Rob Ritzen assembled elements of his research as an associate researcher at a.pass. In several collective moments the idea was explored that form is not only aesthetical but also social and political, indeed that there is no politics without form. If so, those concerned with form everyday, artists for example, can bring forms into being that can generate (un)foreseen effects on the forms that dictate our everyday life and shape our world. With Forms of Life of Forms, in short, he wants to better understand forms in all their expressions and workings, but above all to gain an insight into how we can use forms to change the world around us.
With every moment different perspectives and new layers were added to the notion of form; in-formation, political forms, network forms, value forms, organizational forms. Each moment brought forward a text and visual works that we explored and discussed together. These elements formed a growing assemblage of written and visual works. Graphic design collective D.E.A.L translated each moment and the added insights into a poster which was published in the following session.
Programme
0 — Introduction Forms of Life of Forms
Monday 24/6
14h – 15h / Introduction
Text: Caroline Levine (2017) Forms: Whole, Rhythm, Hierarchy, Network, Princeton University Press, pp. 1-23.
15h – 17h / Collective practice
Collectively make the feet for the installation of Forms of Life of Forms with rammed earth. During this physical labour we could talk about Simondons’ critique of hylomorphism described through the example of brick making.
Continuous /
Object, Shape, Description (2019) by Marco Lampis
I — In-Formation
Wednesday 26/6
16h – 18h / Collective reading
Text proposed by Femke Snelting
Continuous /
The Upload (2017) by Antye Guenther
In Our Hands (2015) by Marjolijn Dijkman
II — Political Form
Monday 1/7
16h – 18h / Collective reading
Text: Judith Butler (2015) Notes Towards a Performative Theory of Assembly, Harvard University Press, pp. 1-23, 66-98, 193-219.
19h / Lecture
Prefiguration and Performative Enactment by Mathijs van de Sande
III — Network Form
Wednesday 3/7
16h – 18h / Collective reading
Text: Alexander Galloway & Eugene Thacker (2007) The Exploit: A Theory of Networks, University of Minnesota Press, pp. 1-101.
Continuous /
Invisible Networks (2019) part of New ways of seeing by James Bridle
Dynamic Planning for COIN in Afghanistan (2009) by PA Consulting Group
Governing by Network (2003) by Bureau d’études
IV — Value Form
Monday 8/7
16h – 18h / Collective reading
Texts: Luc Boltanski & Arnaud Esquerre (2016) ‘The Economic Life of Things’ in New Left Review, no. 98, pp. 31-54.
Nancy Fraser (2017) ‘A New Form of Capitalism? A Reply to Boltanski and Esquerre’ in New Left Review, no. 106, pp. 57-65.
Luc Boltanski & Arnaud Esquerre (2017) ‘Enrichment, Profit, Critique; A Rejoinder to Nancy Fraser’ in New left Review, no. 106, pp. 67-76.
Continuous /
Time Piece (2019) by Diego Tonus
Three Stock exchanges (2016) by Zachary Formwalt
V — Organizational form and infrastructural critique
Saturday 13/7
11h – 13h / Collective conversation on initiative of Adriana Gvozdenovic and Rob Ritzen
Continuous /
Object, Shape, Description (2019) by Marco Lampis
The Upload (2017) by Antye Guenther
In Our Hands (2015) by Marjolijn Dijkman
Invisible Networks (2019) part of New ways of seeing by James Bridle
Dynamic Planning for COIN in Afghanistan (2019) by PA Consulting Group
Governing by Network (2003) by Bureau d’études
Time Piece (2019) by Diego Tonus
Three Stock exchanges (2016) by Zachary Formwalt
Forms of Life of Forms (2019) poster series by D-E-A-L
