What can 13th century theories on computation teach us about art today?
In the framework of the exhibition Thinking Machines. Ramon Llull and the ars combinatoria, the EPFL CDH and the EPFL ArtLab organize a symposium in conjunction to the launch of the publication “DIA-LOGOS Ramon Llull’s Method of Thought and Artistic Practice” initiated by the ZKM Karlsruhe and published by Minnesota Press. Through the outstanding production of the Catalan philosopher, theologian, polymath from Majorca, this international symposium offers a platform to explore the interdisciplinary reverberations of Llull’s work.
Guided tours through the exhibition and the launch of the edited volume DIA-LOGOS Ramon Llull’s Method of Thought and Artistic Practice, will offer a dynamic platform for intercultural and institutional exchange.
With:
- Nicolas Ducimetière, Vice director Fondation Martin Bodmer, Cologny
- Macarios Jabbour, Executive director Maronite Library Aleppo, Syria
- Béla Kapossy, Dean EPFL College of Humanities
- Sarah Kenderdine, Lead of the EPFL Laboratory for experimental Museology eM+
- Bill Sherman, Director of the Warburg Institute and Professor of Cultural History in the University of London’s School of Advanced Study
- Roland Tormey, Teacher, researcher and administrator at the Ecole polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne
- Amador Vega, Professor of Aesthetics and Art Theory at the Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona
- Siegfried Zielinski, Michel Foucault Professor of Media Archaeology and Techno-Culture at the European Graduate School in Saas-Fee (CH)
With the participation of renowned scholars, including Warburg Institute Director Bill Sherman, as well as book editors and exhibition co-curators Amador Vega and Siegfried Zielinski, the symposium will offer a platform for participants from many fields – from computer science and mathematics to art, history and cultural studies – to explore the interdisciplinary reverberations of Ramon Llull’s work.
Participants will be introduced to the broad scope of Llull’s impact, and the importance of his investigations for the fields of media theory and computation. At the same time, expert speakers will illuminate and address key issues that have emerged in the wake of the Thinking Machines exhibition, such as the challenge of preserving cultural heritage in complex geo-political circumstances.
Contact: artlab@epfl.ch