Think Again publication is out

Vision Forum is proud to announce its latest publication. It documents the Think Again project that took place in Shanghai and Hangzhou in May 2012 with projects at Rockbund Art Museum, Misgshen Museum and many more venues. The book is designed by Guo Xingling and published with Fei Art Center and contains rich visual documentation and critical texts.  With work by Wooloo, Natasha Rosling, Olav Westphalen, Li Xiaofei, Olafur Jonsson and texts by Per Hüttner, Rudi Heinrichsen, Li Xiaofei and Kimberly Chun. More info about other Vision Forum publications here.

From the Publication

The Think Again Catalogue is nearing completion. Here is a snippet from Per Hüttner's text on the logic of the project:

"In order to make sure that our lives become interesting and meaningful, we need to safeguard diversity, difference and the right to foster and develop each individual’s inherent uniqueness. This holds true whether you come from a country with 10 million or around 1,5 billion inhabitants. As the title suggests, the project also stipulated that all creativity is connected to thought (even if its output is physical, practical, corporeal or visceral). So what does it mean to think? The question is as old as thinking itself. Certain philosophers say that as long as thought continues to presuppose its own good nature and good will, as long as “thought” is grounded in common sense, it will think nothing. Thinking is therefore two-sided. One side is grounded in tradition and the other breaks with the same. Or phrased differently, we cannot break all the rules at the same time. But we also need to break some of the rules in order to be creative. Rule breaking is fundamental for our survival.

But other thinkers go further. They claim that thought is the act of thinking something that no other human being has ever thought before. We have to ask ourselves if there is there a limit to thought? If so what are the boundaries defined by language, technology, tradition and the physical restrictions of our brains? Does thinking have to be logical? Or can thought embrace paradox, the absurd or even madness? An explicit goal of the project was to create space for the enjoyment of misunderstanding, non-understanding and other nonsensical forms of communication. The project takes inspiration in Taoist thinking and strains of western philosophy. We do so to overcome the fear of the unknown - which is thinking’s worst enemy. But I will return to this in a moment."

We are working on the Publication

Vision Forum is working on a publication that documents the Think Again project that took place in Shanghai and Hangzhou in May 2012. The book will be designed by Li Xiaofei and published by Fei Art Center (planned release November 2012). In the meantime you will find some images from the event here.

On production and re-production

Our wonderful friend and long term Vision Forum member Pauline Curnier Jardin told this wonderful story that is totally relevant for this project:

"Do you know that I have seen, in the Marseille flea market, the most crazy object ever; a Koran-box with the holy book and a magic pen that can translate the Islamic verses in more than 15 languages. The man selling it is a charming bearded one, super-smiling and laughing always saying this sentence at the end of his demo: 'ah, and I must tell you, this object is made by the Chineese of course! They will have us all!'!!!!"

Vision Forum organizes "Think Again" in Shanghai

Think Again – Shanghai and Hangzhou 21-28 May, 2012.

Vision Forum is proud to present a seven-day event in Shanghai and Hangzhou. Think Again is an interdisciplinary research project and brings together artists, curators, academics and inventors from Europe and China to reflect on the nature of creativity and how it can be encouraged and developed through international partnership.

Think Again takes many different forms:

-    Specially conceived artwork by Olav Westphalen will be shown at Mingshen Museum; by Chen Wei and Natasha Rosling at Fei Art Center.
-    Performances and presentations will take place at Rockbund Museum in collaboration with Shanghai University.
-    Talks and discussions will take place at other venues including The Art Academy in Hangzhou, Fei Art Center and 2666 Library.
-    The group will also carry out communal research in Shanghai Hangzhou and at Fei Art Center.

The sessions will touch on such diverse issues as new environmental technology, humour, new forms for meeting and living together, utopian architecture and finding new forms for art education and artistic research. But they are held together by a true ambition to understand and foster creation and also create platforms for better understanding between east and west.

The project is a collaboration between Linköpings Universitet and universities in Shanghai and Hangzhou. Participants include, Olafur Jonsson, Melanie Gilligan, Vincent Honoré, Per Hüttner, Wooloo (Anders Lichinger, Sixten Kai Nielsen, Martin Rosgaard,) William Rawlings, Natasha Rosling, Chen Wei, Olav Westphalen, Li Xiaofei
, Yang Zhifei, Doris Duanmu, Wang Dan, Gong Lilas and Science Fiction.

再生·思索−上海，杭州 （2012年5月21日−5月28日）

视觉论坛（Vision Forum）本次将在在上海、杭州两地举办，项目为期七天。

“再生·思索”是一个跨学科的研究项目，汇集了来自欧洲和中国的艺术家，策展人，学者和发明人，来思考创造力的本质，以及如何通过国际合作，来鼓励和开发创造力。

“再生·思索”项目呈现形式：

−上海民生现代美术馆将展出由Olav Westphalen特别构思创作的艺术作品；

−上海非当代艺术中心将展出“私人视角”以及Natasha Rosling和陈伟艺术作品；

−与上海大学联动，在上海外滩美术馆举办现场表演和演讲；

−在包括中国美术学院，非当代艺术中心和2666图书馆等各地场馆开展讲座和讨论会；

−该小组还将在上海，杭州和非当代艺术中心推进研究。

这一系列活动将涉及多样化的议题内容，包括新的环保技术，幽默感，融合与共同生存的新格局，乌托邦式的架构以及探索艺术教育和艺术研究的新形式等。将这些议题共同提出探讨，以期将理解与孕育创造力，并为搭建一个促进东西方之间深入了解的平台的真实构想而付诸实践。

该项目由瑞典林雪平大学、上海大学、杭州大学共同合作，参与艺术家包括OlafurJonsson, Melanie Gilligan, Vincent Honoré, Per Hüttner, Wooloo (Anders Lichinger, Sixten Kai Nielsen, Martin Rosgaard,) William Rawlings, Natasha Rosling, Olav Westphalen, 陈伟, 李消非, 杨志飞, 端木霞子, 王单, 宫林林及科幻小组。

日程安排：

5月21日

−18：00，“再生·思索”项目媒体见面会及上海区开幕式，由瑞典王国驻上海领事馆协力举行。

5月22日

−上海民生现代美术馆，Olav Westphalen现场表演及创作。

5月23日

−18:00，上海非当代艺术中心，“私人视角”以及Natasha Rosling和陈伟艺术作品展览的开幕式。

5月24日

−赴杭州美术学院，进行公共讨论及工作室活动。

5月25日

−上海非当代艺术中心，Wooloo组织非公开研讨会。

5月26日

−上海非当代艺术中心，Per Hüttner组织非公开研讨会。

5月26日

−19:00

−上海外滩美术馆，Per Hüttner主持公开演讲及现场表演。

5月27日

−14:00

−上海民生现代美术馆，Olav Westphalen个展开幕式。

−19:00

−上海外滩美术馆，Wooloo公共演讲及现场表演。

−5月28日

－上海非当代艺术中心，Wooloo组织非公开研讨会。

－19:00

−上海2666图书馆，由伦敦David Roberts基金支持的导演Vincent Honoré与艺术家Per Hüttner针对未来艺术教育的演讲。

各场会议开始前将展示一段由李消非在中国和瑞典不同工厂拍摄的视频。

更多详情请见：

http://visionforum2011.blogspot.com/

http://visionforum-unitedpeople.blogspot.com/

http://www.swedenabroad.com/shanghai

此项目由瑞典林雪平大学，瑞典政府国际发展署，瑞典驻上海总领事馆共同支持。

ROCKBUND ART MUSEUM

上海外滩美术馆

上海市黄浦区虎丘路20号

No. 20 Huqiu Road,Huang Pu District, Shanghai

电话 T 86 21 3310 9985 

传真 F 86 21 6321 3352

http://www.rockbundartmuseum.org

Minsheng Art Museum

民生现代美术馆

地址：上海市淮海西路570号F座

邮编：200052

Bldg.F No.570 Huaihai(w)Rd 200052 Shanghai

电话 T +86 21-62828729

传真  F +86 21-62829129

http://www.minshengart.com

Fei Contemporary Art Center (FCAC)

上海非当代艺术中心

上海市闸北区 灵石路709号40栋2楼

邮编: 200072

Building No. 40-2F

709 Lingshi Rd

Shanghai 200072

Shanghai. China. 200072

电话 T +86 21 6630 7268

传真 F +86 21 6630 7268

http://www.feiartcenter.com 

2666 Library

南京西路1025弄136号

No. 136, Jing'an Villa,

1025 Nanjing Road W.

电话 T +86 21 62103526

http://www.2666library.com

China Academy Of Art, Hangzhou

中国美术学院

Building no. 4 (SIMA),

218 Nanshan Road

杭州市南山路中国美术学院四号楼

电话: +86-571-87164711, 87164712 

传真: +86-571-87164711

http://eng.caa.edu.cn/

Natasha's set up for Fei Art Center

How are fantasies produced and (in)directly enacted as part of every day life? How do contradictions within one mind become part of a reality and contribute to cultural obsessions? Where is the boundary between private and public communication?

A series of stands will be constructed within the gallery as mobile supports for artefacts produced across the duration of 'Think Again'. These will be a range of costumes, objects, textured screens and projections created in response to a series of short texts and interviews from a range of subjects outside and within the locale of the art centre. These pieces will be replicated and re translated by local crafts people and volunteers, and will continue to be incorporated back into the set-up accumulating as a whole into a peculiar interior architecture.