“Revolution 3.0: Iconographies of utopia in Africa and its diasporas” analyzes images from the African revolutions, their movements and dynamics. Africa and its diasporas have produced diverse utopias and imaginations of future. Such visions draw on the pool of images and texts provided by the visual archives of revolutions and liberation struggles, which are remixed, re-interpreted or repeated in different dispositives such as painting, photography and audiovisual media. As much as referencing existing visions, such imaginations create new imageries. The research project investigates the entanglements of aesthetics and politics in situations of radical social transformation, and the becoming of icons. What constitutes the ‘seismographic power’ of images, and the sustainability of icons in terms of radicalism? Central to our investigation are diachronic and transcultural filiations within visual culture in the ‘longue durée’ of lusophone Africa. We investigate existing archives as well as aim at creating new image pools. As part of the larger transdisciplinary research project of the Bayreuth Academy of Advanced African Studies, “Future Africa – Visions in Time ”, we ask:
- Is there a ‘revolutionary potential’, an agency within an image?
How do images anticipate, ignite and accompany fundamental change? Which functions do images hold in different phases of revolution? How are images used in the aftermath of revolution, e.g. to consolidate order?
What makes some of them attractive for ‘post-production’?
Icon Lab
in our Media-Lab, we assemble images and their filiations, compare, and analyze them.
Presentation, discussion and recording are carried out with guests of the BA. Like this, we aim at understanding iconographies of revolution, radical change, and utopia along the images that make them work. Our aim is to develop of a method for working with images and to produce a dictionary of revolutionary iconography.
Bayreuth Academy Workshop 3.0
Tuesday, 25th of June 2013
Where: Associação Maumaus - Centro de Contaminação Visual Campo dos Mártires da Pátria, 100 - 1o esq. 1
Who: Alexandre Pomar, Fernandes Dias, Manuela Ribeiro Sanches, Marta Lança, Francisca Bagulho, Catarina Simão, Ângela Ferreira, Luís Patraquim, Ute Fendler, Ulf Vierke, Nadine Siegert, Katharina Fink, Stefanie Alisch
0. Greeting
1. Introducing Bayreuth Academy and its sub project „Revolutions 3.0“ 2. Communicating intentions, aspirations and methods of the workshop 3. Presenting glossary of key terms
4. Introducing the Icon Lab
5.1 Discussion of methods 5.2 Bring images
Session 1: Reflect on images with visual techniques Lunch Goethe Institut (tbc.)
Session 2: Reflect on images with visual techniques Wrap-up session day 1
Dinner (Povo or Snob)
Wednesday, 26th of June 2013
Similar procedure with speakers of ECAS panel at Goethe Institut Lisboa (tbc.) “Revolution 3.0: iconographies of utopia in Africa and its diaspora”
