CALL FOR APPLICATIONS

INTERNATIONAL SUMMER SCHOOL

Extractivism and its discontents: Cultural and artistic counter-movements

September 7 -18, 2022. Kassel, Germany.

The University of Kassel, in cooperation with Más Arte Más Acción (MAMA), documenta Institut and CELA, invites students, artists, and activists from the diverse fields of cultural sciences and arts to apply for an international summer school held from September 7 to 18, 2022, in the city of Kassel, Germany, during documenta fifteen. Scholarships will be granted for some of the successful applicants with funds from the DAAD – German Academic Exchange Service. This initiative is also supported by CAPAZ – German-Colombian Peace Institute, CELA – Centro de Estudios Latinoamericanos de la Universidad de Kassel and documenta fifteen.

Deadline to apply: Friday, February 25th 2022, 22:00 GMT

About the Summer School

The summer school Extractivism and its discontents: cultural and artistic counter-movements offers an international and interdisciplinary exchange on resource-extracting societies and the interconnectedness between the global South and Europe. The focus lies on Latin America, specifically its ecological diversity and long (post)colonial experience of resource extraction, which will be discussed within the artistic-discursive context of documenta fifteen in Kassel.

documenta fifteen unfolds the “Lumbung” curatorial concept by the indonesian art collective ruangrupa, based in Jakarta. “Lumbung” is an artistic and economic model based on collective and common principles to use and share available resources. The summer school takes place within this context and offers an exchange between the art foundation Más Arte Más Acción (MAMA) – “Lumbung”-member -, the University of Kassel and the Artistic Team of documenta fifteen.

The summer school offers an innovative approach of artistic and discursive laboratories applying an interdisciplinary perspective from the arts, the humanities, cultural studies, and the social sciences. We will be delving into the cultural, aesthetic and political implications of extractive economies to the global present. Simultaneously, alternative forms of thought and perspectives for collective action, sustainability and the cohabitation of various forms of life that emerge within radically changing ecosystems of the global present will be explored. Within this critical framework, the summer school takes up MAMAs artistic contributions to documenta fifteen. This transdisciplinary approach offers the possibility to develop the aesthetic, critical and acting potential of the arts, the humanities, cultural studies and social sciences to devise sustainable cultural and social practices.

The thematic threads of the summer school will address local and global epistemes of extractivism and sustainability, politics of law within peacemaking processes in contested terrains, and the potential of eco-fictions in art, literature, discourse, and activism.

Dates of the program 

• Arrival date in Kassel: Tuesday, September 6
• Starting date: Wednesday, September 7, finishing date: Sunday, September 18

Costs and scholarship

• The summer school is free of charge.
• Participants will need to cover travel, accommodation and living expenses during the days of the summer school.
• Scholarships are available to cover partial costs of travel and accommodation upon request, subject to DAAD guidelines.

Relevant information about the course:

• The language of the summer school is Spanish (sign language upon request).
• The summer school will be delivered in various formats, including project presentations, thematic workshops, scholars in conversation, and keynote lectures.
• Academic certificates will be available.

Application and procedure

We invite applications from students, artists, activists and others engaging in projects related to the aforementioned themes and questions. 

To apply, fill out the APPLICATION FORM. The following information will be required: 

• Name(s), surname(s).
• Current city of residence.
• Personal profile (100 words max.);
• A brief motivation text that describes how participating in the summer school can enhance your own work and activities (300 words max.).
• Please also include your trajectory or your CV. (10 MB max.).
• Optional: If you want to apply for a scholarship to cover partial costs of travel and accommodation, include a brief argument of why the scholarship is important for you (200 words max.).
• Please send your application documents in one PDF.

Notes:

• Applications can be submitted  in Spanish or English, but bear in mind that the course will be offered in Spanish.
• If you have a specific question or particular need in relation to language, access, etc. please include it in your motivation letter.
• A Q&A session on the application process will be held on Thursday, February 17, 2022 at 15:00 GMT. Link to the virtual session: https://uni-kassel.zoom.us/j/91502573753?pwd=cEtkOHlOSDkxNnFtdlBQNUpWU1hNUT09

Applicants will be notified whether they have been selected in March 2022. 

Key dates

Opening of the call for application	Monday, January 31, 2022
Questions and answers for the application	Thursday, February 17, 2022, 15:00 GMT
Application deadline	Friday, February 25, 2022, 22:00 GMT
Date of results	March, 2022
Arrival date in Kassel	Tuesday, September 6, 2022
Start of Summer School	Wednesday, September 7, 2022
Last session of the Summer School	Sunday, September 18, 2022

For more information please write to: summer_school@masartemasaccion.org

Organizing committee:

Prof. Dr. Liliana Gómez, Prof. Dr. Angela Schrott (University of Kassel / documenta Institut, CELA); Erna von der Walde, Jonathan Colin, Alejandra Rojas Giraldo (Más Arte Más Acción).

Press and communications contact:

Bogotá: Rossana Alarcón – comunicaciones@masartemasaccion.org

Kassel: Mateo Chacón Pino – chacon-pino@documenta-institut.de

The International Summer School: Extractivism and its discontents, cultural and artistic counter-movements is organized by the University of Kassel, documenta Institut, CELA and Más Arte Más Acción Foundation with the support of documenta fifteen and CAPAZ – German-Colombian Peace Institute. This initiative is financed by DAAD – German Academic Exchange Service with funds from the Federal Foreign Office (Auswärtiges Amt, AA).