Afterthoughts on the workshop with Nicolás Paris at Marres (NL)

Thur 1 June 2023, 17:00-21:00

Organised by: Marres

Thought experiments, exercises based on demonstrations, walks in the forest, unintelligible words, rhythmic silence, interstitial spaces, conversations with insects, invisible spaces, unstable equilibria, and unpredictable processes, the workshop aims to perceive and understand structures and growth phenomena in nature through various tactile exercises and collaborative processes. In doing so, the world serves as a fund of material from which to draw, and one’s own senses become the instruments with which organically novel structures and social situations can be created. The exercises are based on participatory practices that are intended to encourage exploration of the notion of shared time between humans and nature, and between humans.

n i c o l á s

On Thursday 1 June 2023 Colombian artist Nicolás Paris 🌲 delivered a workshop at Marres House of Contemporary Culture as part of the SenseSquared project.

SenseSquared’s main objective is to show that a sensuous and artistic attitude can open up new and unexpected perspectives in any educational setting.

🌳 Paris’ work is closely linked to questions about collective learning. His work method consists of thought experiments, exercises based on demonstrations, walks in the forest, rhythmic silence, invisible spaces, and unpredictable processes.

His workshop aimed to perceive and understand structures and growth phenomena in nature through various tactile exercises and collaborative processes. In doing so, the world serves as a fund of material from which to draw, and one’s own senses become the instruments with which organically novel structures and social situations can be created.

During the workshop, teachers and cultural educators exchanged ideas about the essence of the word ‘school’ in its original meaning (> Ancient Greek) of being free to develop oneself. Where in education do students and teachers still experience the freedom to develop themselves from wonder, authentic interest and in interaction with each other? Why is it so difficult to see creative processes without defined preconceived goals as not only a relevant but even essential way of teaching?

Marres wants to develop in the coming years into a ‘classroom’ where wonder and questions are evoked as a starting point for creative processes, and where definitive and polarized answers should not necessarily be the goal.