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The Second Stage of the International Symposium on Philosophy, Politics, and Aesthetic Theory “Thinking Worlds” in the framework of 2 Moscow Biennale will take place on February, 27th, 2007
25 february 2007
Place: Moscow, Trade house TsUM, New Buiding, 4th floor (the exhibition space of the main project of the 2nd Moscow Biennale of Contemporary Art). 2, Petrovka Street
Organizers: The Federal Agency for Culture and Cinematography, Russian Institute for Cultural Studies, The Moscow Biennale Art Foundation, Interros Publishing Program.
Schedule
February 27
9.00 – 10.00 Registration of participants
10.00 – 12.15 Round table “The State of Aesthetic Theory today” with Mikhail Yampolsky, Daniel Birnbaum, Joseph Backstein, Kira Dolinina, Ekaterina Degot. Moderator: Sven-Olov Wallenstein
12.15 – 12.30 Sven-Olov Walenstein’s book presentation “Essays, Lectures”
12.30 – 13.00 Coffee break
13.00 – 14.00 A lecture by Giorgio Agamben
14.00 Question Session with Giorgio Agamben
The theme of the second phase, held on the eve of the 2nd Moscow Biennale,
is “Aesthetic Theory Today.” The speakers have attempted to define the concepts
we must introduce to contemporary art and the tools we must use to analyze it?
What is the meaning of the term “aesthetic theory” today, and is there a place
for critical judgments in a society described as a “society of spectacle”.
How is art related to politics.
ABOUT CONFERENCE:
The conference started with the idea of looking at the Biennale
as a place where different geographical, cultural and professional “worlds” could meet.
The conference applies this idea to fundamental questions about the state
of philosophy, aesthetics and politics. Various worlds – or spheres of philosophical
thought that we might find in Kant’s division of theoretical, practical and aesthetic
knowledge, for instance – have long been a source of philosophical reflection
on the idea of modernity. An inquiry into their present condition should determine
the extent to which these three spheres continue to exist as different academic
subjects, where they intersect and whether one can be seen as the foundation
for the others, or if we must make do with a plurality of parallel discourses.
“Thinking Worlds” undertakes an examination of the unity and difference
of these three spheres, especially with regard to the contemporary political
context. Is there such a thing as a unified world that can serve as a backdrop
for a single philosophical system? Or do “thinking worlds”
exist only in the plural? This question is more relevant today than ever before.
The structure of the conference is based on Hegel’s philosophical triad:
thesis – antithesis – synthesis. It has three phases: the first two take the format
of public talks and discussions, the third is an innovative “publication”
of conference materials in the form of an interactive video installation.
The first phase of the conference defined the circle of philosophical problems in
the context of the contemporary international economic, political and cultural situation.
It brought together outstanding philosophers from Europe, Russia and the
United States, whose talks were divided into three sections: “Philosophy and
Forming Concepts,” “Universality, Reason, Chance,” and “The Bounds of the
Aesthetic.” Each section was followed by an open discussion with representatives
of public and private cultural institutions, professionals in art and education,
journalists, critics and university students.
The conference is initiated by Joseph Backstein, Daniel Birnbaum, Irina Ostarkova (Interros Publishing Program) and Sven-Olov Wallenstein.
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