create a harmonious world of intelligibility that will finally shake off the human parasite.
What will be buried? What has died, perhaps long ago, only imposing itself on us, pretending to still be breathing? What needs to die because it is dangerous, unnecessary, superfluous, or ultimately exhausted? What are the brinks?
They say that only on the verge of death comes a deep understanding of life. What matters? Abundance? Of what? “We are not the defenders of the river,” says the fisherman at the Magdalena River, “we are the river”. (sharing a quote from Jason Hickel’s book Less Is More)
RADICAL TALKS 2:
In a Trance:
Welcome to Life
Friday, 16 June 17.00-19.00
Jakopič Promenade/Tivoli Park
“But when I joined the Partisans, I often asked myself: how was it possible that my personal pain seemed so important to me?” Brina, Slovenian modern dancer and a Partisan fighter
Is a burial a celebration? What is that life after life? A joy of lucidity, ludicity, stillness? If we are not in total denial, depression, burnout - - - or totally focused on identifying a specific nuance of our gender or personality disorder: the first thing to let go of is self-pity. Turn around: this is a different world. There is something worth standing up for. There are other questions.
What are our treasures? What are the connections? What is our deep compassion for? What is our next step?
… What escapes censorship after all?
(Almost every child who starts playing ‘store’ does not only give a product to the ‘buyer’, but also the money for it.)
Invited speakers:
Dr. Aljoša Slameršak
Dorotea Pospihalj
Dr. Iracema Dulley
Dr. Magdalena Germek
Manolo Remiddi
Scott McCulloch
Dr. Aljoša Slameršak is a post-doctoral researcher working on a post-growth deal for Europe at the Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals, Barcelona. He received his undergraduate degree in Meteorology and Geophysics from the University in Ljubljana and MSc degrees in Climate Studies and Environmental Sciences from the Wageningen University. His main research interests cover: energy transition, climate change mitigation, and global scenarios of fair convergence.
Dorotea Pospihalj is a practicing psychoanalyst and a PhD candidate at the Postgraduate School ZRC SAZU, Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts. Her main interest lies in the intersection of philosophy and psychoanalysis, dealing with the question of desire and the feminine position.
Dr. Iracema Dulley holds a BA in philosophy and a PhD in social anthropology from the University of São Paulo and is a practicing psychoanalyst. She is currently an Affiliated Fellow at ICI Berlin and has been appointed Assistant Researcher at the Institute of Social Sciences of the University of Lisbon. Her research considers processes of subject constitution from an interdisciplinary perspective. She is the author of On the Emic Gesture: Difference and Ethnography in Roy Wagner (Routledge 2019) and is working on a new book on naming practices, translation, and subject constitution in Central Angola.
Scott McCulloch works with prose, essay and sound. His writings have appeared in various magazines and journals worldwide. He is the author of Basin (Black Inc., 2022) and the sequence of short fictions, Stray (forthcoming, 2023). Scott has been awarded numerous grants, prizes and scholarships, and has delivered talks at the University of Paris Diderot, American University of Beirut, Writers’ House of Georgia, and elsewhere. Scott also performs and releases music with different aliases, collaborators, radios and labels. He currently divides his time between Lebanon and Georgia and is working on a new novel.
Dr. Magdalena Germek is an assistant in the field of philosophy, she received her doctorate from the Postgraduate School ZRC SAZU and is employed by the publishing house Založba /*cf. where she works as a creative editor. She is a member of the editorial board of Založba /*cf., IUPL (International Union of Left Publishers) and the International Hegelian Association Aufhebung. Her areas of interest are the historical, comparative, and visual epistemology of science, fine art and book.
Manolo Remiddi, an AI enthusiast, lecturer, and creative thinker, explores the intersection of artificial intelligence, art, and societal impact on his blog, AiOdyssey.xyz. His reflections illuminate the transformative potential of AI as a tool for empowerment, equipping humanity to tackle the challenges of the 21st century. Manolo's commitment to fostering inclusivity and sustainability echoes through his work and educational endeavours, signifying his profound dedication to shaping a future where technology enhances human potential and creativity.