GMU:Postcompost-forest-reset

Projektmodul

Lecturer: Christian Doeller, Klaus Fritze, Prof. Ursula Damm

Student Assistant: Leandra Schieder

Credits: 18 ECTS, 16 SWS

Times: Thursday 13:30 - 17:00

Venue: Marienstraße 7b, room 104

First meeting: April 17, 13:30 @ t.b.a.

Description:

Vast stretches of woodland reminiscent of lunar landscapes; heavy forestry machinery for the efficient clearing of infected trees; countless shipping containers and lorry loads full of felled timber piled up in forest car parks.

These are the consequences of the consistent afforestation with spruce trees in recent decades; their monoculture has led to an increased vulnerability of the Thuringian forest landscape. In this environment, »Buchbunder« and »Kupferstecher« - both descendants of bark beetles - found excellent living conditions. They were able to feed on their favourite trees in peace. What remains is a dystopian scenery of destruction, which at the same time heralds a new phase of ecological transformation: Berry bushes, ferns, mosses and lichens find a new habitat among the remnants of dead wood.

In the project module »PostCompost - Forest Reset«, we will dedicate ourselves to artistically examining the traces and effects of this drastic transformation. At the centre of the seminar is an excursion to the deforested areas of Thuringian landscapes. Here we will form a temporary artistic research group that will investigate the area from various perspectives using different forms of documentation (e.g. collecting, drawing, mapping, photographing, filming) and DIY technologies (e.g. electronic sensors, 3D scanning). We explicitly focus on interdisciplinary collaboration within the group and a lively exchange with local actors. Our aim is to construct a fragmentary description of the site that addresses the phenomenon of »forest reset« with individual, artistic and speculative approaches. Prior to the excursion, we will learn about historical, ecological and political aspects by means of short presentations. The processes and results of our artistic field research will be presented as part of the Summaery 2025.

The excursion is planned for 2 – 6 June (please note: there will be a fee of about 200 Euro per person). Successful completion of the project module includes a short presentation, participation in the excursion, the development of an artistic documentation and active participation in the Summaery 2025 exhibition. Group work is explicitly encouraged. The seminar is open to all semesters and departments, no prior knowledge is required. Registration with the subject »Forest Reset« and a short letter of motivation by 6 April 2025 via email to christian.doeller@uni-weimar.de.

Participants:

• YOUR NAME

Schedule:

17. April, 13:30, Marienstraße 7b, room 104 –– first meeting

24. April, 13:30, Marienstraße 7b, room 104 –– presentations I

8. May, 13:30, Marienstraße 7b, room 104 –– presentations II

15. May, 13:30, Digital Bauhaus Lab –– Artist Talk

22. May, 13:30, Marienstraße 7b, room 104 –– presentations III, excursion planning

2. June – 6. June –– Excursion to Hohenfelden / Kranichfeld

20. June – 21. June –– Workshop with Merle Petsch and Emil Kowalzcyk

26. June, Marienstraße 7b, room 104 –– individual consultations, finish documentations, prepare for Summaery

3. July 3, t.b.a. –– prepare for Summaery, setting up exhibition

July 10 – July 13 –– Summaery 2025

Topics:

• concept of oppositions like nature / culture, wilderness / civilization
• topos of the german forest & romanticism in the woods
• economic and ecological aspects of the forest
• history of the forest in Thüringen
• definitions of »Unkraut« and »Kulturpflanze«
• dynamics of demolition, reset and new beginnings
• processes of succession and renaturation
• Monoculture / Permaculture
• anthropocene and climate change
• »Umwelt« according to Jakob von Üexküll
• strategies of artistic research and documentation
• the romantic era
• social media content: lonely men who cook or build huts in the woods
• Dannenröder Forst / Eco Activism [1]

Artists:

• Agnes Meyer-Brandis [2]
• Markus Maeder [3]
• Annelie Berner [4]
• Franziska Klose [5]
• Davor Sanvincenti [6]
• Anna Tsing [7]
• Future Farmers (forest radio stations) [8]
• Raitis Smits & Rasa Smite [9]
• Ivo Weber [10]
• Michael Sailsdorfer [11] [12]
• Zheng Bo / Queer Ecology [13] [14]
• Thomas Struth [15]
• Julius von Bismarck [16]
• Vija Celmins [17]
• Gil Delindro [18]
• Nina Schuiki [19]
• Zimoun [20]
• Construct Lab [21]
• Fabian Knecht [22]

Literature:

• philippe descola, Beyond Nature and Culture / Jenseits Natur Kultur
• Eva Horn, Hannes Bergthaller, Anthropozän zur Einführung
• Jakob von Üexküll Umwelt [23]
• Donna Haraway, Situated Knowledges: The Science Question in Feminism and the Privilege of Partial Perspective [24]
• Marcus Maeder (Hg.), Kunst, Wissenschaft, Natur: Zur Ästhetik und Epistemologie der künstlerisch-wissenschaftlichen Naturbeobachtung
• Bruno Latour, Circulating Reference [25]
• Simon Schama, Der Traum von der Wildnis. Natur als Imagination

Language & skill level:

• The module will be held in English, unless all participants are speaking German.
• No prior knowledge is required.

Criteria for passing:

• be on time, attend the classes, be active
• short presentation on the topic
• develop artistic documentation