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Relational Aesthetics

Kai Hammermeister, Germanic Languages and Literatures

November 30, 2009 at 3:30 pm
Knight House
(contact: Bernhard Fischer at fischer.5@osu.edu)

In the 1990s, a young generation of visual artists set out to create works which intend not only to produce a public sphere but of which this very element of the public discourse is an integral element. This presentation will examine some of these works by artists like Rirkrit Tiravanija, Thomas Hirschhorn, Pierre Huyghe, and others as well as the intellectual underpinning provided for these undertakings in the writings of Nicolas Bourriaud.

Kai Hammermeister works mainly in the field of intellectual history where he investigates questions regarding philosophical and practical aesthetics. In addition to his academic teaching and publishing he has frequently cooperated with art instutions like the Wexner Center and NYC galleries in several functions.
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Working Groups

The Public Sphere and Modern Social Imaginaries

Led by: Bernd Fischer (Germanic Languages and Literatures) and Alan Beyerchen (History)

The aim of this group's interdisciplinary research initiative is to explore the historical and contemporary significance of the public sphere and modern social imaginaries – the discourses, norms, and ideas shared by members of a given society. The motivation for such an investigation arises from the growing interdependence of different nations, regions, and communities that demands and generates new ways of political, legal, economic, strategic, and cultural forms of cooperation. What kind of public spaces facilitate and what kind of shared imaginaries support such cooperation and how do they emerge? What aspects in society hinder productive communication and interaction? Does productive social cooperation presuppose certain governmental, in particular democratic structures? Answering these and related questions will require the collaboration of a variety of disciplines, including, but not limited to social and political sciences, cultural theory, religious studies, philosophy, anthropology, economic theory, linguistics, history, art history, and education.
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About the Institute

Our Double Mission:
To facilitate emergent research collaborations between humanities faculty and others across the university;
To enable the humanities to act as a significant bridge from the University to the city of Columbus and the broader public culture.

The Institute seeks to be an active forum for exchange among scholars and citizens, both on and off campus, and a place where the University can think creatively about what it does.

Founded in 1997, the Institute is located just east of OSU's main campus, in the George Wells Knight House, originally the home of the first chair of History at Ohio State. ICRPH is underwritten by the College of Humanities, by an Academic Enrichment award from the Office of Academic Affairs, by generous special allocations from the Ohio General Assembly's Urban Initiative Program, and by project grants and gifts.

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