picnic with asia

 

Ultradependent Public School(UPS) at BAK: Tales of Symbologies Here and Then, Now and There (Hussein Shikha and Sadrie Alves)

The carpet is a multilayered entity with many dimensions and functions, tangible and intangible. It carries stories and gathers people. Borrowing Foucault's idea of a heterotopia, the Persian carpet is also a plan-like representation of a Persian garden. Its motifs of the frame, central medallion and grid represent various architectural elements found in Persian gardens, such as the surrounding wall, central fountain, kiosk, and doorways. The carpet is also subjective map of a locality, a temporary home, and a space for gathering. In this workshop we will not only look at but see through a collectively generated textile. 
During this training, we will look into the ancient crafts and symbols of tapestries as well as woodblocks of different geographies. These art forms are surrounded by immaterial cultural heritages—symbolic ornaments, visual languages—that have been undermined by the modernist lens of less-is-more. 
Together, we will translate our surroundings into a collective composition, analogous to a tapestry. Through the use of different media, analog and digital, we translate our locality into a tangible vocabulary. The workshop consists of collective readings, screenings, visual exercises, time for reflection in small groups and the larger group, the crafting of a collective work, and a shared meal. This encounter is a space of theoretic insight and hands-on practice. 
Hospitality 
Collective vegan lunch from 12:00–13:00 hrs. Meal included in the enrollment fee. The abundance and variety of the menu depends on the luck of the b.ASIC a.CTIVIST k.ITCHEN’s dumpster dive. Asia Komarova, Anna Clara, Sankrit Kulmanochawong.