L I S A
N YB E RG
P H D
P ROJ E CT
PEDAGOGIES OF THE UNKNOWN – studying for a future, without guarantees
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P H D
P ROJ E CT
PEDAGOGIES OF THE UNKNOWN – studying for a future, without guarantees
Lisa Nyberg Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Vienna, November 2021 Registration number: r1470126 Study Number/Studienblatt: UR 094 607 Doctor of Philosophy in Practice Field of Study/Studienblatt: Art Theory and Cultural Studies Supervisors: Prof. Dr. Anette Baldauf, Prof. Dr. Renate Lorenz Graphic design: Jan Petterson, janpetterson.se Photography: Lisa Nyberg, Terje Östling, Keiko Uenishi Fonts: Tisa Pro & Horseferry ISBN: 978-91-8027-690-0 Förlag: BoD – Books on Demand, Stockholm, Sverige Tryck: BoD – Books on Demand, Norderstedt, Tyskland
© 2022 Lisa Nyberg
ASTRACT ENGLISH ThIS PhD ProjecT STarTS from The queSTIoN: how can we study for a future unknown? In light of anthropogenic climate change, a global environmental crisis, and its destabilizing impact on social and economic systems, there is an urgency to examine how we relate to the future in our pedagogy; how we anticipate, imagine and prepare through our teaching and our studies. In the search of pedagogies that are open to not knowing – to contingency, unpredictability and change – the question arises: what could a pedagogy look like that supports our studies with and for the unknown? At the basis of this research is a teaching practice; the classroom of aesthetic education at the intersection of study, creative work and the institution. From this base a performance practice has developed that draws from lecture performance and meditation as a quotidian and creative practice, to create a series of guided meditations. These are presented as art installations, as sound pieces and as activities in the classroom. The guided meditations propose an experiment in how to address the contradiction of learning for the future, by focusing, intently, on the present. This project attempts to interrupt the linearity of critical consciousness theory by displacing Paulo Freire’s concept conscientização, or critical consciousness, from its place at the pinnacle of a linear telling of empowerment, to a place where it is intersecting with other forms of consciousness. Simultaneously, the project raises a critique of Western constructs of utopia as the dominant form of imagining otherwise, by looking to feminist and de-colonial theory that resist utopian fatalism and claims to universality. The aim is to make a critical shift from utopia towards a constantly changing and undetermined future – the unknown.
ABSTRACT GERMAN DaS vorlIegeNDe PhD-ProjekT nimmt seinen Ausgang in der Frage: Wie für eine ungewisse Zukunft lernen? In Anbetracht des von Menschen verursachten Klimawandels, einer globalen Umweltkrise und deren destabilisierenden Auswirkungen auf soziale und ökonomische Systeme ergibt sich eine Dringlichkeit uns damit auseinanderzusetzen, wie wir durch unsere Pädagogik mit der Zukunft in Beziehung treten; wie wir diese voraussehen, imaginieren und uns durch unser Lehren und Lernen auf sie vorbereiten. Auf der Suche nach Pädagogiken, die sich dem Nichtwissen öffnen – der Zufälligkeit, Unvorhersehbarkeit und dem Wandel – stellt sich die Frage, wie eine Pädagogik aussehen kann, welche unsere Auseinandersetzung mit und auf das Ungewisse ausgerichtet, zu unterstützen und fördern vermag. Die Grundlage dieser Forschung bildet die Praxis des Lehrens; der Klassenraum ästhetischer Bildung an der Schnittstelle von Studium, kreativer Arbeit und Institution. Darauf aufbauend, und Bezug nehmend auf die Formate der Lecture Performance und der Meditation als alltägliche und kreative Praktiken, hat sich eine performative Praxis entwickelt, welche in der Herausbildung einer Reihe von geführten Meditationen mündete. Diese werden als Installationen, als Klangkunst und als Aktivitäten im Unterricht präsentiert. Die geführten Meditationen schlagen ein Experiment vor: Wie die Widersprüche angehen, die sich daraus ergeben, dass wir für die Zukunft lernen, indem wir uns mit aller Aufmerksamkeit auf die Gegenwart konzentrieren? Dieses Projekt unternimmt den Versuch die Linearität der Kritischen Theorie zu durchbrechen, indem es Paulo Freires Konzept des kritischen Bewusstseins (por. conscientização) von seinem Platz an der Spitze einer linearen Vorstellung von Empowerment an einen Ort verlagert, an dem es mit anderen Konzeptionen von Bewusstsein in Beziehung tritt. Zumal feministische und dekoloniale Theorien herangezogen werden, die sich utopischem Fatalismus und Behauptungen von Universalität entgegenstellen, übt die vorlie-
gende Untersuchung somit gleichzeitig Kritik an westlichen Konstrukten der Utopie als dominanter Form des Imaginierens eines Anderenfalls. Das Ziel ist eine entscheidende Verschiebung: weg von der Utopie hin zu einer Vorstellung einer sich konstant verändernden und unbestimmten Zukunft – dem Ungewissen.
BIOGRAPHY lISa NyBerg IS a vISual arTIST BaSeD IN malmö, SweDeN. She explores the radical possibilities of pedagogy and performance through processes that involve collective, embodied, transgressive and critical practices. In her work, she examines cultural and educational canons from an intersectional feminist perspective. This means creating situations and structures where learning can take place, as well as intervening in existing structures and institutions. Nyberg’s work takes the form of self-organized spaces, institutional processes, workshops, performances, installations, books and sound pieces. Nyberg was one of the founders of Malmö Free University for Women (2006–2011) and the think tank on Radical Pedagogy (2011– 2014), as well as the network X-front (2007–2010). Since 2015 she is part of UNICORN – artists in solidarity, an organization that explores forms of solidarity between artists through the sharing of food, experiences, knowledge and by organizing a residency for artists at risk. In 2016–2017 Nyberg was the head teacher and coordinator of Malmö Konstverkstad, and in 2019–2020 she was Head of Studies for The School of Conceptual and Contextual Practices at The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts. Lisa Nyberg’s work has been exhibited at Kunsthal Aarhus, the Research Pavilion at the Venice Biennale, Konsthall C (Stockholm), Trondheim Art Biennial, Signal–Center for Contemporary Art (Malmö), Röda Sten (Gothenburg), Den Frie Udstillingsbygning (Copenhagen), Dunkers Kulturhus (Helsingborg), Liljevalchs Konsthall (Stockholm), Gothenburg Art Museum, Rooseum (Malmö) among others. She has been awarded two working grants from the Swedish Arts Grants Committee as well as the Malmö City Grant for Artistic Development. Nyberg teaches regularly at art academies in the Nordic countries, such as The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, The Danish National School of Performing Arts, Konstfack, Valand Art Academy, Malmö University and others. www.lisanyberg.net
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Acknowledgements The classroom (an introduction) Methodology
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I. MAPPING OUR PEDAGOGICAL RELATIONSHIP TO THE UNKNOWN The search for a radical pedagogy (what is radical; partial and plural knowledge) ............................................ 16 Unsettling utopia as a pedagogical frame (imagining a feminist utopia; unsettling utopia; hope in the face of hopelessness) ........................................................................... 23 Imagining otherwise (imagination; embodied learning and spirituality)
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Relating to the future unknown (being with uncertainty; the future as a surprise) ...................................... 49 Teaching and studying without guarantees (playing the double bind) ....................................................................................................................................... 56
II: EXPERIMENTING WITH GUIDED MEDITATIONS AS PEDAGOGY Access to another state of mind (lecture performance; shape shifting) ................................................................ 66 The trance state (suggestions; unsettling) ...................................................... 69 Readiness (shifting attention; activating all senses) ................................ 76 The role of the guide and the teacher (constructing guided meditations; participation ............................................................................................ 78
Holding space for resistance (interruptions; reading resistance in the classroom) ............................... 83 Shifting the role of the guide (guided meditations as a creative practice; workshops in guiding meditations) ........................... 85
III: INTERRUPTING THE LINEARITY OF CRITICAL CONSCIOUSNESS THEORY An introduction to critical consciousness
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The role of the teacher in Paulo Freire’s pedagogy
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94 97
A contradiction in the pedagogy of emancipation (the role of the teacher; self-reflection) ........................................................... 101 An attempt at displacing naïve and magic consciousness (double consciousness; mestiza/border consciousness) .................... 111 Experimenting with a pedagogy for a multifaceted consciousness (enstrangement; the symbolic object; interruptions) ...................................................................................................................... 121 Unfinishedness
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133
INDUCTION: AN UNKNOWN AT THE HEART OF OUR LIVES… A guided meditation
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136
BIBLIOGRAPHY ................................................................................................. 157
DOCUMENTATION Enter/Exit – a guided mediation to the point of no return Performance MUMOK Vienna 2015 (manuscript)
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166
Unsettling I: Schillerplatz Sound work, Academy of Fine Arts Vienna 2017 (manuscript, sound file) .............................................................................................. 173 Unsettling II: A guided mediation to the sea Installation, Research Pavilion Venice 2017 (manuscript, sound file) .............................................................................................. 179 Unsettling III: Together to the sea Performance, EARN conference Venice 2017 (manuscript) ........................................................................................................................ 188 FEELERS Sound installation, IAC Malmö 2018 (manuscript, pictures, sound file) ....................................................................... 198 Anti-fascistisk gatumeditation /Anti-fascist street meditation Sound work, online 2019 (manuscript, sound file) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206 Malmö Konstverkstad Education project, 2016–2017
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PEDAGOGIES OF THE UNKNOWN Lisa Nyberg’s PhD Project starts from the question: how can we study for a future unknown? In light of anthropogenic climate change, a global environmental crisis, and its destabilizing impact on social and economic systems, there is an urgency to examine how we relate to the future in our pedagogy; how we anticipate, imagine and prepare through our teaching and our studies. At the basis of this research is a teaching practice; the classroom of aesthetic education at the intersection of study, creative work and the institution. From this base a performance practice has developed that draws from lecture performance and meditation as a quotidian and creative practice, to create a series of guided meditations. These are presented as art installations, as sound pieces and as activities in the classroom. The guided meditations propose an experiment in how to address the contradiction of learning for the future, by focusing, intently, on the present. Simultaneously, the project raises a critique of Western constructs of utopia as the dominant form of imagining otherwise, by looking to feminist and de-colonial theory that resist utopian fatalism and claims to universality. The aim is to make a critical shift from utopia towards a constantly changing and undetermined future – the unknown.