Panel discussion at Article Biennial held

Saturday August 13th I took part in a panel discussion on art and biotechnology at the 2016 Article Biennial, Stavanger, as part of the event "New Eden? Where is biotechnology taking us, and how can art explore this?" (cf. previous posts). About 20 people were present. My co-panelists were Hanne Røland Hagland (Assoc. Prof. and leader, Centre for Organelle Research, UiS) and Kristin Aaser Lunde (PhD fellow, Stavanger University Hospital) and the featured artists Jalila Essaïdi, George Gessert and Joe Davis. The panel was chaired by co-curator Nora S. Vaage.

"Outside the circle" text posted in Minding Animals blog

My text "Utenfor sirkelen" [Outside the circle], in Norwegian - see previous posts - written on invitation for an art exhibition by Jørund Aase Falkenberg and addressing the history of human-animal relations, has been posted in the Minding Animals Norway blog - see here. The text has previously been published on the artist's webpage.

Opening of the art exhibition "Asylum" at Utsikten

April 11th I took part in the opening of the art exhibition, or more specifically video installation, "Asylum (midt i blant oss)" [Asylum - right in our midst] at Utsikten art center in Kvinesdal, Norway. The exhibition is on display until May 16th.

As my opening words, I read the philosophical causerie "Å ha livet på vent" [Having your life on hold]. The exhibition features video recordings from a Norwegian asylum center. The opening of the video installation was well visited, with some 50-60 people attending, about half of them with a background as asylum seekers. The program of the opening further included conversation with the artist, Eli Glader, belly dancing, and an informal panel discussion in which I also took part.

The next day, April 12th, I repeated part of my causerie for some 20 hotel guests around lunch time.

The manager of Utsikten, Torill Haugen, found me via my commercial philosophy site, Spør filosofen [Ask the philosopher].

Video interview on human-animal relations in agriculture now online

The interview with me - in Norwegian - which figures in Anne Helen Robberstad's video installation "Sårbar" [Vulnerable] (see previous post) is now available online, on Minding Animals Norway's Vimeo channel. Watch it here.

Contents:

• 00.33- Biosemiotikk [Biosemiotics]
• 01.22- Å være bonde [To be a farmer]
• 04.19- Å være tjent med [To benefit from]
• 07.43- Forhold til dyr [Relations to animals]
• 14.31- Kjøttforbruk [Meat consumption]
• 20.04- Interessekonflikt [Conflict of interest]
• 26.59- Gandhi [Gandhi]
• 31.05- Følelser [Feelings]
• 34.37- Fremtiden [The future]

Video installation opened at Hå gamle prestegard; includes interview with me

February 14th I met artist Anne Helen Robberstad in relation to her video installation art project "Sårbar" [Vulnerable], which deals with the topic of vulnerable animals in animal husbandry and vulnerable farmers, particularly in the Norwegian region of Jæren in the South-West of the country. Recordings resulted in a 36-minute interview with me in the form of a monologue. It features as one of 8-10 similar interviews or portraits that in combination (and partly run in parallel, from different angles) make up the video installation.

"Sårbar" opened, along with two other exhibitions in different formats, at Hå Gamle Prestegard Saturday April 20th. 200 people were reportedly present. The exhibitions will be on display until June 2nd.

The interview with me, with deals with different aspects of Human-Animal Studies and relations, was conducted in my capacity as Chair of Minding Animals Norway and Associate Professor in philosophy at University of Stavanger.