Affordances and Study (Lecture)

Desideri and Harney will share reflections from their on-going collaboration, which is a capacious examination of the senses in search of less individuated way to understand knowledge production. Together they move away from a traditional Eurocentric production of subjects and objects of study and towards the notion of affordances as an alternative approach to perception.

Scientists have identified eight independent senses in our bodies, however three of them (proprioception, interoception and vestibular sense)  are ‘ranked’ lower than the more familiar five senses and have largely been confined to specialized knowledge, such as psychology or dance. 

Throughout their collaboration Desideri and Harney have been questioning the social and political work that such an organization of the senses perform, and how these less individuated senses may hold some kind of opening to the way we think about perception. Could these senses unfold affordances that provide an alternative way to perceive and to be with, and in, this earth?

The talk will begin with a brief introduction to their collaboration and a review of ideas underlying it, including the undercommons, black study, fugitivity and hapticality as well as key practices such as the emergence of Political Therapy, Studio Practice, and their previous work on fate and conspiracy.  It will them employ the potential of the eight senses to encounter a revised idea of affordances in the pursuit of study, to be followed by an open conversation.

Conditions for Participation:

Participation is free. Booking required — please sign up via the form (click here).