BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam//NONSGML v1.0//EN NAME:Too Close! The Pleasures and Perils of an Entangled Existence METHOD:PUBLISH BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART:20261023T100000 DTEND:20261023T173000 DTSTAMP:20261023T100000 UID:too-close-the-pleasures-and-pe@8F96275E-9F55-4B3F-A143-836282E12573 CREATED:20260911T122953 LOCATION:Nieuwe Instituut, 25, Museumpark, 3015 CG, Rotterdam SUMMARY:Too Close! The Pleasures and Perils of an Entangled Existence X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:

What does it mean to say that everything is relational and everything is connected? What possibilities and perils emerge when we understand entanglement to be a fundamental condition of life?

Contemporary thought, ae sthetic practice, and cultural production have been conceiving of the world and life within it in terms of processes, relations, and modes of becoming, rather than as fixed objects and immutable essences. Th is pronounced relational turn responds to a current historical moment in which long-upheld boundaries between human and non-human, nature and culture, and biology and technology, have become untenable. Moreo ver, we are becoming increasingly conscious of the complex web of int erdependencies that connects all earthly life forms, and of how fraug ht the relations that sustain them can be. However, despite a general agreement that more just and equitable modes of being-in-relation ar e absolutely necessary for human, non-human, and planetary survival, (multispecies) entanglement can also produce forms of exposure and pr oximity that may be difficult to navigate. In other words, relational ity is as desirable as it can be dangerous or troublesome. 

< p>By bringing together perspectives from gender studies, multispecies design, contemporary art history, media studies, philosophy, and art istic research, this one-day symposium explores both the pleasures an d the perils of thinking through and practicing (multispecies) relati onality. The day is dedicated to critical reflection and discussion a bout some pressing questions raised by the relational turn within aca demic discourse and cultural production: If everything is entangled w ith everything else, in what terms can we begin to understand modes o f being in relation? What happens if we take relation(ality) as our s tarting point, both theoretically and materially? And how might we co pe with living with that which constantly feels too close for comfort ? 

This event is organised in partnership with the Env ironmental Humanities Center at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and with financial support from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and the Dutch Re search Council (grant VI.Veni.221C.026 as part of the research projec t CINEAGRI — Global Elements of Cinema).

Ple ase register via link below. 

About the organisers

Manuela Zammit is a lecturer on the Bac helor’s Media, Art, Design and Architecture (MKDA) and a PhD candid ate in art history within the department of Art & Culture at Vrij e Universiteit Amsterdam. She is also an independent writer and edito r in the fields of contemporary art and culture. Her (academic) resea rch frequently addresses the aesthetics and politics of relationality , critical thresholds, zones of convergence, and contemporary diaspor ic subjectivity. 

Medha Guru holds an RMA in Environmental Humanities and is currently pursuing a PhD within the Department of Social and Cultural Anthropology at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. Her research focuses on understanding Dutch urban gardens as relational multispecies entanglements and engages ethnography, biography, and mo re-than-human life writing to tell stories of radical hope and resist ance.   


DESCRIPTION: What does it mean to say that everything is relational an d everything is connected? What possibilities and perils emerge when we understand entanglement to be a fundamental condition of life? Con temporary thought, aesthetic practice, and cultural production have b een conceiving of the world and life within it in terms of processes, relations, and modes of becoming, rather than as fixed objects and i mmutable essences. This pronounced relational turn responds to a curr ent historical moment in which long-upheld boundaries between human a nd non-human, nature and culture, and biology and technology, have be come untenable. Moreover, we are becoming increasingly conscious of t he complex web of interdependencies that connects all earthly life fo rms, and of how fraught the relations that sustain them can be. Howev er, despite a general agreement that more just and equitable modes of being-in-relation are absolutely necessary for human, non-human, and planetary survival, (multispecies) entanglement can also produce for ms of exposure and proximity that may be difficult to navigate. In ot her words, relationality is as desirable as it can be dangerous or tr oublesome. By bringing together perspectives from gender studies , multispecies design, contemporary art history, media studies, philo sophy, and artistic research, this one-day symposium explores both th e pleasures and the perils of thinking through and practicing (multis pecies) relationality. The day is dedicated to critical reflection an d discussion about some pressing questions raised by the relational t urn within academic discourse and cultural production: If everything is entangled with everything else, in what terms can we begin to unde rstand modes of being in relation? What happens if we take relation(a lity) as our starting point, both theoretically and materially? And h ow might we cope with living with that which constantly feels too clo se for comfort? This event is organised in partnership with the Environmental Humanities Center at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam a nd with financial support from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and the D utch Research Council (grant VI.Veni.221C.026 as part of the research project CINEAGRI — Global Elements of Cinema).Ple ase register via link below. About the org anisersManuela Zammit is a lecturer on the Bachelor’s Medi a, Art, Design and Architecture (MKDA) and a PhD candidate in art his tory within the department of Art & Culture at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. She is also an independent writer and editor in the field s of contemporary art and culture. Her (academic) research frequently addresses the aesthetics and politics of relationality, critical thr esholds, zones of convergence, and contemporary diasporic subjectivit y. Medha Guru holds an RMA in Environmental Humanities and is cu rrently pursuing a PhD within the Department of Social and Cultural A nthropology at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. Her research focuses on understanding Dutch urban gardens as relational multispecies entangle ments and engages ethnography, biography, and more-than-human life wr iting to tell stories of radical hope and resistance.  &nbs p;
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