• How does skill_DEskill_REskill the essay sound?
  • How does skill_DEskill_REskill the essay feel?
  • How does skill_DEskill_REskill the essay look?
  • How does this skill_DEskill_REskill the essay move? 
  • How do I experience skill_DEskill_REskill in the essaying process?
  • How did I personally experience skill_DEskill_REskill the essay in the past? (anecdote)
  • How does the skill_DEskill_REskill the essay relate to references? (theoretical)
  • How does the skill_DEskill_REskill the essay relate to other concepts) 
  • What is the urgency of skill_DEskill_REskill the essay?

skill_DEskill_REskill

 

an essayistics of de-/re-skilling

Felix bernstein

Hard to Make Out

 
Sometimes it is tough to hold a contradiction like this – not legible, but not illegible – but I think it gets easier to grasp when we start to imagine texts and images not as static objects, but as part of a dynamic web of relationships that unfold across varied contexts.

 

Essaying as methodology?

 

Revaluating conventions subvert conventions?

Making out

 

Kathryn Bond Stockton

 

"Making out is kissing, reading, sex with ideas"

 

emergent strategy

 

adrienne maree brown

Right-to-Left (2024) 36 mins – a performed essay/lecture performance

https://vimeo.com/1057104816/90b256adfd?share=copy

 

Saal13 (2023) 22 mins – a performed essay/lecture performance

https://vimeo.com/935878590/b82ef51a1c?share=copy

 

Artists at their Easels: In your own words (2022) 1.35 mins – an animated short

https://vimeo.com/562778434/48f6d1fa04?share=copy

 

March30th (2021) 20 mins – unfinished desktop-influenced essay

https://vimeo.com/556408772/9a8416de64?share=copy

 

Typed Seams (2020) – labcoat essay

Images selection pdf (Dropbox)

Booklet pdf (Dropbox)

Reading booklet  2.45 mins

Intangebilities of form

Rheinberger Experimental systems

Subverting conclussions

Subverting structure

Subverting genre expectations / conventions

 

A conventional essay in an educational setting typically: 

  • answers a question (set by a teacher)
  • comes to a conclusion
  • is assessed using marking criteria
  • is written to demonstrate knowledge 
  • is written to demonstrate skills as a communicator (language is meant to be transparent, clear - and mastery of it effortless)
  • is meant to make the writer look good/clever
  • follows a conventional structure
  • is written in coherent language, which is often 
    • formal
    • impersonal
    • uses specialist terminology
  • makes use of sources
  • follows referencing conventions
 
Conventions of a practice / text-type, etc. are often used (repurposed or subverted) by artists as opportunities for art making.
 
It's an essayistic way of working, if we take these conventions as 'something that has already been given form' (Lukács, 2010: p.32).
 
Jenny Dirksen calls this kind of practice artistic revaluation, in relation to the lecture performance (Dirksen, 2019). 
 
Also related to the lecture performance, Felix Bernstein (2024) calls it threshing. 
 
In a talk about art making and art eductaion in UK, Elizabeth Price spoke about a (potentially) similar approach as trans-disciplinary and diagnostic (Price, 2023).

Refs
Bernstein, F. (2024) ‘Lectures without a Cause’.Texte Zur Kunst. (136) pp. 74–87. Available at:
 
Dirksen, J. (2009) ‘Ars Academica - The Lecture between Artistic and Academic Discourse’, in K. Jentjens et al. (eds) Lecture Performance. Köln & Belgrade: Kölnischer Kunstverein & Museum of Contemporary Art, Belgrade, pp. 9–16.
 
Lukács, G. (2010) ‘On the Nature and Form of the Essay’, in Soul & Form. New York: Columbia University Press. pp. 22–40.
 
Price, E. (2023) Professor Elizabeth Price keynote at the CHEAD Annual Conference 2023. Avaiable at: https://youtu.be/OQ-piJOLiaE
 
 

Jaz band + solo's

Question or angle per person

Why is essaying a round typewriter

 

Resitance of the formal Essay  



Research introduction: Essaying as collective performative practce (10 min): 

https://egahuurdeman.nl/2023/pd-arts-creative-symposium-2023-essaying-as-collective-and-performative-practice

 

On Pitbulls and Politics V3 *18 min): 

https://egahuurdeman.nl/2023/on-pitbulls-and-politics-version-3-sar-sig-group-co-agency-kabk-2023

 

On an unmethodical method V1 (20min.): 

https://egahuurdeman.nl/2022/from-the-scenic-essay-to-the-essay-exhibition-2022-on-an-unmethodological-method-version-1

Impasse de l'Essai, Paris

 

 

 


 

drawing tool: https://flockmod.com/r/testingsaressay

 

This is a screen recording of me (peter) using AntConc (free a corpus linguistic tool) to analyse (kind of) The Essay as Form. It allowed me to access the text in a way that interfered with Adorno's persuasive authority a bit. 

I was interested in Adorno's rejection of discursive logic, as though he doesn't think he follows one (a logic) of his own. The software helped me disrupt his logic, and enter into the text following my own.  

Staying with the trouble

Donna Harraway

An update on today’s meeting:

  • Anita and I met for an hour this afternoon and talked about maybe using The Essay as Form as something to respond to in the seminar, because it is the about rejecting conventionalised patterns of behaviour and finding new ones, so relates to the seminar themes.

I was rereading EAF recently and, although it’s always the go-to text on the essay, I found thinking about it in relation to the seminar renewed the text for me. I saw it with new eyes a bit.

  • I ‘read’ it with an open corpus linguistics software called AntConc (a concordancer made by someone called Anthony), and did a short screen recording that I’ve uploaded to the RC, our ARIA Workspace page.

It’s a tool that’s generally used to analyse massive collections of text, but I like using it on single texts. It generates lists of words by frequency; it can show how a given word collocates with others, etc.

  • We also talked about using AI in the seminar, and experimented a little with Deep Seek in our meeting.

We toyed with the idea of generating a wordlist from the Essay as Form, via AntConc, and giving it to Deep Seek to see what it generates. We didn’t do this, just spoke about it.

We talked about whether we might consider/frame AI as a 5th collaborator in the seminar.

if the academicpaper walks

Essay stawl

what crawl , rols

The Master's Tools Will Never Dismantle the Master's House

Impasse de l'Essai, Paris

 

 

 


 

Jes suggests the destruction of public artworks is often viewed as a shameful display of failure. She explores how we could rethink this response and embrace the idea of destruction as a potentially transformative, expansive, cathartic act which revels in unruly, unknowable live contexts, and offers opportunities for the accrual of new narratives. 

https://fountain.ghost.io/jes-fernie-speaks-on-cracks-and-how-to-deal-with-them/

 

Made by dsyslxia: https://www.madebydyslexia.org/quiz/

 

This is a cut reel that I made from my recoding of our session on Feb 14. There's 9 clips in total, with runtimes of ~20 seconds to ~ 7min. The clip breaks are fairly obvious, but as a reference here are the timestamps:

 

#1- 0:00

#2- 0:22

#3- 2:37

#4- 3:49

#5- 6:12

#6- 7:40

#7- 13:13

#8- 15:12

#9- 21:56

 

I can also upload the whole video if needed and/or isolate any of these clips.

Chat GTP answering questions about the essay

Is an essay a form?

deepSeek dialogue

is essay form?
 
 

Yes, an essay is a form of writing that presents a coherent argument, analysis, or exploration of a topic. It typically follows a structured format, which includes:

  1. Introduction: Introduces the topic, provides background information, and presents the thesis statement (the main argument or purpose of the essay).

  2. Body Paragraphs: Each paragraph focuses on a single point or idea that supports the thesis. They include evidence, examples, and analysis to develop the argument.

  3. Conclusion: Summarizes the main points, restates the thesis in light of the evidence presented, and may offer final thoughts or implications.

Essays can vary in style and purpose, such as persuasive, analytical, expository, or narrative essays, but they generally follow this basic structure. Let me know if you'd like help with a specific type of essay!

tha's not what adorno says
 
 

You're absolutely right to bring up Theodor Adorno! Adorno, a critical theorist and philosopher, had a unique perspective on the essay form, particularly in his piece "The Essay as Form" (from Notes to Literature). He challenged traditional, rigid structures and argued that the essay should be a more open, flexible, and dialectical form of writing. Here's a breakdown of Adorno's view:

  1. Anti-Systematic: Adorno rejected the idea that the essay should follow a strict, logical structure (like the scientific or academic model). Instead, he saw the essay as a form that resists systematization, allowing for a more fluid exploration of ideas.

  2. Dialectical Thinking: The essay, for Adorno, should embrace contradictions and complexities rather than seeking to resolve them. It should reflect the fragmented nature of reality and thought, rather than imposing a false sense of order.

  3. Freedom and Experimentation: Adorno valued the essay's ability to experiment with form and content. He believed it should be a space for intellectual freedom, where ideas can be explored without being constrained by traditional rules or expectations.

  4. Critique of Traditional Forms: Adorno criticized the conventional essay for its tendency to prioritize clarity and coherence over depth and nuance. He argued that this often leads to oversimplification and the suppression of more challenging, critical thought.

  5. Aesthetic and Philosophical Blend: Adorno saw the essay as a form that bridges philosophy and art. It should be both intellectually rigorous and aesthetically engaging, combining analysis with a sense of style and creativity.

In essence, Adorno's view of the essay is deeply tied to his broader philosophical commitments, particularly his critique of Enlightenment rationality and his emphasis on negative dialectics. For him, the essay is not just a vehicle for presenting ideas but a form that embodies the process of thinking itself—open-ended, critical, and resistant to closure.

If you're working on something related to Adorno or critical theory, I'd be happy to help further!

 

Adorno has a nuanced and critical perspective on coherence, particularly in the context of traditional philosophical and literary forms. In his essay "The Essay as Form" (from Notes to Literature), he challenges the conventional emphasis on coherence as a primary virtue of writing. Here’s a breakdown of his views:

  1. Critique of False Coherence: Adorno argues that traditional forms of writing often prioritize coherence at the expense of truth. He sees this as a problem because it imposes an artificial order on ideas, smoothing over contradictions, complexities, and the fragmented nature of reality. For Adorno, this kind of coherence is a form of ideological distortion—it creates the illusion of a unified, harmonious world, which he believes is fundamentally untrue.

  2. Coherence as Repression: Adorno suggests that the demand for coherence can suppress critical thought. By forcing ideas into a neat, logical structure, writers risk ignoring the messy, contradictory, and unresolved aspects of reality. This, in turn, stifles the potential for genuine insight and dialectical thinking, which thrives on tension and contradiction.

  3. The Essay as a Form of Resistance: Adorno sees the essay as a form that resists the tyranny of coherence. Instead of striving for a seamless, logical progression, the essay should embrace fragmentation, digression, and open-endedness. This allows it to reflect the complexities of thought and reality more authentically. For Adorno, the essay’s lack of traditional coherence is not a flaw but a strength—it creates space for critical reflection and intellectual freedom.

  4. Dialectical Coherence: While Adorno critiques conventional coherence, he does not reject the idea of coherence entirely. Instead, he advocates for a different kind of coherence—one that emerges organically from the interplay of ideas, contradictions, and tensions. This dialectical coherence is not imposed from the outside but arises from the internal logic of the essay’s exploration. It is a coherence that respects the complexity of its subject matter rather than simplifying it.

  5. Aesthetic Dimension: Adorno also links coherence to aesthetics. He believes that the essay should have an aesthetic quality, but this does not mean it should be polished or harmonious in the traditional sense. Instead, its aesthetic power comes from its ability to capture the dynamism and tension of thought, even if this means sacrificing conventional coherence.

In summary, Adorno’s view of coherence is deeply tied to his broader philosophical project. He critiques traditional coherence as a form of ideological repression and advocates for a more open, dialectical approach that embraces contradiction and complexity. For Adorno, the essay is a form that embodies this alternative kind of coherence—one that is truer to the fragmented and contradictory nature of reality and thought.

If you’re exploring Adorno’s ideas further or applying them to a specific context, feel free to share more details!

https://chat.deepseek.com/a/chat/s/32f87bd5-9ed6-4708-97d5-e25397387d1a

 

how could I use AI to prepare a lecture in the University?
 
 

Using AI to prepare a university lecture can be a powerful way to save time, enhance the quality of your content, and engage students more effectively. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how you can leverage AI tools for this purpose:

1. Topic Research and Content Generation

  • AI Tools: ChatGPT, Google Bard, Perplexity, or other AI research assistants.

  • How to Use:

    • Input your lecture topic or key questions into the AI tool and ask for an overview, key concepts, or recent developments in the field.

    • Use AI to generate summaries of complex theories, historical context, or case studies.

    • Ask for examples, analogies, or real-world applications to make the material more relatable to students.

  • Example Prompt:

    • "Provide a detailed explanation of Adorno's concept of the culture industry, including key criticisms and contemporary relevance."

    • "Summarize the main arguments of postcolonial theory and suggest three case studies to illustrate its application."

2. Structuring the Lecture

  • AI Tools: ChatGPT, Notion AI, or other outlining tools.

  • How to Use:

    • Ask the AI to create an outline for your lecture, including an introduction, main points, and conclusion.

    • Request suggestions for structuring complex topics into digestible sections.

    • Use AI to brainstorm engaging ways to introduce the topic or transition between sections.

  • Example Prompt:

    • "Create a lecture outline on the topic of 'Critical Theory in the Digital Age,' including key subtopics and a logical flow."

    • "Suggest three creative ways to introduce the concept of dialectical materialism to undergraduate students."

3. Creating Visual Aids

  • AI Tools: Canva, PowerPoint Designer, DALL·E, MidJourney, or other AI-powered design tools.

  • How to Use:

    • Use AI to generate slides, infographics, or diagrams that visually represent complex ideas.

    • Ask AI to suggest visuals or metaphors that can help students grasp abstract concepts.

    • Automate slide creation by inputting your lecture content into tools like Beautiful.ai or Slidesgo.

  • Example Prompt:

    • "Generate an infographic explaining the relationship between base and superstructure in Marxist theory."

    • "Create a slide deck outline for a lecture on the Frankfurt School, including key thinkers and concepts."

4. Engaging Students

  • AI Tools: ChatGPT, Poll Everywhere, or AI-powered quiz generators.

  • How to Use:

    • Use AI to design interactive elements like discussion questions, quizzes, or polls.

    • Ask for creative ways to engage students, such as debates, role-playing, or group activities.

    • Generate hypothetical scenarios or case studies for students to analyze during the lecture.

  • Example Prompt:

    • "Suggest five discussion questions to encourage critical thinking about Adorno's critique of mass culture."

    • "Create a quiz with five multiple-choice questions on the key concepts of poststructuralism."

5. Writing Lecture Notes or Scripts

  • AI Tools: ChatGPT, Grammarly, or other writing assistants.

  • How to Use:

    • Input your lecture outline and ask the AI to expand it into detailed notes or a full script.

    • Use AI to refine your language, ensuring clarity and academic rigor.

    • Ask for help simplifying complex jargon for undergraduate audiences.

  • Example Prompt:

    • "Expand this outline into a 45-minute lecture script on the topic of 'The Essay as Form' by Adorno."

    • "Simplify this explanation of Heidegger's concept of 'Being' for first-year philosophy students."

6. Incorporating Multimedia

  • AI Tools: Pictory, Lumen5, or other AI video/audio tools.

  • How to Use:

    • Use AI to create short video clips or animations that illustrate key concepts.

    • Generate audio summaries or podcasts for students to review before or after the lecture.

    • Ask AI to recommend relevant YouTube videos, TED Talks, or podcasts to include in your lecture.

  • Example Prompt:

    • "Suggest three YouTube videos that explain the concept of hegemony in Gramsci's work."

    • "Create a 2-minute animated video script explaining the dialectic of enlightenment."

7. Personalizing Content

  • AI Tools: ChatGPT, adaptive learning platforms.

  • How to Use:

    • Tailor your lecture to the specific needs of your students by asking AI for advice on addressing common misconceptions or knowledge gaps.

    • Use AI to adapt your content for different levels of expertise (e.g., undergraduate vs. graduate students).

  • Example Prompt:

    • "What are common misconceptions students have about Foucault's concept of power, and how can I address them in my lecture?"

    • "Adapt this lecture on Derrida's deconstruction for an audience of advanced graduate students."

8. Practicing and Refining Delivery

  • AI Tools: Otter.ai, Speechify, or other speech analysis tools.

  • How to Use:

    • Record yourself practicing the lecture and use AI transcription tools to analyze your pacing, clarity, and tone.

    • Use text-to-speech tools to hear how your lecture sounds and identify areas for improvement.

  • Example Prompt:

    • "Transcribe this recording of my lecture and highlight areas where I can improve clarity or engagement."

9. Post-Lecture Support

  • AI Tools: ChatGPT, Quizlet, or other study aid generators.

  • How to Use:

    • Use AI to create study guides, flashcards, or summaries for students to review after the lecture.

    • Generate additional reading recommendations or practice questions based on the lecture content.

  • Example Prompt:

    • "Create a study guide for students covering the main points of my lecture on Walter Benjamin's 'The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction.'"

    • "Suggest five additional readings on the topic of critical theory for students who want to explore further."

10. Ethical Considerations

  • Always review and critically evaluate AI-generated content to ensure accuracy, depth, and alignment with your teaching goals.

  • Be transparent with students about how you’ve used AI in preparing the lecture, and encourage them to think critically about the role of AI in education.

By integrating AI into your lecture preparation process, you can save time, enhance the quality of your content, and create a more engaging and interactive learning experience for your students. Let me know if you’d like help with a specific aspect of your lecture!

 
 
 

 

We spoke about what our contribution to the seminar might involve / engage:

  • Computer take-over of some kind
  • A blend of pre-existing and live material
  • A mix of forms – stemming from our mix of backgrounds and self-constructions
  • How we essay/construct together – in spite of/because of weaknesses/failure(s)
  • If we make explicit observations about essaying, we might do this as context, upfront, rather than afterwards

tool for public interaction
https://www.mentimeter.com/app/home

Warm Data   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ft954vXPa4

 

https://www.nga.gov/stories/the-shirley-card-legacy.html

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CoabPzASzno&t=37s

 

 

 

VIDEO 5 min. Formal introduction


LIVE 5 min “Tuning up the Orchestra” (4min) – Peter sets up scenario / Emily… / Anita…. / Jo…. 


Jo 1-2 min. Jo (embodiment activity)

 

Emily 5 min. (live video/lecture performance)

 

VIDEO audio?


Peter 5min. (live creating stop-motion film/transfers to QT)

Somebody else talks about skilling. Audience are invited to come closer and watch the making

 

Jo 5 min. (live creating/reading)

critical of essay pedagogy, essay as slow, non-resolution

 

27:00 Peter 3 min. (plays video) plays the stop-motion film (3min)


32:00 VIDEO on conclusion (3min)


35:00 Anita (5min)


40:00 finish

Do we want to finish sooner so that we have more time to discuss?

 

—-



RANDOM EXAMPLE

0:00 Video clip with audio

2:30 Live audio over video

4:15 Emily 5 minute

9:15 Live audio over video

10:30 Video with audio

11:45 Jo 5 minute

16:45 Live audio over video

22:15 Video with audio

26:45 Peter 5 minute

31:45 Video with audio

33:00 live audio over video

34:15 Anita 5 min

39:15 audio over video

40:00 end

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ft954vXPa4

 

split screen jitsi left


Horseshorses

https://youtu.be/CoabPzASzno?feature=shared&t=37

 

How does skill_DEskill_REskill the essay sound?


move

look

feel


hot compost - weird layers of stuff

warm data



cofusion

doubt

 

tinitus

hailo

disturbance

vulnerablility

 

yawn - tretch

 

break

 

it sounds like horses horses

 

 

 

 

https://egahuurdeman.nl/2016/het-einde-is-in-het-begin

embodied form of labour - academic context -

How does skill_DEskill_REskill the essay feel? sensorial how is essaying embodied? skill is autopilot



How does skill_DEskill_REskill the essay smell/taste?


 

Peter:

animism seduction

doubt characteristic of the contemporary moment

failure - amateur (de/reskilling)

feel free with me

be free with me

be allowed to be free

be allowed to be me

 
"As a practice, failure recognizes that alternatives are embedded already in the dominant and that power is never total or consistent; indeed failure can exploit the unpredictability of ideology and its indeterminate qualities" (TQAoF, p.88)