Brändli/Heller/Pregger/Schwegler – 1 – research, rules and structures

August 29, 2016

As a group of four Basel based individuals, we have been researching and discussing the contemporary swiss cultural institutions for over a year. During our residency here we’re now trying to tie together the different aspects that arised during those discussions. We’ll also come up with a specific action/project.

Last week we defined basic rules for the functioning of our working sessions – according to Christopher Dell’s improvisational theory that proposes a minimum of rules for a maximum of variance.

We designed a very rough daily routine we strictly stick to. The morning sessions are devoted to the work on our possible action and it’s aesthetics. Afternoon sessions are dedicated to transcendental and expanding perspectives – we work on our ethics (rules, parameters, references), discuss theoretical aspects and our critique – all focussed on institutions.

But besides this rough time frame – and this is vital – we take affective decisions, make no further plans and proceed intuitionally and tactically – never strategically.

We have also read and discussed a lot of books, manifestos, artistic concepts and essays which are important to our undertaking, thinking and proceeding – such as:
„Die improvisierende Organisation“ by Christopher Dell
„Komplizenschaft“ by Gesa Ziemer
„Black Mountain College“ published by Nationalgalerie der Staatlichen Museen zu Berlin (Eugen Blume, Matilda Felix, Gabriele Knapstein and Catherine Nichols)
„Kollaboration“ by Mark Terkessidis
„Eine neue Soziologie für eine neue Gesellschaft“ by Bruno Latour

We are very happy to welcome 1-2 guests per week who expand our view on our topics and find accomplices for what we’re looking to achieve.